Allowing all users to physically delete

[Nothematic]

So I've set up every usergroup to be able to delete their own posts, but this only allows them to soft delete. Is there a way I can allow every usergroup to physically delete their own posts (programatically or not)?

Thanks.

[Zachery]

By default no, but you do understand giving them that power means they can, at any time they want, remove content from your site. Nothing short of a backup will fix it, and even then you may lose other content in the process.

[ozzy47]

Yeah it is not something I would suggest doing.

[Nothematic]

I was just wondering if it was possible. On previous forum software (SMF) users can delete their own replies to threads and we had no problems there. In general I was more wondering if allowing a usergroup to physically delete is actually an option - even if it were to only be enabled for some usergroups (as a privilege?)

[ozzy47]

Perhaps try this mod, https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=186951

Some users report it working in vB4

[Zachery]

Moderators can, however be aware in vBulletin that unless you configure it, a soft delete removes it from view and no one but staff can see that.

Also be aware that in vBulletin if someone hard deletes the first post in the topic, in ENTIRE topic will be HARD deleted.

[ozzy47]

Correct, which is why I said I don't recommend allowing that.

Imagine if user A had 500 threads, and each of these threads were popular and had a thousand replies each.

Now user A decides he don't like you anymore, and he deletes these threads, and by doing so it will delete all replies also.

Now you have just lost 500,000 posts from your site, and your google rankings will drop quite a bit.

[HM666]

Yeah I've never allowed that myself, but the OP might have a good reason for it. I've seen client sites where they run a forum/business where people pay to make threads for certain things and then they would need to go back and delete those thread later themselves giving the admin a lot less headache and work on the site. So there maybe good reasons in this case or there may not be lol. Me personally i would never allow regular members to go off and delete posts unless it was something special and there was a limit or something.

[KGodel]

Not to mention that it allows anyone to cover up any violations of your rules and policies, especially with staff. I do not allow anyone to hard-delete because it is an easy cover-up tool of wrongdoing.

[Max Taxable]

Yeah I've never allowed that myself, but the OP might have a good reason for it. I've seen client sites where they run a forum/business where people pay to make threads for certain things and then they would need to go back and delete those thread later themselves giving the admin a lot less headache and work on the site. So there maybe good reasons in this case or there may not be lol. Me personally i would never allow regular members to go off and delete posts unless it was something special and there was a limit or something.
I mean, that's a good case for soft delete - which removes from public and logged in user view.

There really is no case to be made for letting all members hard delete.

[kh99]

Our forum (not vbulletin.org but the other one I help out at) had it configured to allow moderators to hard delete, then one day someone who had been a moderator for years got mad about something and deleted a bunch of threads (which I was able to recover using a backup and a script to copy threads from one db to another). Now only admins can hard delete.

[Max Taxable]

Our forum (not vbulletin.org but the other one I help out at) had it configured to allow moderators to hard delete, then one day someone who had been a moderator for years got mad about something and deleted a bunch of threads (which I was able to recover using a backup and a script to copy threads from one db to another). Now only admins can hard delete.I keep that ability limited to super admins only, as defined in config. Everyone else with delete abilities, can only 'soft' delete.

[HM666]

Yeah I have ALWAYS disallowed anyone but a super admin to hard delete stuff. IMO its really easy to allow a soft delete and then go back and look as an admin yourself to make sure someone is not trying to pull a fast one on you. And usually I'M the ONLY admin on my site. I've gotten burned with having a second admin before as well. But some times some do not want to take the time to go through threads and look at the soft deleted threads and decide if they should be deleted or not.