Trash

Deleting in mdlake is not final. A document, folder or file you delete goes to the Trash and stays there for 30 days. In that time you can read it, restore it, or remove it for good. This page explains what each delete does, and how to get things back.

Before you start

• You can edit documents or files in the workspace.
• You know that a published document is also taken out of the lake when it goes to the Trash (Publishing).

Move something to the trash

Documents

1. Choose Move to trash. The dialog says: “Fleet services moves to the Trash. You can restore it within 30 days.”
2. If the document is published, it adds: “It is published, so it is also removed from the content repository. Restoring brings it back as a draft.”
3. If other documents link to it, the dialog lists them: “Linked from: Pricing, Contact. Those links will point nowhere until it is restored.” This is a warning. It does not stop you.
4. Choose Move to trash.

Expected result: the document disappears from the tree, and a line says ""Fleet services” moved to the trash.” with Undo.

A document that someone else is editing cannot go to the Trash. The menu item is disabled and says “Being edited by Ada”. Wait until they close it.

A published document is unpublished first by a normal publish: a commit Unpublish: <title> is made in your name. It happens within seconds. Like any unpublish, it leaves the document’s media published, because other documents may use the same files (Publishing).

Folders

The dialog Delete folder? says how many documents are inside, subfolders included: ""Guides” has 4 documents. They move to the Trash and can be restored within 30 days. Restoring recreates the folder.” Choose Move 4 documents to trash.

If someone is editing a document in the folder, the dialog lists who, and the button is disabled. The folder cannot be deleted until they are done.

Each document remembers its own folder. You can restore one document or all.

Files

A file that a document uses cannot go to the Trash. Remove it from the document first (The media library). A file that is always in the lake (see In the lake) is also taken out of the lake: the pane asks “Remove from the lake and move to trash?”. For other files it asks “Really move to trash?”.

Undo

Right after you move something to the Trash, the line at the top says what happened, and Undo puts it back at once: “3 documents moved to the trash.” or “Moved to the trash.”. Undo works while that is the latest thing that happened. If you do something else, use the Trash.

If a name was taken in the meantime, undo says “A name is taken now. Restore it from the Trash to choose another.”

Open the Trash

Choose Trash at the bottom of the left column. It has a number when there are items. Documents and files have a Trash each:

• The Trash in the editor holds documents.
• The Trash on the Media page holds files.

The page Trash shows a table with these columns:

When nothing is there, the page says “Trash is empty. Deleted items stay here for 30 days.”

The home page warns you in Needs attention when items will go within a week: “2 items in the Trash go for good within a week (3 days left for the first).” Choose Open the Trash to review them.

Look before you restore

Select a row, or press Enter on it, to open the item read-only. A document shows its title, summary, tags and text, with the note “In the trash. Deleted 2 days ago by Ada. 28 days left.” A file shows its preview and details. You cannot edit anything in the Trash. Choose Back to Trash to return.

Restore

1. Tick one or more rows and choose Restore in the toolbar. Or open an item and choose Restore to edit.

Expected result: a notice says ""Fleet services” is back as a draft. Publish it again when ready.” For files: “2 files are back in the library.”

What to know about a restore:

• A restored document is always a draft, even if it was published before. Publish it again when you want it back on sites.
• It returns to its original folder. If that folder is gone, it is created again.
• Its images come back with it, if they are still in the Trash.
• Links to it work again. Links use the document’s ID, and the ID is the same.
• Files go back to their folder, and a file that was always in the lake goes back to the lake.

When the name is taken

If a document in the original folder now has the same file name, the dialog That name is taken appears: “A document in the original folder already uses the file name of “Fleet services”. Restore it under a new name, or leave it in the trash.” Choose Restore as fleet-services-2 (the suggested name), or Leave in trash. With several items in a row, the dialog goes through them one by one.

When it is still being unpublished

Restoring a document that was published a moment ago can fail while the unpublish is still running. Wait a few seconds and try again. The message is “Still being removed from the site. The published page is being taken down. Try again in a moment.”

Delete for good

Items leave the Trash in two ways: you remove them, or 30 days pass.

• Delete permanently (toolbar, with rows selected) asks “Delete 2 documents permanently?” and says “They are removed for good. This cannot be undone.”
• Empty trash (top right) asks “Empty the trash?” and says how many items will go.
• After 30 days the CMS removes an item by itself. It checks every hour. An admin can change the time with Trash:RetentionDays, and the check with Trash:PurgeIntervalMinutes.

For a file, the file and its previews are deleted from storage. For a document, the draft, its links and its lock are deleted.

If a trashed document is still published because its unpublish has not run, it is skipped and the page says “1 document is still published and could not be deleted yet. Try again in a moment.”

If something goes wrong

What’s next

• Publish what you restored: Publishing.
• Find a deleted item by its ID: Search.