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Archive

AppsFolio uses a soft-delete system that moves deleted items to an archive instead of permanently removing them. This allows you to recover accidentally deleted applications and content types.

How Archiving Works

When you delete an application or content type:

  1. The item is moved to the Archive
  2. It's no longer visible in normal lists and pages
  3. Associated data (like metadata) is also archived
  4. The item can be restored at any time

Info

Only Org Admins can access the Archive and restore or permanently delete items.

Accessing the Archive

  1. Navigate to Admin in the top navigation
  2. Select Archive from the dropdown menu

The Archive page shows two tabs:

  • Archived Apps - Applications that have been deleted
  • Archived Content Types - Content types (definitions) that have been deleted

Restoring Items

Restoring an Application

  1. Go to the Archived Apps tab
  2. Find the application you want to restore
  3. Click the Restore button

The application and all its metadata will be restored to your organization.

Restoring a Content Type

  1. Go to the Archived Content Types tab
  2. Find the content type you want to restore
  3. Click the Restore button

The content type will be restored and available for use in applications.

Tip

Restoring a content type also makes its associated metadata visible again on apps where it was used.

Permanent Deletion

If you're certain you want to permanently remove an item:

  1. Go to the Archive page
  2. Find the item in the appropriate tab
  3. Click the Delete Permanently button
  4. Confirm the action

Warning

Permanent deletion cannot be undone. All associated data will be permanently lost.

What Gets Permanently Deleted

When you permanently delete an application:

  • The application record
  • All metadata associated with the application
  • Editor assignments
  • The application cannot be recovered

When you permanently delete a content type:

  • The content type definition
  • All metadata entries using that content type across all apps
  • Filter and summary settings
  • The content type cannot be recovered

Bulk Operations

The Archive supports bulk operations for managing multiple items at once:

Bulk Restore

  1. Select multiple items using the checkboxes
  2. Click Restore Selected
  3. All selected items will be restored

Bulk Delete

  1. Select multiple items using the checkboxes
  2. Click Delete Selected Permanently
  3. Confirm the action
  4. All selected items will be permanently removed

Archive Best Practices

  1. Review before permanent deletion - Double-check that you really don't need the item before permanently deleting it

  2. Clear the archive periodically - Old, unused items in the archive don't affect performance, but keeping it clean helps you find items when you need to restore them

  3. Restore first if unsure - If you're not sure whether you need something, restore it first and verify before deleting again

  4. Check associated data - Before permanently deleting a content type, consider how many applications use it - that metadata will also be deleted