vBulletin [2.2.8] and Post Nuke [.7.2.1] Integration

This post will be updated from time to time with new info. So check this first post whenever you want to see if there are any changes to the code or docs.

11-9-02 12:15pm est
Made the hack files into zip format.
Added BANNING in PostNuke! (cookie based atm)
Added a lot of instructions.
Changed the link to PostWrap at the bottom of this post.
A couple bug fixes.

11-05-02 12:50pm est
Fixed a bug in the display avatar in PostNuke user profile screen.
I changed the rar download to reflect this.
You can find the fix in this post:
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...984#post318984

The above fix is in the zip file attached.

11-04-02 11:00pm est
Updated both the docs and the rar file.
It includes instructions on disabling the PN Admin ability to add or modify users. Only the vBulletin admin screen should be use to update or delete users.

Added a to-do to the list for making the hack work when adding new custom fields. As it is now you should not add any custom fields untill this is worked out. Although you can add custom user fields with some tweaking of the hack. It just needs to be automated somehow...haven't figured out how yet.

Also added a to-do to be sure moderators can modify or delete users where allowed.

Be sure you re-read through the whole thing in case something was overlooked!

11-04-02 4:30pm est
Added a link to my test site at the bottom
Just noticed that I haven't done anything with the PostNuke admin. Don't use the PostNuke admin to change or delete users until I fix this.

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Before you install this hack I must say:

This hack was only tested and used on a new install of vBulletin!!!

Also...BACK UP YOUR DATABASE FIRST!!!!

Once vBulletin is installed you use a small set of scripts that pulls users from the PostNuke tables and inserts them into the vB tables. The only user in the vBulletin database MUST be the admin of vBulletin! If your database already has members then you will have to search out a script that will merge the PostNuke database into vBulletins database.

The insertion files are included in the rar file with the instructions.

Above all else you MUST verify that the user tables are identical in the userid and username columns between PostNuke and vBulletin! If not then the hack will NOT work and you'll get information for wrong users and the whole thing will get buggered up and may even destroy the viability of your current user database!!! So complete and error free mirroring between the two user databases is absolutely essential!

Kier's avatar to file hack MUST be used with this hack as I tried many hours to get the hack to work without it. If you know of a working way to get the avatar from vB to display in a non-vB script I would appreciate the heads up (yes I rummaged through the hacks here at vBulletin.org but none of them worked for me)

If you don't follow the above warnings then TUFF! You've been warned :smoke:

This hack was written using ver2.2.8 of vBulletin and ver .7.2.1 of PostNuke.

The hack is nearly 100% integration. That is to say that PostNuke will use the resources of vBulletin nearly 100% pertaining to the user system. If you find areas where there needs to be better integration or areas I have overlooked please let me know so I can correct it!

This hack shares the user names and ids, avatars, signatures and all other aspects of user information except permissions and groups(it does work with the PN groups though)....which I feel should be separate from each other anyway.

The only things I can think of that are not integrated is the private message system and the ability to add news to the front page from vBulletin and visa-versa. If you know of hacks that would do this would you please share it with me?

Some things this hack will do:

New users coming in from PostNuke who want to register will be redirected to vB to register.

Users who have used the vB registration form can log in to PN but not be allowed to do the same things as a fully registered user can do.

When users click their email link to finish registration they will then have registered status in PN.

The user profile screen in PN displays the same information used in vB.

When using Kier's avatar to file hack the user profile screen in PN will display the same avatar as the user has for vb. (again.....if you know how to get the avatar from vB I would appreciate the heads up!)

When a user needs to have a password emailed to them they will be redirected to the vB send password screen.


This is a very involved hack using 7 different files. I will try to give some support to this....But since I've had vBulletin for only a week (or so) I don't know how well I'll be able to. Yeah...sounds scary to hear but believe me the hack works

Thanks to all who would like to test this hack!

As you'll see I need a bit of work in the docs. If you could help with that I would appreciate it!


Some to-do things....

Make the hack more PostNuke API friendly.

Change areas to make it so it will automatically detect the table prefix for PostNuke.

Create a new field where one can poke info in for each domain in a multi-site setup then have the hack peek this field.

Integrate the news system of PostNuke into vBulletin so when news is posted it will be posted to a particular forum.

Make the docs easier to follow.

Clean it all up using appropriate syntax..ie...using arrays where needed in loops etc.

Add the ability for the hack to add custom fields from vB. As it is now you should NOT add any custom fields!

But, of course, only if there's enough interest in the hack for me to do this....

