Forum Post Archiver for phpBB (Enhanced v2.0)
Archive all your forum posts in their original BBCode format with this robust Tampermonkey script. Features ZIP export with clipboard fallback, ensuring you never lose your posts even if downloads fail. Perfect for backing up your contributions before a forum closes or for personal archiving.
🚀 New in v2.0
- 🧪 Test Mode - Verify ZIP creation works before downloading hundreds of posts
- 📋 Clipboard Export - Fallback option to copy all posts as text if ZIP fails
- 🔍 Verbose Logging - Detailed debug information to troubleshoot any issues
- 💾 Memory Management - Batch processing to handle large archives (600+ posts)
- 🔄 Auto-Retry - Failed requests automatically retry up to 3 times
Features
- 📦 Complete Post Archive - Downloads all your posts from phpBB forums
- 📝 BBCode Format - Preserves original formatting and BBCode tags
- 📁 Organized Structure - Posts sorted into folders by forum section
- ⏸️ Rate Limiting - Respects server resources with configurable delays
- 📊 Advanced Progress Tracking - Visual progress bar with ETA and speed metrics
- 🔍 Smart Error Handling - Gracefully handles posts you can't access with retry logic
- 💾 Dual Export Options - ZIP download with clipboard backup
- 📈 Performance Monitoring - Real-time memory usage and processing statistics
- 🧪 Pre-flight Testing - Test ZIP creation with 3 posts before full archive
Installation
- Install Tampermonkey browser extension
- Click "Install this script" on this page
- The script will be ready to use
How to Use
Quick Start
Navigate to your posts: Go to the forum search page showing all your posts
- Usually found by clicking your username → "Find all posts"
- URL should look like:
forum/search.php?author_id=YOUR_ID&sr=posts
Test first (Recommended):
- Click the "🧪 Test ZIP (3 posts)" button
- Verify a test ZIP downloads successfully
- This ensures everything works before processing hundreds of posts
Start archiving:
- Click "📥 Start Full Archive" to begin
- Monitor progress with real-time statistics
- Watch for verbose debug messages in the status panel
Export your data:
- Primary: ZIP file downloads automatically when complete
- Fallback: Click "📋 Copy to Clipboard" if ZIP fails
- All your posts are preserved either way!
Export Options
ZIP Archive (Primary)
Your archive ZIP contains:
- Individual post files (.bbcode format) with full content
- Post metadata (date, forum, topic, URLs)
- Organized folders by forum section
- README summary with statistics and any errors
Clipboard Export (Fallback)
If ZIP creation fails:
- Click "📋 Copy to Clipboard" button
- All posts exported as formatted text
- Organized by forum with full metadata
- Can paste into any text editor
Advanced Features
Debug Mode
- Enabled by default for troubleshooting
- Detailed console logging of all operations
- Shows memory usage (if browser supports it)
- Tracks processing speed and ETA
Performance Optimizations
- Batch processing (50 posts at a time)
- Lower compression for faster ZIP creation
- Periodic delays to prevent browser freezing
- Memory-efficient handling of large archives
Requirements
- You must be logged in to the forum
- Works on phpBB forums (tested on version 3.3.x)
- Modern browser with Tampermonkey support
- Sufficient memory for large archives (600+ posts may need 200MB+ RAM)
Configuration
Default settings (can be modified in script):
DELAY_BETWEEN_REQUESTS: 1500 // 1.5 seconds between requests
POSTS_PER_PAGE: 15 // Standard phpBB pagination
MAX_POSTS_PER_BATCH: 50 // Posts processed per batch
ZIP_COMPRESSION_LEVEL: 1 // Fast compression (1-9 scale)
DEBUG_MODE: true // Verbose logging enabled
MAX_STATUS_MESSAGES: 10 // Status history shown
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
- No panel appears? Make sure you're on the author search results page
- ZIP fails after downloading posts? Use the "Copy to Clipboard" button - your data is safe!
- Process seems slow? This is intentional to avoid overwhelming the server
- Browser freezes? The script now processes in batches to prevent this
- Can't edit some posts? Posts in restricted forums show as [Unable to fetch content]
Debug Information
When DEBUG_MODE is enabled, check:
- Browser console for detailed logs
- Status panel for operation progress
- Memory usage indicator (if available)
- Error messages with retry attempts
Safety Features
- Auto-retry on failed requests (up to 3 attempts)
- 30-second timeout prevents hanging requests
- Batch processing prevents memory overflow
- Multiple export options ensure data preservation
- Rate limiting respects server resources
Privacy & Security
- Only archives your own posts (based on author_id)
- No data sent to external servers
- All processing happens locally in your browser
- BBCode preserved in original format
- No authentication tokens stored
Browser Compatibility
- ✅ Chrome/Chromium (recommended)
- ✅ Firefox
- ✅ Edge
- ✅ Opera
- ⚠️ Safari (limited clipboard support)
Known Limitations
- Posts you don't have edit permission for will show as [Unable to fetch content]
- Very large archives (1000+ posts) may require multiple attempts
- Some forums may have custom BBCode that won't be parsed
Support
Found a bug or have a suggestion? Please report issues on the Greasyfork feedback page with:
- Your browser and version
- Forum software version (if known)
- Number of posts being archived
- Any error messages from the console
License
MIT License - Feel free to modify and share!
Enhanced by sharmanhall - If this script helped you save your posts, consider leaving a positive review!
Version 2.0 - Now with clipboard export, test mode, and bulletproof reliability! 🎉
