Migration Guide

Enthusiast to Luster

A step-by-step guide for migrating Enthusiast data into Luster. The Import Data wizard reads, previews, and copies the data you choose.

Important!

Before You Start

  • Back up your original Enthusiast database. Do not delete it until you have manually checked that listings, members, images, and add-on data imported correctly. Keep the old database longer if you want extra reassurance. (Your Enthusiast install is not deleted or changed.)
  • Luster understands two common Enthusiast layouts (You do not need to know every table name. These examples are here so you can recognize them if you see them in phpMyAdmin):

    • Unprefixed Enthusiast tables, such as owned, category, affiliates, and joined
    • Prefixed Enthusiast tables, such as enth_fanlistings, enth_category, enth_affiliates, and enth_joined
Same database?

If Luster and Enthusiast are installed in the same MySQL database, the process is especially simple. Luster can already read Enthusiast's main listing and member tables. The wizard can then bring over whatever is remaining, such as assigned categories, joined listings, affiliates, settings, templates, and images.

Walkthrough

Step-by-Step Import Instructions

  1. Open the Import Wizard

    In the Luster admin panel, go to Import Data → Enthusiast.

  2. Connect to Enthusiast

    On the Connect step, choose how Luster should read your old data. You have two main choices:

    • Use Live database connection if your old Enthusiast database is still available on the same server or your host allows database connections. In most cases, leave your Host as localhost.
    • Use Upload SQL dump if you exported Enthusiast from phpMyAdmin or with mysqldump. The file should end in .sql:

  3. Choose Import Options

    On the Options step, choose what to import. For most users and especially for first time migrations, keep all boxes selected:

    If your old Enthusiast does not have saved email templates, that is fine. Luster will simply skip that part and show a note.

    Choose Image Sources

    Luster will automatically detect images and migrate them without you needing to do anything. If you wish to give fallbacks for your image migration, or if your images are hosted on a different website or database, this section can help.

    • Use Server Path if Luster and Enthusiast are on the same server:
    • Use Live Site URL if your old images are still publicly reachable:
    • Use ZIP Upload if your host blocks remote image fetching, or if you have the old image folders saved on your computer. ZIP files are matched by filename, so the folder structure inside the ZIP does not need to be perfect.

  4. Preview the Import

    The Preview step is a dry run. It does not import anything yet. Read this screen before continuing. It tells you:

    • How many records Luster found
    • How many records will be imported
    • How many records will be skipped
    • Any warnings or incompatibilities you should know about.
    (Warnings are not inherently bad - it just might mean another import run or manual transfer may be needed. The Notes column will tell you more details).

  5. Run the Import

    When the Preview looks right, run the import. A loading screen will appear - do not click away from the page! Larger collectives and databases may need a few minutes to migrate.

    When it finishes, the Done step shows a report. Save or copy the report if you want a record of what happened.

Still using old Enthusiast page embeds?

If you had old pages using files like show_join.php, Luster includes compatibility wrappers that can help old page includes keep working while you transition. See the Enthusiast Bridge Guide for details.

Troubleshooting

Edge Cases & FAQ

For a more in-depth list of frequently asked questions, visit the FAQ section.

Will the import change my old Enthusiast data?

No. Luster reads from the old database and copies data into Luster. It does not delete or rewrite your old Enthusiast files.

My Enthusiast database Is in the same database as Luster.

This is a common scenario and completely normal! Nothing will happen to your previous Enthusiast install or data - it's safe to continue with the import wizard.

Should I use Skip or Overwrite?
  • First time importing? Use Skip. (There's nothing to overwrite yet anyway.)
  • Re-importing because your last attempt was botched and you haven't touched anything in Luster since? Use Overwrite to redo it correctly.
  • Not sure? Use Skip. It can't lose anything you've already done in Luster.
Can I run the import more than once?

Yes. Use Skip when re-running. Luster will keep existing records and import what is still missing.

What if the Preview shows warnings?

Read them, but don't panic! Warnings often explain normal differences between Enthusiast and Luster. Examples:

  • An old field has no Luster equivalent.
  • An image could not be found.
  • A saved template table does not exist in your Enthusiast version.
Based on the warning message, you can decide what to do next to correctly import whatever didn't go through, or to ignore it.
My members tables are missing!

If the Preview says member tables are missing, the listing may be pointing to a table that does not exist in the source database.

Some Enthusiast installs store each listing's members in a different database. Luster does not automatically import those external member databases in this wizard.

Check the old listing's member table name in Enthusiast. If the table was stored in a different database, Luster cannot automatically fetch it from the main Enthusiast database, since the data is located elsewhere. In this case, import the main Enthusiast data first, then move those members table individually for each listing using the Import Data → Import Member wizard.

My images did not copy over.

If images do not copy, try one of these:

  • Enter the old server path instead of the URL.
  • Enter the live URL instead of the path.
  • Upload a ZIP of the image folders.
  • Check whether the image files still exist.

The import can still succeed even when some images are missing.

When can I remove my old Enthusiast install?

Wait until you have checked your listings, members, forms, images, and email templates in Luster. Properly settle into Luster first, and then keep a backup even after removing the old install.