Well it is possible to replace a global variable with a local...but I highly recommend that you do not do this and use Jass instead. Why? Because this way you can't have much control of it...you wouldn't know if you use it in the wrong place where it still counts as a global.
Anyway here's a tutorial you should find useful http://www.thehelper.net/forums/showthread.php?t=49250
I do know this - xenforo dropped the ball by not keeping the vbulletin reputation comments as a feature. The loss of the Reputation comments data when we switched to Xenforo really was the death knell for the site when it came to all the users that left. I know I missed it so much and I got way less interested in the site when that feature was gone and I run the site.
I'm on a page about incorrect corrections, and spent the better part of like two hours trying to get someone to understand that -5^2 = -25, not 25, and then that post had comments get reposted because that group is self sustaining, and that person was in turn trying to explain what I just explained to them. And I'm taking that as a victory