How deleting works in FTP by Zaweba
In FTP by Zaweba local deletes go to the Recycle Bin and server deletes can go to a trash. Delete Permanently is there too, with firm warnings.
Deleting is the one thing in most FTP clients that cannot be taken back. A file removed from the server is simply gone, and if you picked the wrong folder you find out when the site breaks. FTP by Zaweba treats delete differently, with a safety net on both sides and a clearly separate route for when you really do want something gone for good.
On your PC: the Recycle Bin
Deleting a local file in the app sends it to the Windows Recycle Bin, the same as deleting it in Explorer. If you change your mind, restore it from there in the usual way.
On the server: a trash of its own
Server deletes can go to a server-side trash instead of disappearing. The Trash window lists what is in it, with each item's original location, size and when it was deleted, and Restore ticked puts items back exactly where they were. That makes tidying a server much less nerve-racking. You can clear out old files with the confidence that a mistake costs a minute, not a rebuild.
Batch confirmations
When you delete several items on the server, the app asks first in a batch confirmation. It lists what is about to happen, and it can offer to download a backup first. If any of the items are protected paths (files such as .htaccess or wp-config.php that break a site when removed), they are listed as left out, so you can see they will not be touched.
Delete Permanently
Sometimes you do want a file gone for good: a backup archive that should never have been on the server, say, or a large file you are sure about. Delete Permanently, with Shift+Del or from the right-click menu, skips both the Recycle Bin and the server trash. It warns you first that it cannot be undone.
On the server, that warning is a red batch confirmation, and when folders are included you type the number of files before it will go ahead. That number is a deliberate pause. It makes you look at how much is involved, and a folder you thought held a few files but actually holds thousands will stop you in your tracks.
The thinking behind it
Most delete mistakes are not foolish. They come from a moment of confusion between two similar folders, a selection that included one more item than intended, or a pane showing the server when you thought it showed your PC. Asking people to be more careful does not prevent those. A trash does, because it changes what a mistake costs.
The same idea runs through the rest of FTP by Zaweba. Overwritten files go into a local version history. Get Newer and Sync show a list before anything moves. The Disk view keeps an operations log where renames, moves, trashing and permission changes can be undone as a batch. Delete with a trash is one more piece of that.
Good habits
Use the normal delete for everyday tidying and let the trash catch your mistakes. Take the backup the batch confirmation offers when you are deleting something you do not fully understand. Save Delete Permanently for when you have a clear reason, and read the count it asks for before you type it.
Remember that the server trash still takes space on your hosting account until it is emptied. Once you are sure about what is in it, open the Trash window and delete ticked items permanently to get that space back. That step asks you to type the number of files too, and can download a backup first.
The aim is not to make deleting slow. It is to make the everyday kind safe and the permanent kind deliberate, so you can keep a site tidy without the worry.
