==INVISIONFREE TO SMF/phpBB CONVERSION INSTRUCTIONS==
[Scripts tested with phpBB 2.0.21 and SMF 1.1.5]
[To convert to a different forum software, modify topics_posts_XXXX.py and members_XXXX.py accordingly, where XXXX is the forum software (phpBB or SMF) most similar to yours.]
[_phpBB versions of the scripts are provided for your convenience. Most forum software now comes with converters for phpBB.]
Before you begin, make some settings that will make life easier:
In your IF control panel, Board Settings, change each of these settings to "No":
Do you wish to view members signatures when reading topics?	
Do you wish to view images in posts, such as smilies and posted images?	
Do you wish to view members avatars when reading topics?	
Do you wish to get a pop up notification when you get a new personal message?	
Open Fast Reply automatically when available? *

Change each of these to the highest available number:
Number of posts to show for each topic page
Number of topics to show for each forum page

You're set.

==REQUIRED STUFF==
A Web Server with [preferably] MySQL.
Forum Software installed on this web server, configured and ready to go -- if you aren't using phpBB or SMF, you should convert to phpBB then use a converter to your software (a double conversion may cause a lot to be lost, but the topics, posts, forums and members should be intact)
Database Access - need to be able to insert, delete and truncate
Python (versions 2.5 to 2.6 will work, but Python 3 will NOT work!) -- download from http://www.python.org

=FORUM STRUCTURE=
1) The converter will crawl for forums, but you may have to reorder and reparent the resulting forums, as well as adding forum descriptions.
=POSTS AND TOPICS=
2) Change some settings in settings.py (edit the file)
	table_prefix
		When you set up your forum software, what prefix did you use (default will depend on the exact software used; it's usually the product name plus an underscore)
	NUMTOPICS
		What's the highest topic ID in the DB? Check this by making a new topic and observing the value next to showtopic=.
	NUMFORUMS
		The highest available forum ID.
	URL
		URL to the board's index.php page (usually something like s<number>.invisionfree.com/My_Super_Forum/index.php)
	sticky
		A list of IDs which are stickied (pinned). You'll have to do this manually by going into each forum and recording the IDs of the pinned topics.
		This is optional (set the sticky variable to [] to disable).
		The line should look like
			sticky=[1,2,3,4,5]
		where 1,2,3,4,5 should be replaced by a comma separated list of pinned IDs.
	lockimage
		Location of the "Topic Closed" image which appears in place of the usual "Post Reply" button.
3) Run the invision_get_cookie.py script (Windows: double click it; *nix use "python ipbfree_get_cookie.py" as a command).
	Enter your username and password when requested. This information is used to grab the board cookie.
4) Run the topics_posts.py Python script (Windows: double click it; *nix use "python topics_posts.py" as a command)
5) Import the SQL batch files topics_posts.sql and categories_forums.sql to the forum database using the "latin1", "iso8859-1" or "cp1252" character set (encoding)
=MEMBERS= - SMF or phpBB
6) Configure the settings.py script, changing all settings in the Members section
	RANDOMNUMBER
		a randomly chosen number used to generate member passwords, so they stay the same from run to run.
	NUMUSERS
		ID number of the most recent member. You can safely go much higher, since the crawler will only convert members with entries.
	groups
		Member groups on your forum (postgroups excluded). The left side of the colon is the Invisionfree name, the right side is the SMF group number/ID.
	postgroup
		Definitions for postgroups, IDs as in SMF.
7) Run the members.py Python script
	Warning: If you will be deleting the old board, make sure to tell users to reupload their avatars!
8) Import the SQL script [WARNING: All existing members will be deleted; if you do not want this, remove the TRUNCATE TABLE line at the top]
9) To notify members of the new passwords (randomly generated), run the pm_passwords.py file (configuring settings.py first to suit your needs).
	[in settings.py]
	msgtitle
		The title of the personal message to send
	msgbody
		The text in the personal message. %%0A is a line break (new line), %s is the password (use this only once!)
		If you must use a % sign for any reason, place two of them (%%), only one will show up in the PM. Failure to do so will result in a failed script run!
10a) [SMF only] Find and repair any errors, Recount all forum totals and statistics (both in Admin/ Forum Maintainance)
10b) [phpBB only] Resync all boards.

=FINAL TOUCHES=
Make sure to set your forum permissions correctly.
Manually add any moderators, themes or other settings.

=BUGS/INCOMPLETE CONVERSION NOTES
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-No Polls