DooFiles
Trash, backups and activity
How long DooFiles keeps the items in its Trash, the previous versions of your files and the activity log, how many backups and entries it keeps, and when old ones are deleted.
Overview
DooFiles keeps three things that grow over time: the items in its Trash, the backups of the files you save or replace, and the Activity log. This card decides how long it keeps them, so they help you without filling your server.
Go to DooFiles › Settings and open Trash, backups and activity. Change the numbers and click Save changes. Saving asks for your password.
The settings
| Setting | What it does | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days in the trash | After this many days, deleted items are removed for good | 30 days | 1 to 365 |
| Days to keep backups | After this many days, a backup of a file is deleted | 30 days | 1 to 365 |
| Backups per file | How many backups DooFiles keeps of each file. The newest ones are kept | 10 copies | 1 to 50 |
| Days of activity | After this many days, an entry of the activity log is deleted | 90 days | 1 to 365 |
| Most activity entries | The most entries the activity log keeps. Past this number, the oldest are deleted, even within the days above | 50,000 entries | 5,000 to 500,000 |
When old items are deleted
- Once a day, DooFiles deletes the items, backups and entries that are older than the days you set, and trims the activity log to the number of entries you set.
- Backups per file applies each time a file gets a new backup: DooFiles keeps the newest ones and deletes the rest. Lowering it does not remove extra backups of other files right away. They go when they pass the days you set, or when their file gets a new backup.
- Most activity entries also applies right away when you save a lower number.
DooFiles relies on the scheduled tasks of WordPress, which run when someone visits your site. On a site with few visits, see the cron recommendation in Requirements.
Choose your values
- A busy site with many uploads and changes: keep fewer days in the Trash and fewer backups, to save space. The Space view shows how much they take.
- A site where several people change code: keep more backups per file, and more days of activity, so you can look back further after a problem.
- The activity log: keep it long enough to notice a problem and investigate it. 90 days is a good start.
Every change to these settings is recorded in the activity log, with the value before and after.
Why the minimums
The activity log is the record of who did what. If someone got into an administrator account, lowering these values could be a way to erase their traces. That is why the activity cannot be kept for less than one day or fewer than 5,000 entries, why it is trimmed only once a day and when you save a lower limit, and why every change is recorded.
Settings set by a developer
If a row shows Set by the … filter in the site's code., a developer fixed that value in the code of your site, and it cannot be changed here. See Filters and constants.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Days in the trash: use a whole number from 1 to 365. | Type a whole number within the range shown |
| Old items are not deleted | WordPress runs its scheduled tasks only when someone visits your site. Set up a server cron job. See Requirements |
| I lowered Backups per file, and old backups are still there | They are deleted when they pass the days you set, or when their file gets a new backup |
| An activity entry I needed is gone | It passed the days or the number of entries you keep. Raise them to keep more from now on |
| A row cannot be changed | A developer set it with a filter. The note under the row says which one |
Need more help? Open a support ticket.