let moderators post as another user

[bubach]

and how hard wouldn't it be to write a script that scans the old forums
html-pages and import that? it's the exact same thing, just not manually..

how hard is it for a normal moderator admin to abuse it's power
in current systems? if i'm the freaking owner of the forum i can abuse it
without the use of any mods, so to clarify: this isn't gonna be used for any
abuse.

If you don't want to help then, then just please don't respond, becasue this
is getting redicilous.

i happen to have a forum where my users trusts the admins/moderators
enought for this kind of mod....

[Kindred]

bubach...   forums that use php and SQL don't actually exist as HTML until viewed.


What system are you converting from?
The conversion script would read the message entries in your old forum db, write it to a variable and then add them into your new forum db directly, including poster, original post date and all reponses.
Unless you are talking only about 10 messages, the script is faster and more accurate than your manual concept.

In addition, I would think a conversion script would be the way you would WANT to go. The amount of argument your putting up for the ability to spoof a user makes me wonder...

[Eliana Tamerin]

Just go into the database for your current board and add the posts in manually. You said that you had copies of all the posts. It's much easier, and doesn't open the realm for widespread abuse, since then only the forum owner would be able to do this, and then the ethics of that action are up to them.

[Thantos]

Not going to write it for you but using the function createPost() in SMF 1.1 could be of great aid in importing the information.

[Elmacik]

Well people, I think you all reply without reading what bubach is talking about.
Though, I myself dont either think its a good idea.
bubach, its something a bit complicated, but I can suggest you to change the user ids manually in the database. I mean, post the old topics with your own user account, and browse database,
browse the smf_messages table, change the ID_MEMBER value of the messages you want, and put the original user's id there.
But it will take painfully a long time. So then create a new user account, post a user's all old messages, then run this query in the database:
update smf_messages set ID_MEMBER = 'ORIGINAL_MEMBER_ID_HERE' where ID_MEMBER = 'YOUR_NEW_ACCOUNT_ID';

[Harzem]

(all members wants this).
And it's just temporary until the old posts are copied.

Then, ask your users to change their passwords to 1234. So you can log in as them an copy the posts! At the end, ask them to rechange their passwords. If what you want is really what you say, that would be the easiest one.

[bubach]

now, lets try to explain this once more.. 

the old forum is located at www.forumer.com [nofollow]
they provide free forums, but you can't touch the
db, or get a backup. visit them and check it out.

the new forum is already up and running, and i have
already inserted about 200 messages manually into the
database, the problem is that it's hard and takes lots
of time...

I guess that i could ask the members to change
passwords and do it that way, but then i would have
to log in and out for every post, and the dates would
get messed up.

the solution to this would be a mod that would allow
admins or moderators to post as another user and to
be able to specify posting time. it would be the
simplest way, wouldn't you agree on that?

about this abuse issue, really, what diffrence does it
make to you? even if i where to abuse this mod
( which i won't) , all i would get is a forum without
any visitors... telling me that you won't help, becasue
you think that i would abuse it doesn't make any sense
at all to me. it's my forum after all, and i'm getting
tired of telling you that it's strictly for recovery use.

i hope this clears it up, and that some kind person can
help me.

/ Christoffer

[Harzem]

Lets try to help once more

You can't touch the database, but you can apply mods, right?

You want us to make a mod for you. That means you are able to install mods.

Then, we can make a custom mod for you, which will take a back up of your database. Then you are done Making and using a "let moderators post as another user" mod is both more difficult for you and us. We want not to do this, you want to get your data back.

Would you accept that offer?

[winrules]

Lets try to help once more

You can't touch the database, but you can apply mods, right?

You want us to make a mod for you. That means you are able to install mods.

Then, we can make a custom mod for you, which will take a back up of your database. Then you are done Making and using a "let moderators post as another user" mod is both more difficult for you and us. We want not to do this, you want to get your data back.

Would you accept that offer?

No, I think you misunderstood. He can only install mods on his NEW forum.

[bubach]

winrules is right, i can't do anything with the old
forum except read it online.
thats why i thought this would be the simplest
solution.

i have also looked into some sort of program that
"scans" the forum by given html patterns and extracts
the info so that i could insert it into the new forum,
but that was a bit to complicated for me..

[Elmacik]

winrules is right, i can't do anything with the old
forum except read it online.

If you can read the data from the old forum, this means you also can grab a backup of it. And this is very easy.
Just grab the create_backup.php file and get your data. From the same place get the restore_backup.php and restore onto your new forum. (Or convert if you need first.)

i have also looked into some sort of program that
"scans" the forum by given html patterns and extracts
the info so that i could insert it into the new forum,
but that was a bit to complicated for me..

And believe, to make is mod is much more complicated at this situation.

