[RESOLVED] Forum software to integrate with our current user database in a easy way

Pulsorock

Hello,
I'm looking for a forum software that I can integrate easily to our current user database. Instead of installing a new forum software that uses it specific user db, I want to integrate with the one I have now.

My user db has some fields specific for my needs, but in general, I'm looking that it would integrate with these main fields:

user id
username
password (md5 encrypted)
user group

If I could find a forum software that integrates with those fields on my current user db without much modification, or maybe a option to map fields with other user db.

Any ideas welcome... thanks!

sneakyimp

Any decent forum software that you acquire is going to have a LOT more than 4 fields in the user table. You'd probably be better off modifying your signup form to automatically create a forum user with some reasonable default values.

I honestly don't think you'll find any forum software at all that would work with just your user fields.

shawty

I've got to agree there. I've used a lot of different forum softwares over the years, and the only one i can suggest that would even remotely help would be YaBB

The ONLY reason i suggest YaBB is beacuse all of it's data is kept in flat files and not in a database, you can login to the system using calls to the YaBB main script from your PHP scripts.

EG:

YaBB.pl?action=login&user=username&password=ABC

This would mean that you'd be in control of the database in it's entirety, and as long as the user names an passwords where registered in YaBB correctly (EG: YaBB.pl?action=register&username=user) connecting it is not too difficult.

The bad news is that the software is written in Perl not PHP and it does require some savvy to install it.

Cheers

Shawty

Pulsorock

I found a forum software that can do this.... its called miniBB... the offer the ability to use external users database.

http://www.minibb.com/synchronizing_minibb.html

They even offer professional installation and modification to accomplish this:

Synchronizing forums with the external members database: Includes integration with Your current users table, so members will be logged on forums automatically when logged in on the main site and otherwise. miniBB will only refer to Your existing users table, so there will be no need to duplicate the membership data. Few miniBB-related fields will be added to Your table, and miniBB's authorization module will be adopted to the existing login process. It is possible to synchronize miniBB that way with almost any kind of 3rd party software. All works can be performed live on Your server only. Completion time - about 1 business day.

http://www.minibb.com/paid_support.html

shawty

Great stuff....

Looks interesting, i may have to check this out a bit further :-)