phpBB 2.2 / 3.0 / OCBB + G2

@1. sync'ing userbases:
I'm doing the initial user import/export the same way, but I don't check the email address, for me, the email address is just another user data field which has to be updated in the sync' process. Plus, I synchronize groups, but the benefit of that isn't very big.
So, point "- If user name is same but either mail address or password does match then Gallery username will be renamed with a suffix or prefix. And a list of usernames will be provided. " doesn't apply for my user import/export, but it's a good idea.
To your question:
See how I do it in xaraya, in my download in xargallery2helper.php in function g2xarUserGroupImportExport().
1. Synchronize special users (and groups), i.e. the anonymous user with nearly hardcoded mappings (i.e. the anonymous user has a constant ID in G2 and in most other applications, synchronize it based on this ids).
2. Import G2 users to other application
note that i compare user names in a case insensitive manner.
note: @password. you can only import the hased passwords, if they use the same hash mechanism, that is MD5.

// Load a list of all G2 userNames
    list($ret, $g2UserNames) = GalleryCoreApi::fetchUsernames();
    if (!$ret->isSuccess()) {
      // put in some error code for the other application
      return false;
    }

// get a list of already mapped users (see my function)
    list($ret, $mapsbyentityid, $mapsbyexternalid) = xarGallery2Helper::g2getallexternalIdmappings();
    if (!$ret) {
      return false;
    }

// I handle group memberships too, so the whole code might be shorter, i just removed anything that has something to do with group memberships

    // for G2 users that don't exist in xaraya, we need the userdata
    // load the G2 user object
    $g2Users = array(); // array('user' => $g2UserObject)
    foreach ($g2UserNames as $g2UserName) {
      // Load the user Object
      list($ret, $g2User) = GalleryCoreApi::fetchUserByUserName($g2UserName);
      if (!$ret->isSuccess()) {
	// raise some error for other application
	return false;
      }
      $g2Users[strtolower($g2UserName)] = array('user' => $g2User, 'memberships' => $g2MemberShips);
    }

    // Foreach user: create if nonexistent
    foreach ($g2UserNames as $g2UserName) {
      $g2User = $g2Users[strtolower($g2UserName)]['user'];
      // check if we already mapped this user
      if (!isset($mapsbyentityid[$g2User->getId()])) {
	// check if a user with this name already exists
	if (!xarGallery2Helper::in_array_cin($g2UserName, array_keys($xarUsers))) {
	  // add user to xaraya if there wasn't such a user
	  // create xar user
// change this appropriately 
	  $uid = xarmodapifunc('roles','admin','create',
			       array('uname' => $g2UserName,
				     'realname' => $g2User->getfullName(), 'email' => $g2User->getemail(),
				     'cryptpass' => $g2User->gethashedPassword(), 'date' => $g2User->getcreationTimestamp(),
				     'state' => ROLES_STATE_ACTIVE, 'valcode' => xarModAPIFunc('roles', 'user', 'makepass')));
	  // check if the user was created successfully
	    return false;
	  }
	} else {
	  // get the $uid of the existing xar role
	  $uid = $xarUsers[strtolower($g2UserName)]['uid'];
	}
	
	// and add the map entry in G2
	if (!xarGallery2Helper::g2addexternalMapEntry($uid, $g2User->getId(), 0)) {
	  return false;
	}
      }
   }
}

3. Import users from other application to G2:

// after step 2. and before step 3. you'll have to update the existing mappings array. 
// xarUsers is a list like g2Users, which I build before step 2. 
      foreach ($xarUsers as $xarUser) {
      // if the map exists, just update the user data
      if (isset($mapsbyexternalid[$xarUser['uid']])) {
	if (!xarGallery2Helper::g2updateUser($xarUser['uid'], $xarUser)) {
	  return false;
	}
	continue;
      } else {
	// if the user already exists in G2, create a mapping and update the data
	if (xarGallery2Helper::in_array_cin($xarUser['uname'], $g2UserNames)) {
	  $g2User = $g2Users[strtolower($xarUser['uname'])]['user'];
	  
	  // and add the map entry 
	  if (!xarGallery2Helper::g2addexternalMapEntry($xarUser['uid'], $g2User->getId(), 0)) {
	    return false;
	  }
	  // update the user data
// uses the xaraya user data to update the G2 user based on the existing mapping
	  if (!xarGallery2Helper::g2updateUser($xarUser['uid'], $xarUser)) {
	    return false;
	  }
	} else { // create user in G2
// basically uses the xaraya user data and the G2 API to create a G2 user
	  if (!xarGallery2Helper::g2createUser($xarUser['uid'], $xarUser)) {
	    return false;
	  }
	}
      }
    }

A better documentation / guide is on my todo list, sorry.

note @ mindless:
perhaps we should add my function
function g2getallexternalIdmappings()
to G2 somewhere, as we don't want people to query the G2 db directly, they should use an API call for this.

Grr ... I didn't like when the phpBB moderators shut my mounth, thread closed at area51.phpbb.com. Somehow it's not allowed to discuss modifications for a development version at phpBB. I'm happy ;) that Gallery is different, here's development more open.

Anyway, if someone want to discuss the current status of my integration, you have to do it here.

