This thread will detail how to have a single login for multiple forums. It makes the following assumptions:
A valid vbulletin license exists for each install
All forums will be on the same server
You already have one forum operational AND that forum uses a BLANK $tableprefix!
One database will contain all the tables
This thread is a follow-up from this discussion over at vbulletin.com. Thanks to Brains for some pointers!
Here are the steps:
Copy your forum directories to a parallel directory (for example copy /www/forums to /www/new_forums)
In /includes/config.php, change $tableprefix (line 91) to a new prefix [for example $tableprefix = 'new_';]
Run the vb install from the new directory (/www/new_forums/install/install.php)
During the install, be sure NOT to empty the tables. If you have any doubt about what this means, stop NOW! If you empty the tables, you will lose all of your existing data from a prior install!
Download the files from these directories to your PC: /new_forums, /new_forums/admincp, /new_forums/archive, /new_forums/includes, /new_forums/modcp, /new_forums/subscriptions
We are now going to make global changes to the files in the folders (and subfolders) above. I used Dreamweaver's "edit-find and replace" function with "find in" set to "Entire Current Local Site". We are basically going to remove the "TABLE_PREFIX" from any code dealing with the user. (Note - if you are comfortable with unix command, you could do these changes from the command line on the server.)
Run the following find and replace operations:
Find [" . TABLE_PREFIX . "user] (find what's inside the brackets). Replace with [?.?user] This should find 562 instances of user, usergroup, userfield, and usertextfield
Find [" . TABLE_PREFIX . "strikes] (find what's inside the brackets). Replace with [?.?strikes] This should find 5 instances of strikes
Find [" . TABLE_PREFIX . "pm] (find what's inside the brackets). Replace with [?.?pm] This should find 61 instances of pm, pmtext, pmtextid, and pmreceipt.
Upload these directories back to the server.
We now need to do a little fine tuning
In /includes/functions.php: on line 1171 remove the table_prefix before $idname.
In /includes/adminfunctions: modify print_choser_row (line 1161)to check for $tableid of user, usergroups
PHP Code:
if ($tableid == "user" OR $tableid == "usergroup") {
$result = $DB_site->query("SELECT title, $tableid FROM "."$tablename$wherecondition ORDER BY title");
} else {
$result = $DB_site->query("SELECT title, $tableid FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "$tablename$wherecondition ORDER BY title"); // existing code
}
In /includes/adminfunctions_user.php around line 116 (construct_style_chooser)
PHP Code:
$tableid = $tablename . "id";
if ($tablename == "user" OR $tablename == "usergroupid") {
$result = $DB_site->query("
SELECT title, $tableid FROM "."$tablename WHERE userselect = 1
ORDER BY title
");
} else {
// existing code
$result = $DB_site->query("
SELECT title, $tableid FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "$tablename WHERE userselect = 1
ORDER BY title
");
}
Done! Both forums are now accessed by the same user table! PM's are unified across forums as is the user count.
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This modification may not be copied, reproduced or published elsewhere without author's permission.
I found a nice utility to do the string replacements with. Its called FSRU
Code:
http://www.gammadyne.com/freplace.htm#download
Example of how well it worked for me.
Code:
OPERATION COMPLETE
Search string summary:
". TABLE_PREFIX . "user": 562
Number of files processed: 169
Number of lines processed: 94,729
Total number of occurrences: 562
Files with occurrences: 92
Lines with occurrences: 558
Elapsed time: 954 milliseconds
Processing speed: 99,296 lines per second.
A number of folks have ask me to do this. I'll tried to do a 3.5.1 example this week. :up:
I have 2 forums (3.5.2) on the same server and want to share user database from one forum to another. Is it the right hack for that? Could you make it for vbulletin 3.5.2?
I have 2 forums (3.5.2) on the same server and want to share user database from one forum to another. Is it the right hack for that? Could you make it for vbulletin 3.5.2?
Thank you!
I keep meaning to to that. Time is the enemy. (Yes, this is the right hack.)
Shared user database for multiple forums, same server Details »»
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Code Changes 
No support by the author.
11-27-2005, 01:03 PM
