Merging forums "what will happen"

[T3CHN0]

I would like to know what will happen if I merge one forum with another.

I have a new forum with boards some mods installed and registered members
but I would like to use one of my other forums already setup with alot of mods
already installed.

I was thinking, if I copied over all the files from my other forum replacing the files in my new forum
and did a full data base import from my other forum as well, would all the members / boards / pre-installed mods
all come across as well!!! So the forum would look like and work like my other forum but still have the members /
boards / mods still active from my current forum as well? leaving me with having to remove all the boards / mods I don't want in this
new forum, 'OR' will the data base from my other forum replace everything in the new forum?

[Dzonny]

I'm afraid that it's not possible man.

Every member have unique ID, every topic, post, board, category as well. You can't merge those as you have same IDs already used in other database.

[Arantor]

It is theoretically possible to merge two forums however... you'll have to go through them post by post to make sure they're ordered correctly (since SMF orders by post id, not time)

Then in every post that links to another, you'll need to track what the old topic was and what the new topic is, and then update any links in posts.

While it is possible, it's a MASSIVE amount of work to actually get right and you're better not doing it at all if possible.

[T3CHN0]

Thanks all


Well looks like I better not do it, big bummer, the forum a already built has a huge mass of hours
put in to it, I will not be doing it all over again in a new forum. looks like it will be what it is.

''OR'' I could build backup and setup another forum the same as the one I already did
remove all the stuff I don't want then send an email out to the other member of the other forum
to re-register. But doing things like that not everyone wants to register over and over again
and end up loosing members.  ' done it before '


Cheer