Forum Cleanup
Forum cleanup allows you to mass delete posts, threads, and personal messages from your forum.
Warning
Use this feature with caution. Once the cleanup action is completed it cannot be undone.
Targeting the Correct Content for Deletion
Define the parameters for selecting what content is deleted from your forum.
What
Select the type of content to be deleted. You can select multiple content types.
Posts - Posts, regardless where the post resides within a thread.
Threads - Threads including all posts in the threads regardless of who created the posts.
Conversations - Personal Messages (PMs)
Warning
When Threads is selected, this will include all the posts in those threads regardless of who created the posts.
Who
Select who created the content to be deleted.
Anyone - All users, including the Admin.
Specific Member - You can enter a single member or multiple members.
Users with IP - You can only enter one IP per cleanup.
Important
Selecting Users with IP may target the content of multiple users.
What and Who Impact
The following is what content will be deleted based on the What and Who selections:
| Anyone | Specific Member | Users with IP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Posts | All posts on your forum | Only the posts made by the selected member | Only the posts made by users with the specified IP |
| Threads | All threads on your forum | All threads started by selected member AND all the posts in those threads regardless of who made the posts. | All threads started by users with the specified IP AND all the posts in those threads regardless of who made the posts. |
| Conversations Personal Messages (PM's) | All PM's on your forum | Will delete all PM conversations started by selected member including parts of the conversation made by other members. It will not delete individual messages if the conversation is started by another member. It will not delete started conversations that are forwarded to another member. | Will delete all PM conversations started by users with specified IP including parts of the conversation made by other members. It will not delete individual messages if the conversation is started by another member. It will not delete started conversations that are forwarded to another member. |
Where
Choose where on your forum content should be deleted from.
Anywhere - Remove content from the entire forum.
Specific Boards - Select which boards to remove content from. Selecting a board does not include its sub-boards.
When
Specify when the content to be deleted was created.
Anytime - Content created on any date.
On - Content created on a specific date.
Before - Content created before a specific date.
After - Content created after a specific date.
Between - Content created between two specified dates.
Search
Click the Search button to review what will be deleted based on the selected content deletion criteria. No content is deleted at this point.
The Forum Cleanup Search Results dialog box displays the quantity and type of content targeted for deletion as well as the criteria used to select the content.
Deleting Content
In the text field at the bottom of the Forum Cleanup Search Results dialog box type in delete, tick the checkbox affirming you understand the content will be permanently deleted, and click the Delete button.
Click the Cancel button to redefine the search criteria or to not delete the targeted content.
Warning
Once the Delete button is clicked the targeted content is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.