Cant delete File

[Anonymous]

I want to delete a file but I can't. The program (Fusion 360) tells me, that the projekt is in usage (in another project or drawing) but it isn't. 
I also looked at A360 online. There is no reference or drawing shown. And I can't delete it from A360 too.

How can I delete this now?

[James.Youmatz · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous,

Welcome to the Fusion 360 Community!

I know sometimes this can be tricky - especially if there were once references or drawings in your version history. Do you know how many versions your design has? Also, can you invite me to your project so I can explore this as well and try to see if I can successfully delete the file. My email for the invite is james.youmatz@autodesk.com.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

Hi,
thank you very much.
It could be, that a previous version of it was linked to another one.
But now it's not.. and I dont really know in which project it was because it should be in a previous version of the other project.

And now I found a way to see it. At the Browser i can also see previous versions and then i can see where this is used.

thank you for your advice 🙂

[Anonymous]

You found a way to see what past versions of a design were linked / referenced to which designs? Please share? I can see the past versions, but I can't see where it says to what other designs/files they are linked to (so I can go clean those up). I ceratinly don't want to promote 20 past versions in order to figure out whom is linked to whom. The browser really gets confusing and cluttered with these files you want to delete but can't figure out how to.

[James.Youmatz]

Hi @Anonymous,

If you click the "i" button next to the model thumbnail in the Data Panel, you can expand this to see versions (as you saw). There also should be a hyperlink that says "Open Details on Web". If you click this, it will take you to A360 where you can view your design. In A360 they also have a tab where it will show you what the model is used in, what's used in the model, as well as any drawings associated with it.

Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the reply James.  Unfortunately that doesn't help.     Maybe this will help?  (Sorry for squished video)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/955680/issue.mp4

TomKyler

[James.Youmatz]

Hi @Anonymous,

Not a problem, glad to help!

Off of the top of my head, the only other thing I can think of is that a past version of the model has a linked design in it. Can you either scroll through the versions quickly via A360 (the web page) and check those Uses, Used in, Drawings tab or invite me to the project (james.youmatz@autodesk.com) so I can take a deeper peek? 

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

That did occur to me and indeed it is in 9 previous versions of another assembly.   Now given the "theory" of version history though....I can see how these references should never go away of course as a part insertion "in a past revision"  needs to be kept track of in order to preserve the integrity of the history should that old version need to be promoted.   

Now lots of users, including myself save judiciously after every few operations, as a matter of not losing work.....but in the current version schema, this creates lots and lots of versions; however, versions in this context is not the same as "milestones" you'd might want to save as a version in the context of a unique configuration.  

For example, in SVN / Git version control systems...a SAVE is different from a PUSH or COMMIT.   You can save your work many times, but then choose when to commit to a "controlled version" for later referencing.  Perhaps the same concept implemented here would be nice.  I would save 100 times in a day as I work, but only push the final version at the end of the day as a "configuration" I want to save and may promote int he future"....whereas adding a fillet and saving is not necessarily a feature I want to 'save as a version'.   This puts the onus on the user to determine how much work to "save as a version" vs. how much they're willing to go back and redo should something bad happen (power outage) while they're working.

For today though, I see this as a "best practices" issue on my end.   I'll just create a folder to hold "deleted versioned parts"  and keep moving while you guys ponder "version theory" 🙂  Thanks again for your input!

TomK

[CasettaMichael]

I am not able to delete any files.  I've been just placing them in a bad files folder. I now am thinking of moving to a new company and would love to clean up my folders. Perhaps someone could explain why folders like this https://a360.co/2qukwMU will not delete. It is the most maddening of all the bad folders. - thanks for your time in advance 

[DirtWolf]

I am having this issue also. I'm migrating files from one account to the other and when I download assemblies from the web with linked components it downloads as an f3z file and uploads just fine. Of course it contains, and re-links the linked files, but when I go into the assembly & unlink or even delete the linked components altogether Fusion still thinks the links are there. quitting fusion and restarting does not solve the issue either. does the file still link back to the other account somehow and is still picking up the link from there? the info panel in the "assembly" files sho no links or uses and the supposedly linked files reveal the same. Where are these phantom links coming from?!?!

[lichtzeichenanlage]

They still exists in older versions. Because Fsuion 360 allows you to roll back to older versions it has to maintain those links, too. You have to delete the assembly first. 

[CasettaMichael]

There is no information in the file. All files will not delete. example jpg files will not delete.  

[lichtzeichenanlage]

As long as the file that does contain the linked design (test in my example) is not deleted you can't delete the inserted design (part in my example).

My example is basic and shows that even if you break the linke it doesn't matter because older versions of the file do still contain the link. Because Fusion 360 enables you to role back to this versions it has to protect the linked design. 

BTW: You have to close the tabs, too.

[CasettaMichael]

in my example of the jpeg not being able to be deleted. a jpeg is not linked to anything and still will not delete 

[DirtWolf]

so there's no solution.

[lichtzeichenanlage]

That are two different problems. For your linked designs start deleting the assemblies and than the parts. For the JPG I don't know. Any error message?

You can delete the hole project by archiving it and than deleting the archived version - but that's radical, isn't it?

[DirtWolf]

I don't know anything about a jpg. that might have been the OP. 

But I need the assembly. if I delete it then I don't have the one file I want in the folder! Unless I can somehow export it without the links I don't see how I'll ever be able to get rid of the linked files. because when I break the links in the original file (V1) I have to save it, thereby creating a new version (V2), leaving V1 that the various parts & components are permalinked to with no ability to break! 

soooo  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[CasettaMichael]

OP? what do you mean by OP?

[DirtWolf]

The Original Poster; @Anonymous

[DirtWolf]

well anyway, I found a workaround of sorts. 

The problem was that I was trying to streamline my workflow (silly idea I know) by exporting from the original account in the browser and then importing the files into the new account in the fusion360 app.

The solution it turns out, is to log into the old account in app, navigate to files I wanted to export, open files, break the links, export to folder, log out of old account, log in to new account in app, create and/or navigate to desired import folder, upload files. 

repeat.

hope this helps someone.