Migration Guide

Fanatically to Luster

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

Important!

Before You Start

  • Back up your original Fanatically 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 Fanatically install is not deleted or changed.)

These Luster add-ons are also involved:

  • Wishlist add-on for wishlist entries
  • KIM add-on for KIM entries
  • Adoption add-on for adoption applications

On a normal Luster install, all of these are already installed and enabled by default. If you previously disabled one of these add-ons, don't worry, Luster enables it again automatically the moment it finds matching data to import, so your data is never silently dropped. The Preview step tells you when this will happen.

Fanatically Prefixes

Fanatically usually stores data in tables with a prefix. The default prefix is fanatic_.

That means your old database may have tables like:

Tables
fanatic_settings
fanatic_listings
fanatic_members
fanatic_categories
fanatic_affiliates
fanatic_codes

If your tables do not start with fanatic_, that's okay too because the wizard lets you enter your prefix.

Some Important Notes

  • FansFansFans IDs - Per-listing FansFansFans IDs fansfansfans_id are captured during import and stored internally, even though Luster has no FansFansFans display feature yet. They are preserved so a future Luster update can use them without requiring a re-import.
  • Display & email templates aren't part of this import - The main database import above doesn't translate any templates. Luster's built-in default templates apply to every imported listing at first. See Bringing Over Your Templates below for a separate tool that translates your customized Fanatically templates instead of rebuilding them by hand.
Optional, After Import

Bringing Over Your Templates

If you customized Fanatically's display templates (member list, stats, join, update, affiliates, codes, and more) or its email templates, you don't have to recreate that customization by hand. Luster includes a separate Fanatically Template Rescue tool at Admin → Import Data → Fanatically → Import Fanatically Templates that translates Fanatically's template tokens to Luster's {token} format.

  1. Zip Your Templates Folder

    Zip up your Fanatically install's templates/display/ and templates/email/ folders and upload the ZIP.

  2. Luster Translates What It Recognizes

    Luster reads every recognized template file and translates its tokens — stats, members, join, update, password reset, affiliates, codes, collective stats, owned/joined listings, wishlist, KIM, adopt, and rules display templates, plus the full set of email templates.

  3. Review the Preview

    The preview screen shows each file's translated result and flags anything that can't be imported as-is — unmapped tokens Luster has no equivalent for, embedded PHP (never executed, only transformed as text), unsupported structure, or a translated template too large to store. Flagged entries stay downloadable so you can finish translating them by hand.

  4. Apply the Ones You Want

    Pick which cleanly-translated templates to apply, then import them.

If you'd rather not use the tool, you can still recreate your customization by hand in Luster's template editor — the rescue tool is a shortcut, not a requirement.

Walkthrough

Step-by-Step Import Instructions

  1. Open the Import Wizard

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

  2. Connect to Fanatically

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

    • Use Live database connection if your old Fanatically 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 Fanatically from phpMyAdmin or with mysqldump. The file should end in .sql:

  3. Enter the Fanatically Table Prefix

    On the Connect step, enter your Fanatically table prefix. Most installs use fanatic_.

    Your old tables look like Enter this prefix
    fanatic_listings, fanatic_members fanatic_
    fl_listings, fl_members fl_
    listings, members Leave blank

    If you are unsure, look at the old table names in phpMyAdmin.

  4. Choose What to Import

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

    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.

    You can also import Site Settings. This brings over safe settings such as collective name and display options. Luster does not import SMTP credentials, admin credentials, or API keys.

  5. Choose KIM Status

    If you import KIM entries, Fanatically gives you a choice:

    • Active — entries are visible immediately.
    • Pending — entries need approval in Luster first.

    Choose Active if you want imported KIM entries appear publicly right away. Choose Pending if you want to import entries but have it show up in Luster's pending queue for your review before they appear publicly.

  6. Preview the Import

    The Preview step shows what Luster found. Read the notes carefully. Fanatically imports can include useful warnings, such as blank passwords or settings that are intentionally skipped.

  7. Run the Import

    When the Preview looks right, run the import. The Done step shows what was imported, skipped, or warned about.

Still using old Fanatically page includes?

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

Troubleshooting

Edge Cases & FAQ

Is the Import Wizard and guide for all Fanatically versions?

This guide is currently up to date with Fanatically 1.1.9.

Members have blank passwords

Some Fanatically members may have blank password hashes. Luster imports the member, but that person will need to use the forgot-password flow before they can log in.

KIM entries are unassigned or skipped

KIM entries with no listing attached, such as listing_id=0, do not have a clear place to go in Luster. Those entries are skipped.

Skipped KIM entries occur because they were not tied to a specific listing. Luster needs a listing to attach each KIM entry to.

Closed or adopted-out listings import as inactive

Fanatically 1.1.9 supports two listing states this importer doesn't map to Luster's own equivalents yet: Closed and Adopted Out. Luster does have matching statuses for these (the same ones you get from manually archiving a listing) — the importer just doesn't set them yet. Luster imports these listings — it doesn't skip or drop them — but marks them inactive rather than current, since showing an archived listing as live would be incorrect. The original Fanatically status is kept internally so a future importer update can set the matching status directly, without requiring a re-import.

This also applies to any status Fanatically might add in a future version that this importer doesn't already recognize.

Listings with no URL still import

A blank-URL listing is imported as inactive (Luster's public templates need a URL to render a listing as current), and all of its related data — members, categories, codes, affiliate relationships — comes with it. Add the URL in Luster once you know what it should be.

Pending member updates are migrated automatically

When members are selected for import, Luster also migrates any queued update requests (stored in pending_update) into the Luster pending updates queue. Password hashes inside those requests are not carried over — Luster never queues password changes. Pending updates for listings that are not imported are skipped.

"afl" prefix was changed

Fanatically may use afl. Luster maps that to tafl, because Luster supports TFL and TAFL network values.

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.

Will Luster import my Fanatically admin password?

No. Admin passwords are not imported for security reasons. Create or manage your Luster admin account in Luster.

Will Luster import SMTP settings?

Luster does not import SMTP usernames, SMTP passwords, API keys, or admin credentials for security reasons. Enter those manually in Luster.

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.

Why do some members need password resets?

If Fanatically had a blank password for a member, Luster cannot invent that password. The member should use the forgot-password form.

When can I remove my Fanatically 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.