I have tried many times to use the migration plug in and I cannot get it to work. So I have put an ad up on oDesk if anyone is interested in helping me out.

---

An aside:

I will save my long rant about how poor the documentation for this process is because frankly I am exhausted and exasperated. You guys work so hard and do such good work, but you drop the ball on the simple issue of documentation, so people’s experience with your amazing product (I’ve been using it for 5 years) is one of frustration and anger.

If you create a tool/wizard to help non-web developers use your complicated product you cannot assume they are web developers. Spell things out provide details.

For example: Don’t say “Database Server: Leave as ‘localhost’ unless your hosting provider requires you to use an IP address.”

Instead say something like “Database Server: This is the name of the database server where your OLD data base is located, normally it is “localhost” (no quotes), but sometimes it has a different name or you must provide the IP address of the server. This varies based on how the company where you host your website has things set up.”

Notice the details that a developer probably does not need, but the average user you created the wizard for will need and will get tripped up by.

I am a data scientists. I program all day and I have sent 4 or 5 hours trying to get the migration to work and still no dice.

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BBPress Message Board Migration: Step 1 upgrade database
Fixed Price Project – Est. Budget $20.00 – Posted 13 minutes ago

Job Description
I have a site that is currently using bbPress 1.1-alpha-2539 and I need to finally move to the latest plug-in wordpress version. I need help with the entire process, but this ad is for step 1, migrating the database.

What I want from you is a detailed step by step set of instructions for migrating my database to the new format. I am a programer and data scientist, but have no experience with the tech BBpress is built on, I have played around with the wizards found here:

http://codex.bbpress.org/import-forums/

I am obviously missing something because they do not work for me. I will provide you with whatever you need so you can work out what the steps are, and I want you to provide for me:

1) First things first, before you start anything I want you to provide me with a back up of my existing database. If it makes sense to do this in multiple formats then lets do the top 3.

2) Start with the step by step instructions found here:

http://codex.bbpress.org/import-forums/

This is not detailed enough because I cannot follow it a get it to work. So you are to add to these step-by-step instructions so that I can do the migration myself when the time comes.

You are free to create new databases as you test out the migration methods, but once you are done I want you to clean up after yourself leaving none of the new databases on my server.

Qualifications: You must know BBpress and WordPress very well, I want someone who can help me with this and other steps in the process (They will be posted to oDesk as new jobs, but I would like to work with the same person throughout the process.). I need someone who can customize or build plug-ins for BBPress if we discover there is a need for a functionality that is not available. You must also be good with databases and able to tell me how to purge certain records based on given criteria. I am also interested in integrating a Wiki with the message board, so your thoughts on that would be helpful too.

In your application please tell me about your experience with BBpress.

Thanks,

[@bbuser12345 Participant 12 years, 1 month ago]

So I can’t even find anyone who will take my money to help me with this… sigh.

[@humdog Participant 12 years, 1 month ago]

I’m looking for exact same thing. I’m using Version 1.1-alpha-2855 and want to upgrade to latest version. This forum has quetions that are a year old without any answers!!! Super lame. Please let me know if you find someone!

[@johnjamesjacoby Keymaster 12 years, 1 month ago]

A survey done earlier this year came up with $55 as the average hourly rate for WordPress consultants, worldwide. Considering that’s the median, and the time it will take to start, monitor, and audit a data migration, my guess as to why you’re not having much luck is because $20 is too low of a bid for taking on the responsibility.

bbPress does make this process pretty simple, considering the labor it does under the hood. If you’re already experiencing issues, it’s likely going to take more than .5 hours to complete. Anything beyond 30 minutes, and it’s time better spent on a different job.

I say all of this, only to be helpful and informative, to help y’all make better educated bids if you’re wanting to pay someone for their time. If you want to keep trying this yourself, become familiar with how to backup and restore your data. Once you have the right tools and become relatively proficient, it’s actually pretty easy.

Good luck getting everything moved over. Let us know if you have questions, should you dive in again.

[@michaelhpdx Participant 12 years, 1 month ago]

Gotta agree with John James Jacoby, you’ve gotta expect to spend a decent amount of money to hire a contractor to do this kind of work. It’s not trivial, and was never meant to be (my opinion).  My guess is you’re looking at a decent project size of 20-40 hours minimum, unless the task is very basic.