Einstein, could you give me some more background information about modding in phpbb 2.2 aka 3.0?

I thought or hoped phpbb would have real modules instead of hacking style modifications.
How do you install/uninstall modifications/modules in phpbb 3? I know the hacking style of phpbb 2, has anything changed?

I hoped you could most of the things with an ordinary phpbb 3.0 module. For the user create/update/delete synchronization, you'd have to hack the existing files.
That's what I thought. I don't know the codebase of phpbb 3, but i know phpbb 2.

I'm also looking forward to adding your integration to the cvs of G2 integrations.

phpbb 3.0 is very near if you follow the announcements on phpbb.com. how does this easyMod work? heard of it. does it use shell commands like "patch" and do all files need to be writeable by the webserver user? or does it just take care of the sql part of the mods?

Your version 4 mod doesn't download...

Still 0.4 is the latest diff file.

Integration currently work for newly created users. Syncronization of user bases is still not implemented.

I was thinking about the same when we discussed about how to syncronze users. Yes, I think it's a good idea ...

But, I think the documentation how-to do integration is more important.

How do I use a .diff? How do I use it? I'm a little confused.

Go into your phpBB (2.1.x) root and write:
patch -p1 -o g2int.diff

For windows tools .. download the files from here: http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/
You can place the patch.exe and the diff file in the root directory and run the command. Please let me know if you get any warnings. There may be changes that have broken my diff.

Patch is standard on most *nix platforms.

Patching is much easier then modding by hand.

This diff (MOD) will only work for the version phpBB 2.1.x. That will be named phpBB 3.0 Olympus when ready. I think there exist some Gallery 1.x integration for phpBB 2.0.x (try search).

Also, some phpBB admins won't be upgrading to Olympus as phpBB may separate 2.0.x and 3.0 into different products. If this is the case, then shouldn't an integration be prepared for 2.0 as well?

Needless to say, I would also like to see an integration with 2.0.

Heraclio, The modifacation I'm doing is for phpBB3 or/and some it's forks (for example ocBB). A guy named Joe7 have been in contact with me about porting my modification to phpBB2.

The reason why some users will stay with phpBB2 is because they don't want all the features that comes with phpBB3.

I give out my latest information on this page from now on:
http://devarea.mtb-o.net/viewtopic.php?t=2

Is this still being worked on? If so i cant wait to get my hands on it I really like g2 and would love to have it integrated into my forum.

any idea where can those project files could be downloaded right now?

Thanks!

seeing as how all the releases of phpBB 2.0.x are just maintainance and security releases (no serious DB changes, etc), I don't know why he's waiting for phpBB3 (Olympus) to be released, esp since there is no firm date for even beta releases of it yet.

it would be nice if he could check this code into CVS. Einstein, PM/email me and I can check in the code for you, that way there is some sort of version control.

Given that I did sort of get the whole phpbb2 integration thing started I'm pretty sure that people over on Snailsource would appreciate any news on the status of the integration for gallery beta and for the phpBB3.0... So, if you could head over and let people know what you've done then it would be much appreciated..

I'd be more than happy for you to use the existing space to support people as well.. makes life easier for me that's for sure

Cheers and good work..

WebSnail, it seems like Einstein has gone AWOL and development has ceased.

that would be cool. i'd also look at the existing code from einstein. just to know where phpbb2 needs to be modded.

i'd start with a basic integration. things like linking images in phpbb etc. should be a nice to have feature. a good configuration / installation and basic functionality is far more important.

Einstein, great to hear from you!

But what the heck, why did they fork phpBB 3? Are these some phpbb devs that disagree with other phpbb devs? I really hope phpbb hasn't lost some core devs due to this fork.
And why do you support the fork and not the original?

from the project website

Why ... the development was to slow. These OCBB guys want the phpBB version out faster.

I think I will support both the orginal and the fork. I will concentrate first on OCBB 1.0 because it will come out sooner then phpBB 3.0.

I don't know the exact effect on phpBB dev team. But at least one team member (not a developer) started the fork. There is a lot of people that wanted to contribute to phpBB but they wasn't accepted. OCBB has bit more open deveoper policy then phpBB had.

Einstein, thanks for the answers. it's sad to see this happening. hope they'll merge again once phpbb 3.0 is out.
meanwhile, there are good alternatives to phpbb. a fork of phpbb will only split up the resources and they'll lose momentum.

so does this mean I won't be able to integrate G2 into my PHPBB2.0.?? install ?

would be nice.

any ideas????

oh well.... it looks like I'll have to make a custom skin for g2 to operate within my site. thanks for the info.

KnightShade, are the links in this thread not working anymore? there's also a link in the first post of the sticky embedding and integrations topic.

and you can learn things not only from the phpbb integration, but from the other integrations too.

i'm planning on migrating nukedgallery.net away from phpnuke and towards being powered by phpbb (as most of the site is dedicated to support in the forums). however, a launch blocker for me is the lack of G2/phpBB2 integration. i will attempt to cobble something together once the rest of my site is prepared. if it works well enough, i can commit to CVS.

i've got a basic G2 integration w/ phpBB2 right now in the works. user sync is done, as is export of all existing phpbb2 users. i'm working on getting the groups synched now.