Error bringing over the online version to the local server

OK, hassles trying to import the online version via svn to local MAMP server. Keep getting error X_table is empty or does not exist. As predicted in original Pligg install notes, when something goes wrong, it's likely to be either the settings.php or dbconnect.php files. I'm checking the following pages for help/advice/clues

http://moremoneygirls.net/programming/error-fix-the-table_prefixconfig-table-is-empty-or-does-not-exist/
http://forums.pligg.com/questions-comments/6401-pligg_config-table-empty-does-not-exist.html

Just checked out the contents of the settings.php and dbconnect.php file - they have references to passwords, base urls, database names etc. No other code that affects anything, so the easiest fix is to just overwrite the files with the old versions that worked with your local database! (so that's two pligg files i understand :-)

Now, for svn to work, we either don't bring checkout those two files or just never commit the changes to those files back online. Which is fine as the files won't ever be used for anything else (they're quite small).

How exciting! I feel like I'm unraveling a really large knot in fishing line.

I'll post my evening's progress tomorrow, got a bit more work I want to finish off before signing off

jct