To put it in perspective, I’ve put in about 20+ hours to customize my bbPress installation so that it matches my Wootheme. bbPress documentation could be better, but it’s not too difficult if you can do rudimentary CSS3 coding (or pick it up on the fly, as I have).  Now, getting Buddypress to integrate and play nice with my theme and Woocommerce site, on the other hand, has consumed a lot more time than bbPress integration has.

Best of luck, and don’t skimp on a good WordPress consultant.

Michael

[@bbuser12345 Participant 12 years, 1 month ago]

Fair enough. If I have to pay someone more than $20 to use the provided migration wizard I will. (FWIW, on oDesk people are free to bid whatever they are willing to bid to do the project.) I have been trying this conversion on and off myself for about 6 months, I’d pay $100 if someone who knew what they were doing would help me out. (Why it would take anything like 20-40 hours for someone to figure out what I need to fill in on a web form in order to get the wizard to work is beyond me.)

This should be simple right? I have a BBpress standalone and I want to convert the database to be used by the plug-in. This is the simplest case. I know how to set everything up all I need to know is what set of magical things to put in the form fields to get the converter to actually work.

I know how to back up my database, and I use mySQL all the time in my daily work. I write programs for a living that access and analyze massive data bases. If I knew what needed to be done to the data base to make it work with the plug-in (that is what the wizard is doing under the hood) I could do the migration myself with an R script or something similar. However, there is no place where it is documented what needs to be done to convert the database.

The statement that: “Once you have the right tools and become relatively proficient, it’s actually pretty easy.” is tautological. However, it is the sentiment one gets when trying to follow the BBpress’ documentation: “If you already knew how to do this, here is how you would do this”.

Here are a few of the issues:

Half of the replies in the forums say to follow this plan:
https://codex.bbpress.org/import-forums/

The other replies say to use the plugin:
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/bbconverter/

Which is it? Why are there two different ways? Is one applicable to one situation and the other to another?

Of course neither will work for me (and many others apparently). The support page at http://bbconverter.com is dead and so there is no information there. The other page contains very sparse information about what one should put in the form fields.

***Here is the biggest issue. The console on the wizard does not give any information that would help you diagnose what step in the process has failed.

For example I just get:

==========================================
Please don’t forget to update your counters HERE

WordPress database error: [Table ‘databasebbpress.forums’ doesn’t exist]
SELECT convert(forums.forum_id USING “utf8”) AS forum_id,convert(forums.forum_parent USING “utf8”) AS forum_parent,convert(forums.forum_name USING “utf8”) AS forum_name,convert(forums.forum_slug USING “utf8”) AS forum_slug,convert(forums.forum_desc USING “utf8”) AS forum_desc,convert(forums.forum_order USING “utf8”) AS forum_order FROM forums AS forums LIMIT 0, 100

No forums to convert-
Not clearing default passwords-

Not Converting users Selected-

No data to clean-

Starting Conversion…

==============================

I am left to wonder, is the problem logging in to the server?
If so:
Is the problem the server name?
Is the problem my password?
Is the problem my username?

Is the problem connecting to the database?
If so:
Is the problem the database name?
Is the problem a permission?
Is the problem my password?
Is the problem my username?

I am just told that the database does not exist. Well it does, I can log-in using myPhp and there it is.

I will continue to search for “the right tools” and to become more “proficient”. In the meantime I will continue to try to find someone who know enough about the guts of BBpress and WordPress to tell me why my database that does exist, does not exist in the eyes of the converter.

[@johnjamesjacoby Keymaster 12 years, 1 month ago]

It’s fine to be frustrated, but your tone towards the volunteers trying to help you is pretty crappy.

However, it is the sentiment one gets when trying to follow the BBpress’ documentation: (…)

If you don’t like the documentation, change it. It’s a WordPress site where everyone is an Editor, and you can be part of the solution just like every other volunteer, or you can be upset because the amazing free software you’re using isn’t as polished as we all know it could be. If only we had more volunteers… Paradox.

Which is it? Why are there two different ways? Is one applicable to one situation and the other to another?

We brought the old bbConverter into bbPress in 2.1. bbConverter development stopped, and I took it over and brought it into bbPress core along with several much needed fixes. Trying to use software that you know is abandoned and others have not succeeded with is generally a bad idea.

I am just told that the database does not exist. Well it does, I can log-in using myPhp and there it is.

