Move Articles from One DB to Another?

[dustrho]

I'm in the process of upgrading my current site that's all HTML with the forums running SMF 1.1.5, and I don't want to install TinyPortal on it yet because I need to convert all those to the article format in TP first. So, I built a test forum with SMF 1.1.5 and TP 1.0.5 beta 1, and I have a question...

Can I create all the articles in my test forum, and then somehow transfer those over to my production forum? I just don't want to install TP on my production forum, and then have to convert everything over to article format. Articles are actually stored in the database instead of individual files, right? And if that's the case, I doubt I can do anything about it.

Any tips and/or suggestions would be great. Hopefully someone has an idea of where I'm trying to go with this, but I can try explaining it better if needed.

Thanks!

[JPDeni]

You can create your test site with TP, including all of the articles. Once you get them like you want them, use phpMyAdmin (or another way to access your database) and export the tables as .sql files. Then install TP on your live site and import the .sql files into the tables.

[dustrho]

Do you happen to know what the name of those tables containing these articles are called? I would be exporting them from my test DB, and then importing them into an already existing production DB. That will work?

[JPDeni]

The table that holds the articles, is, assuming you haven't changed the default prefixes, smf_tp_articles. As long as you don't have any comments on the articles, you wouldn't need to export any other tables.

I would be exporting them from my test DB, and then importing them into an already existing production DB. That will work?

Yep, as long as you install the same version of TP on your live site first so that the table structure is there before you import the file.

[dustrho]

Can I do the same with the blocks too?

[IchBin]

If you need all that info, why not just export then import the TP tables from one database to the other?

[dustrho]

If you need all that info, why not just export then import the TP tables from one database to the other?

If I do what you suggested (importing/exporting all TP tables), would that mean I wouldn't have to actually install TP on that live server? I have no problems doing the database import/export, but I don't want to install TP, import the tables, and then mess up my live server because of duplicate records or something.

Thanks.

[JPDeni]

Can I do the same with the blocks too?

Yes. You would export/import smf_tp_blocks.

If you want to export/import all of the TP tables, use all of the tables whose names start with smf_tp_. I would do it individually, rather than having one huge .sql file, if it was me. As a matter of fact, it has been me. I've done this before.

would that mean I wouldn't have to actually install TP on that live server?

No. You need to install TP because it makes some changes in files in addition to changing the database.

but I don't want to install TP, import the tables, and then mess up my live server because of duplicate records or something.

You won't mess up your server. But, just to be on the safe side, you should empty each table in the live database before you import the data from your .sql files.

[Dragooon]

And be sure to backup