Converting a phpWebSite 0.8.3 site to a 0.9.x site by Matthew McNaney -------------------------------------------------- Thank you for trying phpWebSite 0.9.0! In order to convert your old 0.8.3 data to 0.9.0, please read the following directions CAREFULLY. The conversion does not convert 3rd party modules/plug-ins. You will need to contact the developer of that module/plug-in. Be aware, this conversion is for getting your data moved into the new core. You will still need to general text and link clean-up. There are two 'crutch' files (mod.php and article.php) that allow old links to bounce to userpages and articles. Don't rely on these files. Update your links as these files will eventually be removed. Getting Started ------------------ ** Install phpWebSite 0.9.0.** Make a backup of your current 0.8.3 database. Make a backup of your current 0.9.0 database. Make the convert/reroute/ directory writable (apache.apache, nobody.nobody, 777). Make the images directory writable as well. Make sure the modules you want to update are installed in 0.9.0. Install FatCat if you have not yet. ** IMPORTANT - If you are trying to run a conversion on a branch site ** Go into your branch site directory and make these directories: convert convert/reroute Make them web server writable. Also make sure the branch site's image directory is writable. index.php ------------------ This is the first place you need to go. At the top of the page you will see nine 'define' statements. They will all be set to TRUE. You should change these to FALSE if: - You do not want to convert information in that module - You have already converted a particular module - You want to convert the data one or two module(s) at a time. You might want to convert your modules in smaller steps if your php installation has a less than a 10MB memory_limit or a timeout of under 60 seconds. In fact, if you can temporarily bump your memory_limit to 16MB, it will make your life easier. REMEMBER: if the conversion stops abruptly, this is usually the culprit. You have been warned. Also check your OLD_SITE_DIR variable. This must match for images to get copied correctly. ** IMPORTANT - If you are trying to run a conversion on a branch site ** You will need to edit two other variables: Set the 'define("PHPWS_HOME_DIR", "../");" to where ever your branch site is located IN REFERENCE to the convert directory. Example: define("PHPWS_HOME_DIR", "../../branch_sites/phpwebsite2/"); Also you will need to uncomment the $IDhash variable and set it to the branch site's hash. Example $IDhash = "asdk7asdkg89k3ds8kjj398sdafjasdkuyasd3"; Finally change '$branchName = NULL;' to your branch site's name Example $branchName = "phpwebsite2"; BE CAREFUL!! db.php ------------------ Your second stop is this file. Change the values of the various "OLD_*" variables to match your 0.8.3 database connection information. MODULE NOTES ------------------------------------------------------------------------- PageMaster and MenuMan ---------------------- These two modules convert Userpages and Menu. MAKE SURE the web server can write to your convert/reroute/ directory. If you do not, old mod.php links will die when they hit your page. Announcements and Topics ------------------------- Because 0.9.0 has system-wide categories, topics are translated into categories. These categories are stored in FatCat. Your icons will convert IF your OLD_SITE_DIR is set properly. Like PageMaster, a reroute file will be created for old Announcements. Calendar ------------- The calendar conversion will build FatCat categories based upon your categories, sub categories, and locations as well as transferring your old events into the new system. Locations will be one level under a master category named Locations. Users -------------- The old system had two sets of users: regular users and admins. The new system does not. If an admin has an user account, it will be ignored during conversion. 0.9.0 usernames and passwords are still case sensitive. LinkMan -------------- LinkMan is missing a few viewing features, but you should still convert them. The link categories transfer to FatCat as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Running the conversion ------------------------------------------------------------------------- After you have read this document, figured out if you need to run the conversions individually, backed up your files and databases, and set directory permissions you are ready to begin. Point your browser at youWebsiteName/convert/index.php. You will be prompted for your install password. Enter it and the conversion will begin. If there are any problems they will be echoed to the screen. If problems do occur, try to isolate the problem. Turn off the conversion of all other modules, clear out the tables for that problem module and try again. If you are still having problems, please post it to sourceforge.net Finishing the Conversion ------------------------ CLOSE YOUR BROWSER! This will clear any remaining sessions. Change the write permissions on the convert/reroute directory to not writable. Rename, hide, move, or remove your convert/index.php file for extra security.