Missing apostrophes after database move

[Peter Duggan]

Something so weird here I simply don't know which forum to post it in!

I've recently moved my personal YaBB SE board (recent 1.5.1RC1 build, but not sure exactly which one) to a new server, dumping the database through YaBB SE admin and restoring it through phpMyAdmin, with no obvious problems at all except that every single apostrophe from every single board description, post title and post has disappeared!

Can anyone throw any light at all on this?

PS I've just tried a search for 'apostrophe', realise that apostrophes have caused various problems in the past, but can't make up my mind which posts (if any) I should really be studying. Further direction will be welcomed!

[Peter Duggan]

Since there are only 241 messages on that board and I've now got phpMyAdmin, I've started to implement a fairly drastic solution (yes, checking and editing the relevant database fields!).

It's obvious that the apostrophes have been lost because they weren't escaped, but when and where the problem first raised its ugly head (seeing they used to be there) beats me...

[[Unknown]]

The dump_database.php may not do apostrpophes correctly.... did you use it?

mediman?  Any ideas?

-[Unknown]

[David]

The dump_database.php may not do apostrpophes correctly.... did you use it?

mediman?  Any ideas?

-[Unknown]

I've successfully used it to export and then import.

[Peter Duggan]

The dump_database.php may not do apostrpophes correctly.... did you use it?

Yes, because I didn't have phpMyAdmin at my old host!

Can't swear exactly what build of 1.5.1 was installed in this case (is the build number included in any of the files?), but it appears to date from about 20 January.

[[Unknown]]

20 January.

Hmm.... I know at least one bug was fixed in the dumper since then.... maybe it was this?

-[Unknown]

[Peter Duggan]

Can't find any mention of a 'dumper' bug in your list of changes, but accept it could just be my bad luck if that's what caused my problem!

[Peter Duggan]

Just a note to say that whatever went wrong definitely happened during the process of dumping the database from one server and restoring it to another because even the last posts from the old server (but none of the posts since the move) were affected.

So I think I've caught most of the missing apostrophes, but don't recommend trawling through even a tiny forum looking for and restoring such things as a particularly interesting way to spend a Saturday night, and hope others might have the sense to try some kind of test run before landing themselves in a similar position!

If it was something I could have avoided by trying to keep up with *every* new build of 1.5.1 instead of trying to make value judgements about how often to update, then it's my fault. OTH, if I've unearthed something the dev team didn't know about, it hasn't all been in vain...

Nuff said!

[Douglas]

If your host doesn't have phpMyAdmin installed on your site, then RUN, don't walk, to www.phpmyadmin.net (Thanks, [Unknown], for the CORRECT URL) and grab a copy and install it yourself.  Most competent web host providers WILL have some form of it available for their customers.  I know that I have one copy installed, but I use ServerAlias for my hosting customers so that they have access to their databases.

[[Unknown]]

www.phpmyadmin.net

And yes, you can install it yourself.

-[Unknown]

[Peter Duggan]

If your host doesn't have phpMyAdmin installed on your site...

Oh, they've got it alright (my new hosts), but most of the trouble came from a combination of my old host's lack of it and my lack of experience with it!

Since my earlier posts I've actually managed to restore my database to exactly how it was (there were only three new posts since the move and all of them were mine because I was still experimenting in maintenance mode).

Because my old host still theoretically exists (I'm clearing out because they seem to be losing the plot!), I was able to return and make another dump of the database with their MySQL admin tool (which looks remarkably like phpMyAdmin with some bits missing!?). Couldn't import this one complete (phpMyAdmin didn't like it!), but I did manage to make a new .sql file by copying the instant_messages, messages and polls data (with the escaped apostrophes) into the YaBB SE dump (with no apostrophes), importing that to the new host (*with* phpMyAdmin) and finally running 'Repair All Boards and Topics' to clear up a few little anomalies. Amazingly enough it all works and stands up to proper testing (so all that manual insertion of apostrophes was, after all, as clumsy as it sounds!), but I've already done a fresh dump of the new version of course...

No doubt I could have imported the data from the crucial tables into the new database directly (without my cut-and-paste antics), but at least I got there in the end!