• Registered: 2024-10-01
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Topic: Deleting pages

I wish to delete a page. I see this is catered for under 'Pages'. But this presumably just deletes the page from the WP file on your local computer. How do you delete it on the remote ISP server? This doesn't appear to be covered by the WP help pages.

If the answer is 'just republish the site' I have a problem - because I have moved some pictures on my PC, so I can't do that - I only ever 'Quick Publish' the single page I am working on. And in any case it is quite a large site.

I could go into the ISP server and delete the page there - but what about the Site Map and 'Manifest'?

Wolstan Dixie's Website

  • Ali
  • Ali
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Re: Deleting pages

You can't have your cake and eat it!

The correct procedure is to delete the page and then do a full republishing of the site, which will get rid of all the HTML and assets associated with the deleted page. As it stands, I think you are in an impossible position unless you relink your images so that you can do a whole site republish.

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  • Registered: 2024-10-01
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Re: Deleting pages

Sigh!

Well I suppose I could reduce the page to nothing but its name - no text - no images - no hyperlinks - nothing, and Quicksave that.

I was hoping someone would say that it's not that difficult to delete it on the server?

Wolstan Dixie's Website

  • Alfred
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Re: Deleting pages

Ali wrote:

You can't have your cake and eat it!

What she said! Publishing a large site in its entirety may take quite a while, but manually publishing a single page and moving things around to suit is an error-prone task which may involve a lot of effort and may not actually save you a significant amount of time, if any.

“Welcome to the present moment. Here. Now. The only moment there ever is.”
― Eckhart Tolle

5 Reply by Ali (edited by Ali 2026-02-28 10:08:28)

  • Ali
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Re: Deleting pages

Wolstan Dixie wrote:

I was hoping someone would say that it's not that difficult to delete it on the server?

It is very easy to delete a page on the server - you just select it and hit delete. But it's just that - a deletion. There's nothing smart about it - your links, etc. on other pages won't change, so you'll have dead links all over the place.

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  • Registered: 2024-10-01
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Re: Deleting pages

The page doesn't have any links - it's just standalone simple text. I can update the single link to it.

But doesn't the server maintain all sorts of indices and the Site Map, and mine says 'Updating Manifest' (whatever that is) after I have FTP'd the page?

Wolstan Dixie's Website

7 Reply by Ali (edited by Ali 2026-02-28 11:04:10)

  • Ali
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Re: Deleting pages

Your problem will be whatever else you've asked WP to do as part of your publish operation.

If you delete the page on the server, only that page (page.html) will be deleted. Any assets associated with it would need to be deleted manually. The sitemap.xml file will not be updated - you'd have to do that manually, too. There are so many possible variables that we cannot possibly tell you every possible gotcha that you might face - sorry.

In short, it's a bad idea. Do it at your peril.

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  • Alan
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Re: Deleting pages

Wolstan Dixie wrote:

because I have moved some pictures on my PC, so I can't do that - I only ever 'Quick Publish' the single page I am working on. And in any case it is quite a large site.

Do you not embed the images in your site?

  • Alfred
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Re: Deleting pages

Wolstan Dixie wrote:

The page doesn't have any links - it's just standalone simple text. I can update the single link to it.

But doesn't the server maintain all sorts of indices and the Site Map, and mine says 'Updating Manifest' (whatever that is) after I have FTP'd the page?

The ‘Updating Manifest’ message doesn’t come from the server, it comes from WebPlus. The site manifest (WebPlusDb.txt) is the file that the program relies upon when you ask it to do an incremental update, so without that file you can only do a full upload.

“Welcome to the present moment. Here. Now. The only moment there ever is.”
― Eckhart Tolle
  • Registered: 2024-10-01
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Re: Deleting pages

OK - thanks for info on 'Manifest'

Ah - now this gets interesting - can you explain embedding images vs not please. Generally I do not, I presumed this saved space on the server? Perhaps not?

Thanks.

Wolstan Dixie's Website

  • Alfred
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Re: Deleting pages

Embedding images doesn’t affect the amount of server space used, it simply includes the image data as part of the *.wpp project file so that you don’t have to concern yourself with retaining the availability of the images as external resources. If the images are linked, the project file will be smaller but its connection with the images will be broken if you delete, move, or rename the linked files.

“Welcome to the present moment. Here. Now. The only moment there ever is.”
― Eckhart Tolle