Cannot delete file even though it is not used in any other designs

[tedbradley314]

The file was referenced in one other file so it couldn't be deleted. 

I removed it from that file and saved. 

The fusion web portal confirms it's not used in any other projects. 

I tried deleting the original file. Still can't delete.

I waited 15 minutes then tried again. Still can't delete. 

See video attached. 

Thanks

[g-andresen]

Hi,

take a look at this tutorial  by @jhackney1972 

günther

[tedbradley314]

i appreciate it @g-andresen. 

that's a clever workaround. 

i'd mark that as an accepted solution, except i'd really like to see this bug resolved.

i'd like the software to work intuitively without a 10 step workaround to delete a file.

i believe the fusion team should prioritize "user experience" bugs and actual bugs before working on new features, so we can have a great foundation in the software for the flows we spend 99% of our time using. 

i would estimate that 80-90% of users are affected by this bug, and 100% of daily/weekly users who make up the core of the fusion user base.

i was the product manager for google appscript for 2 years. the VPs always asked for new new new so they could sell more gsuite subscriptions. but if i could do it all over again i would have pushed harder to first prioritize creating a great foundation for the software before working on yet another feature that sounds sexy but isn't valuable unless the core workflows are rock solid. 

@jeff_strater

@RajkumarIlanchelian 

thanks

[jeff_strater]

"i'd really like to see this bug resolved."

Just to be clear:  We do not consider this as a bug.  This is how the versioning system is intended to work.  Consider this workflow:

1. Create design A.  Save as V1
2. Create design B.  Insert design A.  Save as V1
3. Edit design B.  Decide you don't need design A anymore, so you delete the reference to it.  Save as V2
4. Now, as you say, design B no longer reports a reference to design A.  But, that report only applies to the current version of B (V2). Continuing on:
5. You can open design B V1, which does have a reference to design A.
6. Using the command "Save as New Version", you can now create design B V3, which contains a reference to design A. 

If Fusion had allowed design A to be deleted after step 4, your design would now be corrupt.  Preventing that corruption is why we block deleting design A, if any past versions of a referencing design have a reference to it.

What is needed is a "prune versions" command that, in this example, would allow you to tell the data system to delete design B V1 (without deleting the rest of design B).  That enhancement has been requested for a while, but so far, has not been high priority enough to get funded.

[tedbradley314]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for responding. That makes sense. 

• The pruning command sounds ideal but I understand there's a good amount of engineering there.
• Perhaps the following is a cheap intermediate solution that would remove confusion and clarify how the system works.
  • The "used in" table in the online dashboard read says "This item is not referenced by any other designs.". That makes me think I should be able to delete the file. Based on your explanation, the message should read "This item is not referenced by the latest version of other designs, however it may be referenced by earlier versions". 
• Or event better:
  • Have the "used in" table show all of the designs and their versions that do still reference the design, even if they're past versions. 
• I think either of those solutions would clarify for me, as a user, why the delete command is throwing a prompt "A version of this design has been referenced by drawings, other designs, or manufacturing-related files and cannot be deleted."

Thanks,

Ted