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Trash

How Trash Works

When you delete (trash) content in Verkilo:

  1. The item is soft deleted—marked as trashed but not removed
  2. It disappears from normal views
  3. It moves to the Archives/Trash area
  4. It can be restored at any time
  5. It stays there until you permanently delete it

This gives you a safety net against accidental deletion.

Trashing Items

Sections

To trash a section:

  1. Right-click the section in the binder
  2. Select Trash
  3. The section disappears from the binder

Or select a section and press Delete (if enabled in settings).

Books

To trash a book:

  1. Go to the Books view (Cmd/Ctrl+1)
  2. Right-click the book
  3. Select Trash
  4. Confirm if prompted

Trashing a book also trashes all its sections.

Characters and Locations

To trash a character or location:

  1. Open Characters (Cmd/Ctrl+3) or Locations (Cmd/Ctrl+4)
  2. Right-click the item
  3. Select Trash

Viewing Trashed Items

Accessing the Trash

  1. Go to Archives (Cmd/Ctrl+5)
  2. Select the Trash tab or filter
  3. View all trashed items organized by type

Trash Contents

The trash view shows:
- Sections - Individual trashed sections
- Books - Trashed books (with their sections)
- Characters - Trashed characters
- Locations - Trashed locations

Each item shows:
- Name/title
- Type
- Date trashed
- Original location (for sections)

Restoring Items

Restoring a Single Item

  1. Open the Trash view
  2. Find the item you want to restore
  3. Click Restore or right-click > Restore
  4. The item returns to its original location

Restoring a Book

When you restore a trashed book:
- The book is restored to the Books view
- All its sections are also restored
- Associations (characters, locations) are preserved

Restoration Behavior

Item Type Restored To
Section Original position in binder (or end if position taken)
Book Books list
Character Characters list
Location Locations list

Permanent Deletion

Permanent deletion removes items completely. This action cannot be undone.

Deleting Individual Items

  1. Open the Trash view
  2. Find the item to permanently delete
  3. Right-click and select Delete Permanently
  4. Confirm the deletion

Empty Trash

Delete all trashed items at once:

  1. Open the Trash view
  2. Click Empty Trash in the toolbar
  3. Review the warning listing items to be deleted
  4. Confirm to permanently delete all items

What Gets Deleted

Permanent deletion removes:
- The item record from the database
- Associated metadata
- Version history for that item

It does not delete:
- Referenced attachments (images) still used elsewhere
- Associated characters/locations (they're separate records)

Storage Considerations

Database Size

Trashed items still occupy database space until permanently deleted. If your project file is large:

  1. Review the trash for items you don't need
  2. Permanently delete unnecessary items
  3. Run database optimization (see Project Settings)

Trash vs. Version History

Feature Purpose Retention
Trash Recover deleted items Until you empty trash
Version History Recover previous content versions Snapshots you create

Use both for comprehensive data safety.

Best Practices

Regular Cleanup

  1. Review monthly - Check trash for items you definitely don't need
  2. Keep recent deletions - Don't empty trash immediately after deleting
  3. Empty before major exports - Reduce clutter and database size

Before Permanent Deletion

Ask yourself:
- Could this content be useful later?
- Have I extracted any research or notes?
- Would restoring be difficult to recreate?

When in doubt, leave items in trash. Storage is cheap; lost work isn't recoverable.

Accidental Deletion Recovery

If you accidentally trash something:

  1. Don't panic - It's in the trash
  2. Go to Archives - Find the Trash view
  3. Restore immediately - Return it to its place
  4. Check associations - Verify characters/locations are still linked

Trash and Export

Trashed items are never included in exports:
- EPUB, PDF, DOCX exports exclude trashed sections
- Trashed books don't appear in export options
- This is intentional—trash means not part of the book

If content is missing from an export, check if it was accidentally trashed.

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