Cleaning out old posts/threads

[scoyote]

I have threads that are 10 years old and I don't really need to keep them that long.

How can I trim my dated threads to help optimize my forum?

I'm guessing that all that old data causes some extra effort on the server whenever a search is activated and probably just slows the system as a whole.

I am running 3.7.3 Patch Level 1 (because I'm running PHP4)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[jamesyfx]

Hi, there is a Prune option in your Admin CP. This should be all the information you need.

Simply open your Admin CP, and go to Thread & Posts

Click Prune, and you will have all the information at hand. You can configure just what is pruned.

[scoyote]

Thanks for the reply...I was looking in the wrong place.
I was thinking it would be in the Maintenance section.

Just so I understand this correctly though.

For the option: Original post date is at most X days ago

- if I set that option to 1095 (3 years) it would remove every post that was over 3 years old.

Am I reading that correctly?

[Lynne]

I think you want
Original post date is at least X days ago 1095 days ago.

That would be posts started 1095 days ago, and 1096 days ago, etc. The other would be only posts until 1095 days ago. You may want to think about using Last Post Date instead (what if a thread was started 9 years ago but is still active?).

When you click on Prune Threads, the next screen will give you the option to just Prune All Threads, or Prune Threads Selectively. If you hit the second option, then a list of all threads will be presented to you and you can uncheck any you don't want pruned.

[scoyote]

This is confusing to me for some reason.....the options just aren't clear to me.

OK.....I agree with the part about a post that is 9 years old but still active, that makes sense, thanks Lynne.

So.....if I want to shed 5 years of posts (one year at at time so I don't burn up the server) what EXACTLY should I do?

I'm getting old.....or something....this just seems harder than it should be.

[Lynne]

If you did:

Last Post Date was at least 10 years ago - it will get all threads that haven't had a post in 10 years.

Then do:
Last Post Date was at least 9 years ago - it will get all threads that haven't had a post in 9 years.

Then do:
Last Post Date was at least 8 years ago - it will get all threads that haven't had a post in 8 years.

etc.

[Marco van Herwaarden]

You might also want to consider moving them to a hidden forum at first, so you can restore them if you later find out it was an active thread. Then just clean up the hidden forum after some time.

[scoyote]

I can't seem to make it work, maybe something isn't setup right....

I keep getting the "Please Complete All Required Fields" error even if I put in 7 days....so it's not working.

Same thing when I try to move threads.....same error.

Are other fields required besides the "Last Post Date"?

[Lynne]

Are you making sure to click the Prune Threads button under the Prune Threads Manager and not the one under the Prune by Username area?