Using mysqldump file on fresh install

My nearly 10-year old installation of MLF is starting to do some strange things (can't edit users, for example) and I'd like to be able to do a fresh install then importing a mysqldump file.

I tried doing this on phpmyadmin, and it didn't work. I'd get a blank page, or once it seemed to work but without any theme.

It doesn't have to be from a mysqldump file, any way I can do a fresh install restore my current data would be great. Any suggestions?

Thank you!
Dan

EDIT: for stupid mistakes

Hello

My nearly 10-year old installation of MLF is starting to do some strange things (can't edit users, for example) and I'd like to be able to do a fresh install then importing a mysqldump file.

I tried doing this on phpmyadmin, and it didn't work. I'd get a blank page, or once it seemed to work but without any theme.

If you say, your installation is nearly 10 years old, what version of MLF are you running? If you didn't update your installation to a recent version over the years, the table structure of your installation is not compatible with the structure of the current version (2.4.24). There was made many changes at the database structure.

In the worst case you have to update your installation step by step to the recent version to get all changes in the structure of the MLF-database (new tables, altered tables). How to do it depends on the starting point/version. That way you would be able to create a database dump in a appropriate format for the current MLF-version.

Afterwards you should be able to create a fresh installation of MLF and to restore the database backup in your new installation.

Beside your problem it would be interesting to know the cause of your initial problem (not being able to alter a user profile). Older versions run on a not well optimised database setup with absent indexes for several columns in several of the tables. I would expect this to be slow in case of many users or many threads and entries but not to be unable to fulfill the tasks.

Tschö, Auge

--
Trenne niemals Müll, denn er hat nur eine Silbe!

If you say, your installation is nearly 10 years old, what version of MLF are you running? If you didn't update your installation to a recent version over the years, the table structure of your installation is not compatible with the structure of the current version (2.4.24). There was made many changes at the database structure.

Thank you for your response. I am running 2.4 and have been careful to keep it updated over the years.

Afterwards you should be able to create a fresh installation of MLF and to restore the database backup in your new installation.

This is what I tried, fresh install, new database, import mysqldump file into new database, but it doesn't work. When I try to open the new installation, I just get a blank page. I rarely (as in almost never) restore databases using phpmyadmin, so I may be doing something wrong on that step. But the fact that some of my admin functions are not working properly on my current installation leads me to think that there may be something more messed up.

Beside your problem it would be interesting to know the cause of your initial problem (not being able to alter a user profile). Older versions run on a not well optimised database setup with absent indexes for several columns in several of the tables.

The forum runs great as a user. When I try to add a user, I get this error:

Error!

Array

Same error if I try to edit a user.

Thanks again!

Hello

If you say, your installation is nearly 10 years old, what version of MLF are you running?

Thank you for your response. I am running 2.4 and have been careful to keep it updated over the years.

Ok, can I assume that it's an installation with the latest version (currently 2.4.24) or is it an older 2.4-version?

Afterwards you should be able to create a fresh installation of MLF and to restore the database backup in your new installation.

This is what I tried, fresh install, new database, import mysqldump file into new database, but it doesn't work.

Did you get any error message from phpMyAdmin?

When I try to open the new installation, I just get a blank page. … When I try to add a user …

How can you add a user on a blank page? Or do you see this in your old, strange behaving installation?

… I get this error:
Error!

Array
Same error if I try to edit a user.

I've seen this some time ago in a few reports. I have to search for it.

Tschö, Auge

--
Trenne niemals Müll, denn er hat nur eine Silbe!

Ok, can I assume that it's an installation with the latest version (currently 2.4.24) or is it an older 2.4-version?

Sorry for the lack of specificity. Yes, I'm running 2.4.24

Did you get any error message from phpMyAdmin?

When I try to open the new installation, I just get a blank page. … When I try to add a user …

How can you add a user on a blank page? Or do you see this in your old, strange behaving installation?

It (error below) is what I get on the old (actually current, still functioning) version when I try to edit a user:

… I get this error:
Error!

Array
Same error if I try to edit a user.

I've seen this some time ago in a few reports. I have to search for it.

Tschö, Auge

Any help much appreciated! The reason I tried to import the database into a new installation was to feel secure in case this one totally crashes. But so far it's still usable, I just can't edit users OR edit settings in the admin >> settings. When I try to changes settings, I get the ever informative error:

Internal Server Error

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator at webmaster@formosahut.com to inform them of the time this error occurred, and the actions you performed just before this error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

Thanks again.
Dan

Hmmm... things seem to be working.

I had been trying to do all this via an user I set up with Admin privileges, which I had been using for years with no problem.

I revived my poor Admin user, gave him Admin privileges (was a user), and can now edit other users. I still get the Internal Server Error when I try to edit settings, but if I edit a setting, hit the back button, and reload, the changes have been made.

So things don't seem so dire.

On a side note, I made sure I was updated, and among the files instructed to upload were these two, which I can't find anywhere, not on my downloaded version or the MLF website:

themes/default/style-min.tpl
themes/default/style.tpl

So I think things are sort of kind of OK. It would still be nice to be able to import a database into a new install, but I'll keep playing around with that on a test site.

Thanks,
Dan

So if all is not perfect, all is well. Bottom line is that I have to relearn some mysql and phpmyadmin procedures.

I was able to rebuild my forum to a fresh install by importing select tables rather than the entire database, and it seems to have worked flawlessly. I only imported entries, userdata, and categories, which I assumed was the minimum required.

Also, these sql files were generated via the Backup page in my original forum, rather than mysqldump. So, I need to learn how to use mysqldump to dump select tables, or use Query in phpmyadmin to export/import select tables.

The root cause of my problems seems to be that at some point I messed up a table somewhere. Updating MLF fixed a lot, and now I know how to rebuild to a fresh install with the essential data, so all is well!

Thanks for all your help. Love this forum.

Dan

Hello,

… I get this error:
Error!

Array
Same error if I try to edit a user.

I've seen this some time ago in a few reports. I have to search for it.

This non-helpful error message occurs, if the key in the language file is not unique - multiple entries yields the output Array.

/Micha

--
applied-geodesy.org - OpenSource Least-Squares Adjustment Software for Geodetic Sciences

Thank you!

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