To see this hack in action visit the test site...this is ONLY a test site and is not open to the public. Only those interested in testing the hack may use it.

vBulletin and PostNuke integrated .... go ahead and create an account...mess with it...whatever...The test site will only be available until I am confident it is bug free then will be moved to another site and be live.

Also the test site is using a module called "PostWrap". It incorporates vBulletin logins into the main page and is not part of the hack above. You can find PostWrap at PostWrap 2.01 at PostNuke.com

[chad777]

just postnuke or will it work for phpnuke too ? crosses fingers

[Brew]

Originally posted by chad777
just postnuke or will it work for phpnuke too ? crosses fingers

There is only slight differences between PhPNuke and PostNuke in the user tables.

Using PhPMyAdmin look at them and mark the differences...then adjust accordingly.

You'll also have to make adjustmenst with the group settings in the hack as I think PhPNuke does not use groups and permissions.

This is something I'll look into once this hack is completed is to integrate PhPNuke....

But from what I remember they are pretty much the same...though I could be mistaken as it's been a while since I've played with PhPNuke (over a year and a half)

Brew

[thefreestyler]

look great thanks

[yahoooh]

i hope it works with phpnuke which is the best
i will test it at my local host and i will see if it is good integration

thank u

[yahoooh]

ok it is just integration in registeration

i was searching about full integration ex. vbulletin used as module for phpnuke like phpbb2

but i think no one do it here

any one need register integration phpnuke 6.00 and vbulletin 2.2.8
tell me because i do it already and bazed on w4u hack

i wish in the future get full phpnuke and vbulletin integration as phpnuke and phpbb2 which be integrated allready

[Brew]

Originally posted by yahoooh
i hope it works with phpnuke which is the best
i will test it at my local host and i will see if it is good integration

thank u

As I intimated in my earlier post ... I don't believe this hack will work with PhPNuke because of the groups and permissions system. If you try to make this work with it you'll probably have to take out those parts in the hack pertaining to this.

Doing so will mean that once someone registers they will automatically have access to using your site as a registered user. Email authentication will become null and void for your front page.

The only way around this would be to create a new field in nuke_users and then peeking into this field each and every time you want to restrict access to a feature in PhPNuke to registered users.....mucho work man....

My suggestion would be to upgrade to PostNuke from PhPNuke.

[Brew]

Originally posted by yahoooh
ok it is just integration in registeration

i was searching about full integration ex. vbulletin used as module for phpnuke like phpbb2

but i think no one do it here

any one need register integration phpnuke 6.00 and vbulletin 2.2.8
tell me because i do it already and bazed on w4u hack


i wish in the future get full phpnuke and vbulletin integration as phpnuke and phpbb2 which be integrated allready

I wish you would have explained what full integration means. Fully using the user registration IS full integration. Excepting for the private messages and being able to post to the front page there's not a whole lot else you can do....well maybe the calendar. But those things have already been hacked I believe and if you search the forums here you may be able to find them.

And if you were looking for a module maybe you should turn to a module maker.....looking in hacks you may have a hard time finding modules.

Brew

[Knux]

I have a question... IF I have forums that have over 300 members and I am about to do A fresh install of vbulleitn 2.2.8 but I am going to dump the users back in, would this still work or would I have to do something so it would??

[Brew]

Originally posted by Knux
I have a question... IF I have forums that have over 300 members and I am about to do A fresh install of vbulleitn 2.2.8 but I am going to dump the users back in, would this still work or would I have to do something so it would??

The main thing to remember is that the user id has to be the same between PostNuke and vBulletin. Once you have the user tables mirrored it should work great.

Using a utility to open up your sql database look in the "user" table for the userid numbers and take note of who is who. I mean for example user id 15 ok? Note the username for that id number.

Then go to the nuke_users table (or prefix_users depending on what prefix you're using) and do the same thing. All user ids MUST match between vBulletin and PostNuke. They must mirror each other without error.

If there is a utility to MERGE databases....wherein the users and their ids are re-arranged in such a way where all the users and their ids match between the two then it will work. Accurate mirroring is key to this to work.

Now If I didn't want to mirror and I just wanted to use one database I could have done that. And it probably wouldn't be too hard to tweak the hack in order to have only one database. I just feel it's better to have the two user databases seperate in case I drop one or the other....like maybe if I decided to stop using PostNuke...I'll want to keep the user tables in vB.

There could be multiple versions made of this hack. One for people with a new install of vB.....One where there are people in BOTH databases and one where there are people in the vB database but the PN database is empty. It would just take a bit of thought in how to go about it right.

Brew