Mods that have 'Database Changes'
 

Major Addition mods require 'DB Changes'
No harm done, I think.


If you add two major additional mods that have 'DB Changes' today, add more mods down the road with 'DB Changes,' is there a chance that the db changes will eventually collide with other changes, causing a fatal error with the forum?

Or does each mod add new database and changes its own database?

Explanation on the database is appreciated. :D

Hi m8

I am far from sql literate but from what i gather new hacks/mods either create new colums/sections whatever ya want to call them in the specific sections of the database,

They can also add on some of the existing sections as well

e.g. the USERS section of the database has numerous sections/colums and if the section coloum that is not there they will add the section such as a points system, this will have its own little part in the USERS section of the database....

As far as i am aware nothing drastic ever really happens if theres a conflict, perhaps the odd sql error and usuall if you go back to the coder where you got the hack from they will either fix the error (conflict) or point you in the direction of the previous coder that thier hack is conflicting with, either way the majority of the time there is a fix....

Does this make sense to you...caus eit dont to me, it just sounded good as i was typing it :)

I am sure some one else can explain it better than me but mine is a=in laymans terms though :)

If two hacks created identical SQL Tables, then you'd have a problem. But that rarely happens.

Pretty much all vb mods (that have database changes) either add new tables to the existing database, or new columns (fields) to an existing table (I don't know of any that don't).

It is rare for two such mods to clash, but it's possible. It's also possible for them to clash with future changes to vb itself - for example, the 'warnings' field added to the user table in 3.6 clashed with a field created by the AWO mod for previous versions of vb.

That's why it's important that mod creaters add a little complexity to table and collumn names. More so than they would for a stand alone application. For example, a collumn called warnings is far more likely to have a problem now or down the road than one called hackname_warnings.