Import mySQL & Prevent Registration

Xarex

I have searched these forums and found some things relating to mySQL but nothing direct.

I am using PHP Fusion with a mySQL database and I already have registered users.
I am using the default forums that come with PHP Fusion.

I looked in Import and only saw the option to import. There is an export but I think that just exports that database of Vanilla forums. Besides, there is nothing to important since my Vanilla forums are cocnnected to the SQL database.

I have two questions.


1. How do I important users from my existing mySQL database (names, emails, etc.) into the Vanilla forums so they don't have to register to use the forums?

2. How do I prevent users from having to even sign up on the Vanilla forums but rather directing them to sign up using the register page for my website?


I looked in the Vanilla options but did not see anything. I also scanned through the downloads section and didn't find anything. So are these two things possible to do with Vanilla?

Seems to be the problem with external CMS applications. My visitors have already signed up once. I don't want a separate sign up for the forums either.

I could just use the default forums, but I liked the advanced build of Vanilla and all of its addons.

Thanks for your help!


-Xarex
http://www.youtrippy.com

Xarex

Grr sorry about some of the spelling mistakes.


This seems to be a common problem I'm having with nearly every external PHP application I'm using, despite sharing the same database for everything I use. I am also wanting to use Serendipity. I want to be able to incorporate an external blog and a forum because they are more powerful and offer more option than my CMS. But external blogs and forums seems as if they are completely separate from the main site I'm running.

WordPress had this option to import users that were already in my database, but WordPress is extremely beefed up and doesn't fit into my website at all. It's basically like a Blog that needs to be completely external and could function on its own. It seems like it's alien from my website, despite having the similar theme. There's just too much in it and so that's why I've chosen Serendipity.

There is no option to import my existing users. I'm not talking about importing them from another forum. My site has a registration and that's where my visitors sign up. Once they've registered, I have their information in the database.That's the only sign up I want. To have users sign up for 2 or 3 things is just horrible for an attempt at a professional website. I've looked and downloaded the plugins I needed but found nothing.

How can I import this user information, specifically the Username and Email address into Vanilla Forums so I don't have to manually put them in there with each new sign up? Once my visitors sign up for my site, all that information should be automatically going into the database.

I am also wondering if there is an option to close registration as they have already signed up via my registration page.

Thanks for your help!


Xarex

judgej

To close registration, set the "registration method" in the config file to "closed". Unfortunately this is an option that is not listed in the admin GUI (it should be IMO).

So far as importing users are concerned, I would take a look at ProxyConnect, which uses an external system to log in and authenticate users. It then creates accounts on-the-fly as people visit the forum for the first time.

Yes, it is a common problem, and one that I believe is only adequately solved by using some form of centralised authentication such as OpenID or similar. If you need users to be loaded up onto the forum in advance, then it is slightly more cumbersome, but hopefully you don't. If you do, and are okay with SQL, then I have posted details on what needs inserting to set up the minimum skeleton for each user, the details of which are filled in by ProxyConnect the first time the users log in. It has been working great for me so far.

Edit: I've looked, but can't find the post I made where I listed the INSERT statements - there are actually pretty simple.

Xarex

Sounds complicated, heh. Thanks for you reply though!

CurtisOden

jdgej, can you report those INSERT examples? I could really use them... I have to import 8,000 existing users with 600,000+ messages. Examples would be VERY helpful.