Revisions

  • performance
  • database

Updated

Overview

WordPress saves a revision every time someone updates a post or page, so you can go back to an earlier version. Left alone it keeps every one, and a busy page can collect hundreds. Dirigible Optimize keeps the newest 10 per post. When a post is saved with more than that, WordPress deletes its oldest revisions.

Change the limit, or trim the revisions already stored, on the Revisions card in Optimize Settings.

These used to be Revision limit and Purge revisions in Dirigible → Tools & Maintenance. A limit saved there carries over.

Set the limit

  1. Open Optimize Settings and find Revisions.
  2. Pick one:
    • Default: 10 revisions per post. If the site's wp-config.php sets its own number (WP_POST_REVISIONS), the default is that number instead, and the card says so.
    • Keep up to … revisions per post: type a number. 0 turns revisions off.
    • Keep every revision: no limit.
  3. Click Save revision limit.

A lower limit applies to each post the next time it's saved. To apply it everywhere now, trim the existing revisions (below).

Only Administrators can lower the limit, since it deletes history. Managers can raise it or remove it.

Trim existing revisions

Trim existing revisions now brings every post down to the limit straight away, instead of waiting for each one's next save. Check the box to confirm, then click the button.

  • It runs in the background, so you can leave the page. While the page is open, the card shows its progress and speeds it along. Click Stop trimming to stop; nothing already deleted comes back.
  • Drafts, private and scheduled posts are trimmed too. Posts in the trash are left alone.
  • Autosaves are kept, for every user.
  • With revisions turned off (a limit of 0), it deletes every revision except autosaves.
  • When it's done, the card shows when it finished, how many posts it checked and how many revisions it deleted.

There's no undo. Only Administrators see the button.

Waits for Restore block settings

The Dirigible theme's Restore block settings from revisions repairs damaged pages from their old revisions. Trimming waits until its one-time background run has finished, and the card says so while it waits. Pages that tool still lists for review keep all their revisions, so you can still restore them.

Things to know

  • Deactivating Dirigible Optimize turns the limit off: WordPress then keeps every revision, unless wp-config.php sets a number. Your saved limit is kept for when you reactivate it.
  • A limit saved here overrides WP_POST_REVISIONS in wp-config.php.
  • Another plugin can set its own limit for some post types. Trimming follows whatever limit applies to each post.