Mambo + PHPBB component -> Mambo + SMF?

[Janner]

I've been using the PHPBB component for some time now. However, for a number of reasons I have been looking for an alternative solution, and am wondering whether SMF might now be the way to go (especially as the Mambo bridge now has official support from SMF, unlike the PHPBB component which is pretty much one guy working on his own).

Has anybody else faced the same decision? Anybody actually made the switch? Is Mambo+SMF at a stable enough state of development, or would I be better advised to wait?

Lots of questions I know (and there could easily be lots more), so I would pretty much welcome any comments on my dilemna.

[jorgen]

Ive been using Mambo+SMF since April04. First with WhiteRabbit's bridge, and now I've updated to Orstio's.

I've had very few problems with it. Its been very stable for me, and I recommend the combination.
Orstio is very active on the development of the bridge, and it gets better and more stable every release.

[chadness]

I actually started with Mambo+phpBB, and switched it before my site went live.  Very happy about that decision.  Of course, I didn't have to migrate any posts over, and I imported my users right from Mambo, so it was pretty easy.

[Kindred]

Switching from phpBB to SMF is done with a conversion utility. I understand it works fairly well and fairly clean.

The Mambo <-> SMF bridge from Orstio is in 2.11 stable now and works very well indeed. In addition to a good basic design and a decently integrated bridge, it is edittable to become even more integrated as some have already done.

Currently (and for the foreseeable future) the bridge links the Mambo userlist with the SMF userlist, but maintains each list in a separate table in the database.

The bridge will take SMF database users and incorporate them into the mambo database (if they don't already exist) the first time they log on. There is also a "merge" utility that will also take mambo users and add them to the SMF database.
If your users already exist in phpBB and Mambo, then the switchover should be fairly seamless.

[jorgen]

Test it on your PC first !
Use "Mambo Stand Alone Server" http://mamboforge.net/frs/?group_id=51 for a ready configured private webserver. It is even already set ut with mambo, and you can install SMF and phpBB and import your databases.

Then you can easily  test conversion and how mambo/SMF works without messing with your live server.

[Janner]

Thanks for all your thoughts and tips. I should have a few spare hours today, so will do some testing.

I currently have modules on the frontpage of my site showing the latest posts to the PHPBB forum and the newest members. Can this be done with SMF?

In the meantime I suppose I had best read through all the previous posts in this forum to get some idea of what I am letting myself in for

[jorgen]

I do not know if there is a way to show newest members. But you do have a module called whosOnline.

But you can definately show latest post.
There is a module for RecentPosts, RecentTopics, TopicsReplies

You can see both whosOnline and a version (modified to my liking) of recentTopics at http://www.inventorforum.net/ . Look in the top right corner.

I suggest you print out the readme's in the bridge to get a complete picture.
Good luck!

[Janner]

Thanks.

It seems that SMF will do pretty much everything I need. The main problem now will be getting my database back into a state that will allow me to convert PHPBB->SMF and then get the bridge up and running (the PHPBB component makes some changes to the mos_users table, which it then uses instead of phpbb_users. This is one of the reasons I would like to move to another solution).

[chadness]

Also, there is a newest users module...I'm not sure of the link right now, but if you can't hunt it down, let me know and I'll find it for ya.

[Janner]

A few issues along the way, but the conversion seems to have gone okay.

However, i have one really dumb question:

I have installed the login module, and this appears to work fine for logging in/out. However, the register link points to - http://www.your-mambo-installation.com/directory/index.php?option=com_smf_registration&task=register - for the life of me I can't see where to change this so that the domain part of the link is correct!

I guess it must have been a long day. Can some kind soul provide me with a pointer

[Kindred]

english.template.php

[Janner]

Doh!!!!

Damn that copy/pasting without paying full attention!

[chadness]

Check this as well if you're using the default template:
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=22841.0

[Janner]

Check this as well if you're using the default template:
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=22841.0

Thanks. That was actually next on my todo list. Although SMF is currently spilling over the righthand side of my Mambo Template (in IE6, but not in Firefox), so I shall be having a play around with some other themes to see whether it is template specific or a general issue.

[Kindred]

Yes, the "spilling over" is a common problem.

1- Most mambo templates seem to be fixed width.   You can assist in your SMF theme issues by increasing the width of the master" table in the mambo template index.

2- Some SMF themes have greater issues...  the default and classic themes are bad for mambo...   Bloc's stuff and much of Mystica's themes seem to work well within mambo templates.

3- Never use the Solarflare template form mambo...  it's horrendous when you try to link SMF inside it...

[jorgen]

I had the same problem with bloc's themis.

See here what I did, with bloc's help to solve this problem for themis.

[Janner]

Yes, the "spilling over" is a common problem.

1- Most mambo templates seem to be fixed width.   You can assist in your SMF theme issues by increasing the width of the master" table in the mambo template index.

2- Some SMF themes have greater issues...  the default and classic themes are bad for mambo...   Bloc's stuff and much of Mystica's themes seem to work well within mambo templates.

3- Never use the Solarflare template form mambo...  it's horrendous when you try to link SMF inside it...

Thanks for the advice.

I actually use a variable width template at the moment. Will have to see whether I can find an SMF theme and a Mambo template that work well together.

[Kindred]

Personally, I am using the Ako-dark-gem theme (which is actually a fixed width template) for Mambo in combination with the Helios theme (by Bloc) for SMF.

These two do seem to work well together, not only for colours, but also for size/placements