eliminate duplicate smilies

[nohuhu]

hello everyone,

i'm almost sure this question is asked every time somebody moves over from phpbb but i couldn't find a clear answer yet. the problem (one of 'em huh) is pretty simple: phpbb supports duplicate smilies, i.e. several text strings can be replaced with the same picture. like

:D

,

:-D

and

:grin:

means the same picture. i can understand why it was done this way and i find it practical enough. now in vbulletin as it seems to me, smilies are simplier: one string, one picture. it may be ok for new vbulletin installation but since i've been planning to move old database over it can become a problem. first, there's already a mix of different smilie codes with similar meanings in user posts and second, people got used to the way phpbb does it and i don't want to force them to relearn as well as get buried under a pile of questions like "why it worked earlier but doesn't work now". i must admit i'm new to vbulletin and may not know all its features and ways so the question is: what's the best way to retain phpbb-like smilie approach with standard vbulletin mechanisms?