| Importing
Users or Messages
SGML
Format for Messages
Importing Messages
SGML Format for Users
Importing Users
Importing Users with WCJS
Troubleshooting
Resources
SGML
Format for Messages
In order
to import a group of messages, they need to be in SGML
format. A file exported by Web Crossing is already in the
proper format, so all you need to do is import it where you want
it. You can't import individual messages, but you can bring in
entire folders or discussions, including any combination of sysop
settings, users and groups, and access lists.
| Note:
You can import an access list either from the usual Import
button, or from the button on the Access List page, but you
can't import users or messages from the Access List import
button. In fact, you'll probably corrupt your database and
crash the Web Crossing server! |
You
can import messages from a non-Web Crossing discussion database
if the messages are contained in a properly-formatted SGML
text file. Since SGML files are just text files, so you can edit
them directly if necessary before import. While it's possible
to do the markup by hand, if you have a great deal of material
you'll probably want to do it with a conversion script. Contact
Web Crossing support
for more information.
| Note:
You
can import messages from another Web Crossing server running
on any platform, but be sure you're importing from a lower
version to a higher version, or from the same version
to the same version. If you're importing from a higher
to a lower version, you may get import errors or database
corruption because the database format usually changes slightly
between versions. |
Importing
Messages
To import
a discussion or folder, sign in as sysop or a host and navigate
to folder where you want the new material to appear. Click Import.
Figure
1 - Screenshot from Import page
The
last file you exported (generally named expNN, where NN
is a number) will be automatically filled into the filename field.
If you want to change this, simply type in the name of the file
you want to import. Note that this file must be in place
in your webx directory on the server before you
attempt an import.
When
you've made your choices, click OK. If all goes well, you'll
be told the import occurred without incident, and will be offered
a file called impReport to read with more details. This
is an HTML-formatted file, so you can read it in your browser.
Here's a sample of
what it looks like after an import of messages and discussions
- in this case, the Guided Tour folder.
The
associated access lists, user groups, and users will be imported
with the discussions or folders. Use the user settings described
in the instructions below to decide what
to have Web Crossing do with the authors of the messages.
SGML
Format for Users
You
can import a list of users, but it needs to be in a text file
formatted properly with SGML.
Since SGML files are just text files, so you can edit them directly
if necessary before import. While it's possible to do the markup
by hand, if you have a large number of users to import, you'll
probably want to do it with the WCJS
script Doug wrote.
Web
Crossing keeps all passwords using one-way encryption. When a
user's password is exported or imported, this encrypted signature
is what is actually visible in the export or import file.
In order
to make it easier to import an existing list of users, Web Crossing
allows you to specify passwords for new users in clear text. Instead
of "password=...", use "passwordc=..." ("c" for "cleartext").
The password following "passwordc=" will be encrypted into internal
format during the import of the new user. Web Crossing will never
export a password in clear text.
You
can import user variables as well as userIDs, names, and email
addresses. You can import your own custom
user variables as well
as default Web Crossing user variables.
SGML
format for a mythical user named "John Smith," along
with some usual user variables, would look like this:
<USER NAME="John Smith" PASSWORDC="abcxx567" EMAIL="jsmith@xxx.com"
LOGOUTTIME=1800 MAXDATA=4000 MAXMESSAGES=10 CATFORUMSEQ=2>
See
the sysop documentation for more information
on SGML format and variables.
Importing
Users
To import
users, click Import, either in the Sysop Control Panel
or on the top level of the Web Crossing forum area.
You
can add all imported users into your user database, or you can
treat them as guests.
If Web
Crossing finds duplicate users, you can have it assume they are
the same person, or it can treat the newly-imported user as a
guest.
Follow
the instructions above to import an SGML
format user file.
Importing
Users with WCJS
Doug
has written a special Web
Crossing JavaScript function to import a group of users from
a comma-delimited file, like that produced by Excel or other spreadsheet
applications. For more details, see the WCJS
section.
Troubleshooting
I'm
getting import errors.
- Check
the impReport file for clues
- Check
to see that you're using the same version of Web Crossing for
the import as was used for the export
- Double-check
your settings, delete the imported file, and try again.
- Check
to see that you've imported the correct file
- If
you've edited the import file, double-check your SGML
Resources
Sysop
Documentation
Web
Crossing FAQ
|
