I have two smart rules ‘Create versions’ and ‘Remove obsolete versions’, which I don’t understand, but they seem to act anyway.
If you look at the screenshot, you can see there are files in the smart rule ‘create versions’ and ‘remove obsolete versions’ that seems to equal my total amount of files I have (see smart group history).
I did a test and when I add a file to a database, automatically ‘create versions’ adds the file too.
Are these a kind of duplicates that I may delete? Can I simply delete (right click and ‘remove’) these smart rules altogether? Like I said, I don’t really understand what they’re doing and it seems I do not need to use them, but I want to be sure not to delete my files itself (when removing the smart rule) or in any way cause damage to my databases.
Thank you very much!
Why would deleting a smart rule “damage” your database?
No, they are not. The number simply refers to the files on which “Create versions” and “Remove obsolete versions” would work if they were to be executed. A smart rule does not “contain” records. It is built to work on certain records if/when certain conditions are met.
But all that is explained in the documentation, so I suggest you head over to it and read up on smart rules.
These two simply manage kind of a very simplistic versioning system. If you don’t need it, remove the rules. Or leave them where they are so that you can profit from them if/when you understand and need them.
Unrelated: Why does a smart group match your whole database? Do you really use it or did you only create it to show the size of your database here?
I was worrying that the files made in ‘create versions’ where automaticallly made duplicates or copies that in the end would slow down things.
But thanks to your reply I understand they are not. I will try to remember smart rules doesn’t contain records.
About your question, I really don’t know why this smart group match my whole database - I am even not sure it does. I only noticed this afternoon that this smart group ‘history’ matched exactly the numbers of create versions and remove obsolete versions. That’s why I thought they were some kind of copies or duplicate versions. I’m am not using this smart group or these smart rules, or at least not in a conscious way.
So since these rules only will act upon applying, which I will carefully avoid doing :-), I can simply let these smart rules where they are and don’t further bother about them?
I’m a daily, but also very basic user of DT3. I’ll have my databases in which I can work, and thanks to Bluefrog have also learned the discipline of emptying my trash regularly, use the verify and repair to keep things tidy and make backups now and then, but that’s about it. In terms of using a car: I know how to push the button and drive, but not how a car actually works of functions, let alone to repair… So thanks again for clarifying!
Those can be useful and hard to recreate if you just delete them. As @chrillek says just right click on one and ‘disable actions’.
I sometimes keep a smart rule I have made but don’t really use by setting the ‘search in’ box to a database or sub folder I don’t hardly use, that is very idiosyncratic though and I am not suggesting it as a strategy.
