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Archive & Delete

The platform supports both soft-delete (archive) and hard-delete (permanent deletion) for guilds and characters, with smart business rules to prevent accidental data loss.

Overview​

Two types of deletion are available:

  • Archive (Soft Delete): Hides the entity from lists but preserves all data. Can be restored later.
  • Delete (Hard Delete): Permanently removes the entity and all related data. Cannot be undone.

Business Rules​

Guilds​

Who can archive/delete:

  • Guild Master (WoW rank 0)
  • Officers with canManageGuild permission
  • Standalone guild creators

Archive:

  • ✅ Available for all guilds
  • Sets active = false and archivedAt = timestamp
  • Excluded from default guild list
  • All data preserved
  • Can be restored by authorized users

Hard Delete:

  • ⚠️ Only available for standalone guilds
  • Blizzard-synced guilds cannot be permanently deleted
  • Removes guild and CASCADE deletes:
    • All roles
    • All memberships
    • All events
    • All participation records
    • Role assignment history

Characters​

Who can archive/delete:

  • Character owner only (verified by userId)

Archive:

  • ✅ Available for all characters
  • Sets active = false
  • Excluded from default character list
  • Can be restored by owner

Hard Delete:

  • ⚠️ Only available for manual characters
  • Blizzard-synced characters cannot be permanently deleted
  • Removes character and CASCADE deletes:
    • All memberships
    • Related guild member records (if linked)

API Endpoints​

Guilds​

# Archive a guild (soft delete)
PATCH /api/v1/guilds/:guildId/archive
Authorization: Bearer <token>
Requires: Action.Delete on Guild

# Restore an archived guild
PATCH /api/v1/guilds/:guildId/restore
Authorization: Bearer <token>
Requires: Action.Update on Guild

# Permanently delete a guild
DELETE /api/v1/guilds/:guildId
Authorization: Bearer <token>
Requires: Action.Delete on Guild
Note: Only standalone guilds

# List guilds (with optional archived)
GET /api/v1/guilds?includeArchived=true

Characters​

# Archive a character (soft delete)
PATCH /api/v1/characters/:characterId/archive
Authorization: Bearer <token>

# Restore an archived character
PATCH /api/v1/characters/:characterId/restore
Authorization: Bearer <token>

# Permanently delete a character
DELETE /api/v1/characters/:characterId
Authorization: Bearer <token>
Note: Only manual characters

# List characters (with optional archived)
GET /api/v1/characters?includeInactive=true

Frontend UI​

Guild List (Home Page)​

Show Archived Toggle:

  • Switch to include archived guilds in the list
  • Preference persisted in localStorage (guilds:showArchived)
  • Shows count of archived guilds
  • Archived guilds displayed with:
    • Reduced opacity (60%)
    • "Archived" chip badge
    • Click to view (read-only)

Guild Settings​

Danger Zone (Active Guilds):

  • Archive button (warning color)
  • Delete button (danger color, standalone only)
  • Both require confirmation dialog

Archived Notice:

  • Prominent warning banner
  • "Restore Guild" button
  • Delete option still available

Character List​

Character Card Actions:

  • Dropdown menu (⋮) on each card
  • Active characters:
    • Archive option
    • Delete option (manual only)
  • Archived characters:
    • Restore option

Show Inactive Toggle:

  • Similar to guild list
  • Includes archived characters when enabled

Confirmation Dialogs​

All destructive actions require confirmation with clear messaging:

Archive (Warning):

  • Yellow theme
  • "You can restore it later"
  • Action: Archive

Restore (Primary):

  • Blue theme
  • "Make it active again"
  • Action: Restore

Delete (Danger):

  • Red theme
  • "This action cannot be undone"
  • Strong warning about data loss
  • Action: Delete Permanently

Cache Invalidation​

Frontend​

Invalidates all related queries:

queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['guilds'] });

Clears:

  • Guild list (active)
  • Guild list (with archived)
  • Archived count query
  • Individual guild details

Backend​

Redis cache patterns cleared:

http:${userId}:/api/v1/guilds
http:${userId}:/api/v1/guilds?*
http:guest:/api/v1/guilds
http:guest:/api/v1/guilds?*

Database Schema​

Guild​

model Guild {
  // ... other fields
  active      Boolean   @default(true)
  archivedAt  DateTime? @map("archived_at")

  @@index([active])
}

Character​

model Character {
  // ... other fields
  active Boolean @default(true) // false = archived/inactive

  @@index([active])
}

Implementation Notes​

Why Two Types?​

Soft Delete (Archive):

  • Preserves data integrity
  • Maintains relationships
  • Allows restoration
  • Audit trail preserved
  • Safe for Blizzard-synced data

Hard Delete:

  • True data removal
  • User privacy (GDPR)
  • Clean up test data
  • Only for user-created data

Sync Source Protection​

The platform prevents permanent deletion of synced data because:

  • May be re-synced from external source
  • Could cause sync conflicts
  • User doesn't "own" the data
  • External source is authoritative

Permission Model​

Uses CASL for authorization:

// Guild Master - full control
if (wowRank === 0) {
  can(Action.Manage, 'all');
}

// Officers with guild management
if (permissions.canManageGuild) {
  can([Action.Update, Action.Delete], 'Guild', { id: guildId });
}

Best Practices​

For Users​

  1. Archive first - Try archiving before permanent deletion
  2. Export data - Back up important information before deleting
  3. Verify ownership - Only delete content you created manually
  4. Confirm carefully - Read confirmation messages thoroughly

For Developers​

  1. Always soft-delete first - Default to archiving
  2. Verify sync source - Block hard delete for synced entities
  3. Clear all caches - Frontend + backend invalidation
  4. Use transactions - For operations with multiple steps
  5. Log deletions - Maintain audit trail for compliance

Testing​

Manual testing checklist:

Guilds:

  • Archive standalone guild
  • Restore archived guild
  • Delete standalone guild (permanent)
  • Try to delete synced guild (should fail)
  • Verify permissions (only authorized users)
  • Check cache invalidation
  • Verify Show Archived toggle

Characters:

  • Archive manual character
  • Restore archived character
  • Delete manual character (permanent)
  • Try to delete synced character (should fail)
  • Verify ownership check
  • Check Show Inactive toggle

Future Enhancements​

Potential improvements:

  • Bulk archive/restore operations
  • Scheduled auto-archive for inactive guilds
  • Trash/recycle bin with 30-day retention
  • Export archived data before deletion
  • Admin panel for managing archived content
  • Metrics on archived vs active content