[bubach]

i don't know if i understand this correctly, but will this php really be able
to fetch the data from another server ?
becasue, as i said several times before, i can't touch the server where my
old forum is. not install mods, upload files, take db-dump, nothing!
they even disabled the db-backup option in the admin panel!
btw: the old forum is phpBB not SMF if that matters?

[Elmacik]

It doesnt matter if its phpBB or not.
There are two possiblities on getting the database information (user + pass + name) from the server,
1- From the phpBB admin panel (if it has one)
2- From the phpBB configuration file on the server. (the most efficient way)
Since you say you cant touch the files on the server, I dont think you will be able to do anything about it.
If you could install an SMF there, you could easily port your data to it with the converter.
This time I will remind my first suggestion.. Just post the messages with your account, and then enter the database, run the query I gave you in the past page.

[bubach]

ummh.. i just don't like that, it would complicate the
cooperation (all mods help with the transfer)..
it would be much simpler if someone could help me
with a mod.. honestly how hard could it be?? 

[Kindred]

As I previously stated... the HTML pages do not exist....   they are generated "on the fly" by the server (php).  So, soemthing that scans html would do absoultely nothing for you.

Basically, the answer is: Your request is extremely complicated and uinlikely to be developed.

So... you can not even upload files to your old server?

[bubach]

As I previously stated... the HTML pages do not exist....   they are generated "on the fly" by the server (php).  So, soemthing that scans html would do absoultely nothing for you.

do you think i'm stupid?
i know that the html pages are created on the fly, but that does not
mean that a program or script can not get them via their addresses, like:
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?action=post;quote=514507;topic=70100.30;num_replies=34;sesc=29003553a887e275b472879d25f4b513
it's possible to make a script thats searches a forum for URL's like this and then
saves the contents it gets.

now, thats not what i want to do since it's to complex.

i wanted a mod that would allow an admin or a moderator to post as
any user, at any date.. that wouldn't be anywhere near as complex.

EDIT: if you had bothered to read any of my previous posts you
would know by now that i can't upload files to that server, since it's not mine.

[Kindred]

bubach...

you have never said anything about uploading files. You have only stated that you could not get a database backup form your previous forum.  Most free hosting sites DO allow people to upload web files to their site, so my question was not at all illogical.


And as a number of us have stated...  the mod that you are asking for is actually fairly complex itself AND lends itself to potential major abuse...

[bubach]

Thats why i get frustrated, i write it again and again
and it seems like you either don't read it at all or you
think that i don't know what the hell i'm talking about..?

And here comes that **** about abuse... If i may be
honest? Even if i did "abuse" my own forum, thats non
of your buissness.. I could abuse it all day long, playing
with my database and you can't do a damn thing about
it, so you wont have to feel guilty if you help me with
this mod... Especially since IT'S NOT FOR ANY ABUSE.

I think it's scary that the common opinion is that if an
admin(!) or moderator(!) can abuse the forum, he problably
will... Why the hell would i want to do that, i'm already the
site owner?

As a sidenote, i'm not angry, i just couldn't express this
without the use of some capital letters & ugly words..

EDIT: When i say that i can't take a db-backup i _mean_ that
i can not take a db-backup, not that i'm to dumb to do it..

[Kindred]

bubach...

remember, we deal with users of ALL levels of experience.  When you said "I can not take a db_backup" We assumed you meant just that.   We made no asusmptions about your intelligence. Without any further information, it looked like you were saying that you can't get a backup of the DB through any of the normal channels (phpmyadmin, cpanel, etc) until just now, you never mentioned the fact that you can't even upload files.
(which leads me to wonder what kind of host this was, if you could not even upload your files?)

Anyway...   Once again, from our side of things...   despite what YOU may wish to do with it, or whether your users have given you permission, the very fact of writing such a mod means that OTHERS will also have access to it... and they might not have permission.

All that aside... I looked into the code.   What you are asking is not a small task at all. It's not simple, it's not fast... it involves slogging through huge amounts of code in different files, writing bypass functions, etc...

[bubach]

Anyway...   Once again, from our side of things...   despite what YOU may wish to do with it, or whether your users have given you permission, the very fact of writing such a mod means that OTHERS will also have access to it... and they might not have permission.

All that aside... I looked into the code.   What you are asking is not a small task at all. It's not simple, it's not fast... it involves slogging through huge amounts of code in different files, writing bypass functions, etc...

Well, ok and thanks anyway.
It's a forum host only, www.forumer.com [nofollow], which i think i wrote before.
Anyway, forum admin's and moderators have power. if they should
choose to abuse that power the forum won't last long, thats a fact.
So if a mod like this would be installed by an admin just for abuse,
it would hardly matter to anyone except the idiots that own the forum.

I'm grateful that you looked into it.