[RESOLVED] no trash folder

[drivenbywhat]

I don't use private messages often but I just found out when you delete a message, you can't get it back. There is no trash folder that it goes to. Would be a nice feature. Has this been suggested already?

[RobDog888]

No I dont believe it has and I found this out too a long time ago, the hard way lol.
I will place the suggestion but I do know that the next major version release will be a major change so it may be something already in the works.

[drivenbywhat]

cool.

[MartinLiss]

Rather than deleting your Private Messages you can download them to your PC as an XML file(s) and the use my Private Message Viewer (see the link in my signature) to read, extract, delete, etc them.

[drivenbywhat]

Downloading them would be a hassle. Like I said, I don't really use private messages. So to download about 5 messages a month, 1 every couple of days, would be too much a of a hassle.

I got a message from someone and I read it, replied and deleted. Later I received a reply for the reply and I read it but could not reply at that moment. Then I accidently deleted because I saw that I had read it already. Yes, I also delete the SENT emails. A trash folder would be a useful feature.

Live and learn, lol.

[RhinoBull]

Rather than deleting your Private Messages you can download them to your PC ...

Why? I delete all of my PMs too. What's the point of keeping all those messages? You may keep few but seriously doubt that you will ever need to look all of them again.
As stated "deleted" folder would be very nice addition and really "should" be there to begin with.
Bad design if you ask me. How can anyone design pm/email system (or sub system for that matter) without the quick recovery feature?

[MartinLiss]

I wrote the Private Message Viewer with the Moderators in mind because we get and send many PMs and we need to (or at least should) keep many of them. I still feel it's a useful tool for the average member because using it you can delete those PMs you don't want and/or if needed export the text of a note and use it to send or reply to someone.

As for why there's no native delete function in our forums I'd guess you'd have to ask (or suggest it to) the developers of vBulletin.

[Hack]

As a user of Martin's tool I can tell you that it is a very handle thing to have.

[RhinoBull]

As a user of Martin's tool I can tell you that it is a very handle thing to have.

I'm sure it's nice but it doesn't restore deleted messages so it's basically the same thing in a way.

[si_the_geek]

Well you know how the system works, so just use it appropriately - quite simply, if you aren't sure you want to permanently delete a message, don't delete it.

What Marty's tool allows is for you to download a usable copy of your messages before deleting them on the forums - so you still have a copy of the deleted message that you can read. I know it isn't quite as easy as having it all on the forum software, but it is certainly usable.


Downloading your PM's every time you get a message is obviously a lot of extra effort, so what I do is download every few months, and then delete messages older than a few weeks (so I still have easy access to recent messages if needed).

[RhinoBull]

Well you know how the system works, so just use it appropriately - quite simply, if you aren't sure you want to permanently delete a message, don't delete it...

Just as simple as that, heh... Are you always carefull and do things "appropriately"? Not everybody is like you.
Besides, we are not discussing Martin's utility (which I'm sure is quite nice) but rather limitations of forum's software.
Original developers have such a short vision they couldn't even see the importance of a trash folder for at least PM.
It really is beyond any understandings... I bothers me for a very long time but I never brought to anybody's attention but since we have this thread I figured I will try to make a little point.

Regards.

[si_the_geek]

As you are well aware, the forum software is developed by a different organisation - if you want changes/improvements to be made to it, you should make suggestions to them.

While it may not be a perfect solution to the issue, Marty's tool is a very good work-around - and the only option that we can give you (vBulletin may well be able to do more).

[MartinLiss]

This is a total guess but probably the reason that there's no Trash folder is that it would take up a lot of space. I know of course that regular posts take up space but with the obvious exception of Chit Chat they are the reason for the forum, while Private Messages are a nice to have.

[RhinoBull]

... you should make suggestions to them...

I did but never received any respond at all.

[RhinoBull]

This is a total guess but probably the reason that there's no Trash folder is that it would take up a lot of space...

True but as far as I know nothing actually gets deleted until some admin's process finally purges "deleted" records.
I remember even Brad once mentioned that awhile back.

[RobDog888]

It wouldnt take up allot of space as it could have a limit just like the pms have a limit.

[RhinoBull]

It wouldn't take more space than it currently does at all.
Number of chars per message is limited and each user has limited number of messages he/she can keep in the box.

[MartinLiss]

It wouldn't take more space than it currently does at all.
Number of chars per message is limited and each user has limited number of messages he/she can keep in the box.

So you are saying I guess that the only reason to have a trash folder would be to undo mistakes.

[RobDog888]

If there was no need or use for a trash folder then all the email clients wouldnt have that feature.

At least if there was a confirmation before deletion that would at least help prevent some mistakes.

[RhinoBull]

So you are saying I guess that the only reason to have a trash folder would be to undo mistakes.

Trash folder is ... well ... a trash folder. However it is also a place from where you can recover items deleted by mistake.
And mistakes are not uncommon.

Trash folders are purged on a regularly basis - once a week, month, whatever... Once it's purged - all deleted messages are gone for good.
But until then you have a choice.
This current PM system doesn't even ask for your confirmation - extremly bad-bad-bad design. <<< I just noticed that Rob also mentioned the same thing.

[drivenbywhat]

What have I started? LOL. I'm unsubscribing from this thread. Too much talking and too little action.

[RobDog888]

Action, if any, is going to take a long time to occur as we are not the authors or the forum software - vBulletin. We can only make suggestions on features that we would like to see in some up coming version. If they get enough positive feedback on a sugestion then maybe thats when they will consider adding it.