are deleted pm's still in the database ?

[Suiram]

perhaps this has been asked already, but still.

if a regular user deletes their pm's are they gone from the database ?
i think i read that they are still kept in the db and can be read manually by the site owner (or anyone with full access) even after they have been deleted by the user.

if that is the case, why is it so ? is there a setting in admincp to truly delete them ?
i mean surely for huge sites this would fatten the db considerably.

thanks,

[punchbowl]

The are permanently deleted when deleted by the user as far as I know.

[Trevor Hannant]

Yes - just tested this and they are deleted from the db on delete - only reasons they may not be are:

- if the sender has saved a copy
- a modification is stopping the function from working correctly
- there's a corrupted file in your installation

[Mark.B]

The actual text of the PM is stored in a database table called pmtext. By default when a PM is sent it is in the sender's OUTBOX and the recipient's INBOX. If the recipient deletes the PM, the text remains in the pmtext table as long as the sender still has it in their OUTBOX. It will also remain if either party has saved the PM to a custom folder.

Once all parties have deleted their copies of the PM, there is a cron job and the next time that runs, it will delete all entries in the pmtext table that no longer relate to any PMs.

[Lynne]

Very good explanation, Mark!

[bodyresource]

By default when a PM is sent it is in the sender's OUTBOX and the recipient's INBOX.

Just saw this post after a search.

Is it also possible to delete my sent PM's from the recipient's INBOX, so there are no PM's left anymore from my userid ?

[Trevor Hannant]

No. Only Admins can delete other user's PMs

[bodyresource]

Hi Trevor,

Thanks for the reply.
I'm an admin, but i don't want to empty the whole inbox from a user only the PM's sent by me. Is that possible ?

[Lynne]

You can go to admin cp > user > delete all PMs sent by user, but that will delete ALL the PMs you have ever sent. There is no option to only delete PMs sent to a certain user. Also, don't forget that most users have PM notification via email and they will have already gotten a copy of what you wrote and can just save the emails.