Archive Manager - 'Auto-Threads'

The "Archive Manager" automates the normal "Delete" and "Move" functions that are otherwise available through the Page Manager. The 'Auto-Threads' tab applies to the number of threads that can be added to a particular list -- if you are looking to limit the number of messages that can be posted within any thread, visit the 'Auto-Messages' tab instead. Here are the terms that this interface uses:

• Archiving: Moving older threads somewhere else. This is the equivalent of selecting one or more threads in the Page Manager and clicking on the "Move" button. Then, you would scroll to the bottom of the page and select to move the messages into a new subtopic. The net result is a new subtopic of the page on which the threads were originally posted containing the threads you have chosen to archive.

• Pruning: Deleting older threads. This is the equivalent of selecting one or more threads in the Page Manager and clicking on the "Delete" button. This permanently removes threads -- there is no way to "undelete" threads once you have pruned them using this interface or using the Page Manager.

Automatic archiving and pruning, when set up using this interface, allows you to limit the number of threads that can be posted on a particular list. Automatic settings that you specify are processed when new threads are added through the user interface, meaning that you do not have to log into administration to cause the board to archive or prune threads. Note that when you save the settings in this section, this does not cause your archiving action to take effect immediately. Archiving and pruning will take place in each list of threads the next time a visitor starts a new thread from the user interface.

Automatic archiving/pruning of threads explained

When threads are automatically archived, a new archive subtopic is created at the end of the thread list. By default, this new thread will be named "Archive through <date>" where <date> is the date of the newest message that becomes part of the archive. The new thread will be marked as an archive (meaning that it cannot be re-archived, and in some skins, its icon will include a paper-clip icon that indicates its status as an archive). The specified number of threads from the list are moved into this archive. The archive itself does not allow new threads to be added to it, and posting is turned off everywhere within the archive. Automatic archiving is a way to close down and move "dead" threads off the main pages of your board, to improve load time and reduce clutter. At the same time, these older threads are still available for reading and searching.

When threads are automatically pruned, they are deleted permanently. There is no way to recover these threads, other than restoring your board from a backup to put it at a state before the threads were pruned. Thus, it is extremely important to use automatic pruning with caution.

There is no automatic "Undo" of automatic archiving or pruning. Take care to set up these parameters carefully!

Options for automatic archiving/pruning

To enable automatic archiving/pruning for any topic, change the selection box under "Action" to something other than the default, "No Action." The choices are explained here, with the most commonly used items shown in green:

• No Action: No automatic archiving or pruning based on threads is performed in any threads for this topic.

• Archive by Date: The OLDEST threads, when automatic archiving is invoked, will be moved into an archive. The number of threads to be moved depends on the number of threads that were already there, and the settings you select for invoke and leave. This is the most commonly used option.

• Prune by Date: The OLDEST threads, when automatic pruning is invoked, will be permanently deleted. The number of threads to be removed depends on the number of messages that were already there, and the settings you select for invoke and leave.

• Archive in Order: The FIRST threads, in the order they appear from top to bottom, when automatic archiving is invoked, will be moved into an archive. The number of threads to be archived depends on the number of threads that were already there, and the settings you select for invoke and leave. Typically, board administrators wish to use "Archive by Date" rather than this option.

• Prune in Order: The FIRST threads, in the order they appear from top to bottom, when automatic pruning is invoked, will be permanently deleted. The number of threads to be removed depends on the number of threads that were already there, and the settings you select for invoke and leave. Typically, board administrators wish to use "Prune by Date" rather than this option.

Setting up "Invoke" and "Leave" thresholds

In the first box labeled Invoke, enter the number of threads that must be present on the list in order to invoke the automatic archiving (think of this as the maximum number of threads that can ever be present on a list, because when the number of threads on a page reaches this number, an archiving/pruning action will occur).

In the second box labeled Leave, enter the number of threads to leave on the list when the archiving/pruning takes place.

Examples

Say you set up automatic archiving by date, invoked at 15 threads, leaving 5 threads. When the 16th new thread was added, this would cause the threshold of 15 threads to be exceeded. Discus would then create an archive called "Archive through <date>" at the end of the list of threads. It would look for the oldest 10 threads (15-5=10), where "oldest" means the threads that were least recently posted to. These threads will be moved to the archive. The archive itself will not allow for new threads to be added, and each of the pages moved into the archive will not allow for new messages to be added to them.