The connection failure doesn’t provide the feedback you’re wishing for. There is no “your password was incorrect but the username is okay” level of feedback, so you’re on your own. Based on how capable and experienced you are, let’s assume it’s correct anyway. If the converter still can’t connect, the server can’t access the other server you’re trying to point it to.

So… you’ll have the best luck if your bbPress 1.1 tables are in the same database as your current WordPress installation. Maybe try exporting those tables out of the other database, and importing them into the current one, and give it another shot.

It’s worth adding, that while you say it’s an easy process, the data migration for bbPress.org took 8 hours, with 200k posts, 5 million users in the WordPress.org shared tables, and generous query limits and timeouts between them. The converter itself, works great.

I’m sorry you’re having trouble, and I’m confident you’ll figure it out.

[@bbuser12345 Participant 12 years, 1 month ago]

I’m confident you’ll figure it out.

I wish I was as confident…

It’s fine to be frustrated, but your tone towards the volunteers trying to help you is pretty crappy.

My tone is one of exasperation (maybe desperation). I have been using BBPress for 5 years, and stuck with it through “the dark years”. I have read all the help pages, and I know my way around a command line, yet this converter, built ostensibly to help non-experts, does not work and I cannot find help. I have a message board that is falling apart, and being overrun by spam, and I have spent countless hours trying to migrate the database using the converter. Which is just the first step in migrating the forum.

If you don’t like the documentation, change it. It’s a WordPress site where everyone is an Editor, and you can be part of the solution just like every other volunteer, or you can be upset because the amazing free software you’re using isn’t as polished as we all know it could be. If only we had more volunteers… Paradox.

I am not sure whether to laugh or cry. If I knew what was wrong with the documentation, I would change it. Of course if I knew what was wrong with the documentation I would likely not have a problem in the first place and would never have sought out the documentation. There is your paradox. People who seek out documentation are by definition having trouble and are likely not expert users. They are the last people who are qualified to improve the documentation.

We brought the old bbConverter into bbPress in 2.1. bbConverter development stopped, and I took it over and brought it into bbPress core along with several much needed fixes. Trying to use software that you know is abandoned and others have not succeeded with is generally a bad idea.

Thats great information!! Why does it not appear either on the bbconverter plug-in page or on the https://codex.bbpress.org/import-forums/ page?

I should note that I don’t see any way for me to add this information to the documentation of either the old deprecated plug-in (which gets downloaded and installed many times a day apparently) or on the codex page for the converter.

The connection failure doesn’t provide the feedback you’re wishing for. There is no “your password was incorrect but the username is okay” level of feedback, so you’re on your own. Based on how capable and experienced you are, let’s assume it’s correct anyway.

Wait! You said connection failure… how do you know it is a connection failure? Is there something in the message (or that is not in the message) that tells you that? If so why does the console not report:

“You have failed to connect to the server. At least one of these three things is wrong: The Old Database’s Server Name, The Database’s User Name or the old Database’s User Password. Unfortunately, this converter cannot tell you which one or more of these things is wrong”

Instead the error I get is one I would expect if I had the name of a table in my database wrong in a query.

Look, I know that you cannot pass on information to the user that the server does not report. But when I access mySQL databases and servers the wrong way with a mySQL client or R or python or myPHP I get error messages with error codes. Things like “#1045 Cannot log in to the MySQL server”. This lets me know what I have screwed up so I can fix it. Is it a missing table or the wrong database name? Or am I not even connecting to the server at all? Again if for some reason you are not getting these messages then I guess I am “on my own”.

So… you’ll have the best luck if your bbPress 1.1 tables are in the same database as your current WordPress installation. Maybe try exporting those tables out of the other database, and importing them into the current one, and give it another shot.

Even more good information! Thank you. I would edit the documentation to let others know about this, but every time I try to log in to the codex site for BBpress, I get taken to the buddypress site.

=======================================================================
For what it is worth:

My tone is also one of frustration. BBPress is an awesome bit of code and you guys have spent a great deal of time making it do really awesome things, but as is the case with many opensource projects, no one seems to care if anyone can actually use the awesome product.

I am a part of a pretty big opensource community, and bad documentation is a systematic problem. People make amazing things then fail to help users actually use the code. I write lots of code that I end up releasing to that community. I spend a good bit of time making my documentation work for people who are newbies to using the program. I assume they picked up the program just to use my package/functionality and I write my help with that in mind. Why?, because I want them to use my code, I want them to learn about the program, and I eventually hope they will become a part of the community and contribute.