Delete Your Own Topic or Message Safely
Ordinary QCLF Delete is a soft-delete workflow. Authors can remove their own content only when the Category ACL allows it; moderators have broader moderation authority and can restore or permanently purge content under separate permissions.
Soft deletion changes visibility first. It is not immediate database erasure.
Delete Your Own Topic
A signed-in Topic author needs Category action delete.own_topic. QCLF also refuses author deletion when the Topic already contains permanent Messages; a moderator must handle that case.
On an allowed delete, QCLF records deleted_at and deleted_by. The normal Topic loader excludes the Topic immediately.
Delete Your Own Message
A signed-in Message author needs delete.own_reply. QCLF marks the Message deleted and records deletion metadata. In the Topic history, deleted Messages can remain as chronological placeholders showing that the Message was deleted instead of exposing the original body.
Moderator Recovery
Authorized moderators can restore a deleted Topic or Message through the moderation workflow. A restored item returns to normal visibility subject to its current Category/Topic access and state.
Because ordinary Delete is reversible during retention, do not describe it to members as guaranteed immediate physical erasure.
Permanent Topic Purge
Deleted Topics are eligible for the current 7-day retention purge from the Cleanup task, and appropriately authorized moderators can also purge manually. Permanent Topic purge removes Topic/reply rows plus associated revisions, attachments, reactions, mentions, poll data, live/media history, notifications, subscriptions, read state, and Topic drafts in a transaction.
Safety Notes
- Deleting a Message does not delete the entire Topic.
- An author cannot delete a Topic with Messages simply to erase other members’ replies.
- Attachment download checks follow parent visibility, so soft-deleted parent content no longer exposes its attachments through the normal route.
Community Discussion
Want to compare forum workflows, share practical QCLF tips, or discuss how other Joomla site owners use this feature? Visit the QC Live Forum Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific entitlement problems, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.