ListSiteMap shows deleted pages

I’ve just filed bug number 426 on the subject.

If you have a problem with ListSiteMap showing pages you have deleted, just unpublish them. That will make them disappear from ListSiteMaps generated list.

As most users will probably think that deleting a page will make it go away, this is pretty bad. A look in the database shows that all that has happened is that a "1" is inserted in the column "deleted". This is of course very clever, as it allows for "undeleting", but it is also counter intuitive, and a possible security flaw. A document that contains sensitive information that was appropriate at the time of publishing, and then for some reason becomes less appropriate, doesn’t disappear. It is easy to imagine dire consequences if this happens on a server originally intended for an intranet, later to be re-serviced for an extranet or the public.

It is also a security risk in the sense that even the previous existence of a document can be dangerous, especially if the title or description contains sensitive information that is not to be made public.

There really ought to be a way to permanently erase a page from the database, content and all. The "move to Trash" and "empty Trash" metaphor comes to mind as a viable alternative to the way things are implemented now.

That is exactly what happens, a "deleted" document is marked as you mentioned, and you can then "empty" the trash icon in the menu at the top of the Document Tree, or "undelete" the document if you change your mind. This should be fairly clear from the fact that initially "deleting" a document leaves it in the Tree with a line through it.

I guess my .sig should read "Because I can’t"...

I really didn’t notice the Trash symbol: it’s so small I can’t make out what it’s supposed to look like. There’s too much detail in a too small icon. It’s also not in the place where I would have suspected it to be. A more conventional placement, i.e. at the bottom of the page list, or at least a more prominent icon, would be nice.

I’m (usually) pretty good at these things, and if I missed the Trash, you can bet others will too.

Anyhow, I still think it’s a bad thing that ListSiteMap shows pages that have been deleted but not purged. If deletion of a page also results in automatic unpublishing, the matter would be resolved. I guess that means that it isn’t really a bug in ListSiteMap, but a flaw in the manager section. Although it stands to reason that ListSiteMap should check the page status before showing it in the list.