Can vBulletin do what I want?

[MedMan]

I am looking for suitable Bulletin Board software to use on a Sailing Club website. The site already includes a backend database of members to enable them to have a personalised home page and to use the Club’s on-line shop. The Bulletin Board will be available from their personalised home page once they have logged in, not from the open pages of the site.

Our on-line database includes a User Name, Password and email address for every member. I would like to be able to make use of this database to automatically register members on the Bulletin Board rather them having to register themselves. As well as being much simpler for members this would also avoid the need for us to maintain a separate list. Can this be done with vBulletin?

[bigcurt]

Impex can import a saved database of previous users if that is what you are talking about ( Impex is software allowing you to import the db into your new copy of vB ) ONE you actually buy vBulletin.

~Curt

[MedMan]

Originally Posted by bigcurt

Impex can import a saved database of previous users if that is what you are talking about

Not quite. The database of members is updated as and when required so I need either a dynamic link to it or a script that would run Impex, let us say, once a day. Does that sound possible?

[soniceffect]

Another option would be to use the impex system to move your members over to the vbulletin registration system, then use the registration system from vbulletin to register from then on .. They would not have to register from the forums, there are quite a few hacks on here that would enable you to put the registration section on a page of your choosing.

Would save you manually updating, allow more functionality for your members, allow you to use the mailing list direct from your admin cp, and give you the forums your after.

On top of this there is a personalised webpage hack/mod for vbulletin on here too if you wanted to convert to using everything through vbulletin ..

All in all, even if it gave you some work to do when initially purchasing vbulletin, it opens up a massive scope for improvement on both member and maintenance sides.