How To Delete Unwanted Post Revisions

  • After several people edit or extend postings on our sites ( 1k words typical )there may be several dozen copies many of them days or weeks old.

    Now that we know that every one of these old versions is stored in the database we understand why it is growing exponentially in size making it all but impossible to manage, download, upload etc. While having all these copies is somewhat helpful during editing, once an article is published they are of little or no further use. Some or all need to be deleted for very practical reasons.

    We find no way to delete the unwanted copies or to limit how many are created and stored. We’ll need a work around or a way to turn off the auto save functions. Even a limit number that discards earlier versions might be helpful.

Viewing 13 replies - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)

  • would like to know this as well, since SEARCH also turns up those revisions and clicking those links return a “page not found” result.

    Instructions on how to turn the automatically saved revisions off, and also how to delete the existing ones are here:

    https://lesterchan.net/wordpress/2008/07/17/how-to-turn-off-post-revision-in-wordpress-26/

    This just needs to be fixed. Fine, if you want to leave it, but put a freaking check box next to each revision and a DELETE button that allows an author to go in and get rid of this crap without having to edit a database!

    Ridiculous idea anyway, imo… just a way to puff up a db for no good reason… especially without making it easy for non-programmers to fix.

    Talk about bogging down web services… what WERE they thinking?

    Actually I think a lot of people will find it quite useful.

    You don’t pay for the software, so don’t get so uppity about it.

    If you have the ability to change it for your installation then do, if not and it bothers you that much pay someone else to do it. Otherwise just live with it the way it is.

    For future readers I just threw together a plugin that disables the post revision without having to edit your wp-config file.
    Download it here.
    I’m sure there will be many other far better plugins that allow more control but this just disables it all out.

    Moderator Samuel Wood (Otto)

    (@otto42)

    www.ads-software.com Admin

    Also:

    https://www.ads-software.com/extend/plugins/no-revisions/

    https://exper.3drecursions.com/2008/07/25/disable-revisions-and-autosave-plugin/

    https://www.ads-software.com/extend/plugins/revision-control/

    yep, thanks all. Got it fixed with a plugin and the sql run on the db.

    But that still doesn’t change the fact that whomever decided this was a good idea didn’t think it through. What… we’re going to save all 20 revisions if that’s what builds up?

    And a keyword search returns 20 versions, 19 of the links resulting in “sorry, not here”?

    Silliness, pure and simple. Now I know to FIX it before adding content to a site. I didn’t realize what was happening until refining the search functions.

    Moderator Samuel Wood (Otto)

    (@otto42)

    www.ads-software.com Admin

    What… we’re going to save all 20 revisions if that’s what builds up?

    Yes, of course. Keeping historical information is important, and space is cheap.

    Why would you not want to keep every revision? That makes no sense to me. I mean, these are just text, and text is small and compresses easily.

    Look at any Wiki. Those keep all revisions, forever, period.

    @john Pope
    My main complaint — and I DO get to complain if I want to — has to do with the lack of foresight by the developers who planned and executed the feature.

    Any such “feature” should have a way A) to disable it and/or B) to remove the old, older and oldest revisions if desired without having to resort to running an SQL in phpMyAdmin.

    It would have been fairly simple to add a checkbox by each revision and a delete button to remove any checked revision using pretty much the same sql as provided for all of us “complainers” to use.     However… while I feel fairly comfortable doing that, many, many –including the person I was helping — don’t. Such feedback provides the developers insight into making the product BETTER, since it claims to be easy to use for the general public.

    If you think that basic statement on GOOD programming and GOOD user interface is a complaint, then you must be invested in the feature is all I can say. Whether I pay for the software or not is irrelevant. I pay in hours spent sussing out WTF is going on when it goes wrong.

    I don’t HAVE to live with the “way it is” dude. I CAN provide feedback in the EXTEND portion of this site and I have. Your attitude is rude and smartass and far from helpful, so if you don’t have more to offer, shut up.

    @ jeremyclark

    THANK YOU. Most useful! I’ll add that to my list of must-use plugins — add them before USING wp.

    Modifiedcontent

    (@modifiedcontent)

    I use a slightly modified version of WP for a specific purpose where it is essential there’s only one instance of each post. This “feature” is incredibly annoying. I hope I can figure out a way to get rid of it completely.

    BTW, that wikis do this is no excuse. Wikis suck. There’s no reason to follow that model for blog software.

    edit: Tried the plugin. It doesn’t solve my problem. What’s the latest WP version that doesn’t save revisions/drafts/creates new IDs for the same posts?

    Why would you not want to keep every revision? That makes no sense to me.

    otto42

    the fact that it makes no sense to you does not mean that it makes no sense to others, who as far as i can see, are not so few.

    there are too many reasons to name why this “feature” should:
    a) be optional
    b) not be enabled by default

    p.s.

    Look at any Wiki. Those keep all revisions, forever, period.

    i do not care what wikis do. i run my blog (not wiki). period.

    Moderator Samuel Wood (Otto)

    (@otto42)

    www.ads-software.com Admin

    You’re beating a dead horse. There’s dozens of plugins to let you control revisions however you want, and most people like it, don’t mind, or never notice them. The number of people who have some sort of problem with it is, indeed, “few”.

    I recommend the excellent revision control plugin: https://www.ads-software.com/extend/plugins/revision-control/

    If one methodology of revision control becomes predominant, then it might get stuck into core at some future point. I wouldn’t hold my breath, but it could happen. Until then, arguing about it is pointless.

Viewing 13 replies - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
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