Build a Bulk Delete Module

This guide walks you through building a UI module that deletes submission records in bulk. The module handles the two-stage delete process: archiving records first (soft delete), then permanently removing them if needed (hard delete). Creators set the date range in the UI, and the module displays job status after each stage.

Download the example module bundle to use as a starting point. After importing, replace every placeholder before using the module:

BDO Delete is disabled by default. Contact an Unqork representative to enable it for your environment. Hard delete is permanent and cannot be reversed.

Prerequisites

• Creator or Express Administrator access to your workspace.
• The BDO Delete endpoint enabled by an Unqork representative.
• The resource ID of the Data Model or module containing the records to delete.
• Familiarity with the Plug-In, Decisions, and Button components.

Module Overview

Organize the module into three field groups: one for initialization logic, one for the Creator-facing UI, and one for the backend Plug-In component sequence.

The example Property IDs in this guide use a plugin prefix (for example, pluginExport) for clarity. The platform default for Plug-In components is plug — see Property ID Naming Conventions.

How to read settings tables

The tables below describe each configurable option as it shows in the platform. Values are formatted as follows: inline code — a value to type exactly as shown | Bold — a value selected from a drop-down, radio button, tab, or choice chip | ON/OFF — toggle state | ✓ — checkbox checked | ☐ — checkbox unchecked

Set Up the Field Groups

Create three field groups in the module to keep components organized.

Create the Supporting Fields

Add the following fields to fgConfig. These fields carry data between components throughout the delete sequence.

Before You Begin

Unqork recommends exporting a copy of records before running a bulk delete. See Build a Bulk Download Module for those steps.

BDO Delete removes a maximum of 500,000 records per operation. For larger collections, run the operation multiple times.

Configure initOnload

The initOnload Initializer component fires when the module first loads and serves as the module's entry point. It has no outputs and no connections to other components.

1. Add an Initializer component to fgOnLoad.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	initOnload
   Trigger Type	New Submission

Configure btnRefresh

The btnRefresh Button component lets the Creator manually re-check job status. It triggers the pluginGetJobDetails Plug-In component on click, and the ruleCheckStatus Decisions component enables it once a job is running. It starts disabled.

1. Add a Button component to fgUI.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	btnRefresh
   Label	Refresh
   Action	Event
   Initial State	Disabled

3. Under Triggers, set the On Click drop-down to pluginGetJobDetails.

Configure btnDelete

The btnDelete Button component starts the soft-delete sequence. After validation passes, it triggers the pluginDelete Plug-In component.

1. Add a Button component to fgUI after the Refresh button.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	btnDelete
   Label	Delete Records
   Action	Validate
   Theme	Danger

3. Under Triggers, set the On Validation Success drop-down to pluginDelete.

Configure btnHardDelete

The btnHardDelete Button component permanently removes the archived records. It starts disabled and is enabled by the ruleCheckStatus Decisions component only after the soft delete reaches completed. After validation passes, it triggers the pluginHardDelete Plug-In component.

1. Add a Button component to fgUI after btnDelete.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	btnHardDelete
   Label	Permanently Delete
   Action	Validate
   Theme	Danger
   Initial State	Disabled

3. Under Triggers, set the On Validation Success drop-down to pluginHardDelete.

Configure startDate

The startDate Date Input lets the Creator specify the start of the date range. The pluginDelete Plug-In component and the pluginHardDelete Plug-In component read its value as dateFieldStartToFilterOn.

1. Add a Date Input component to fgUI after the buttons.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	startDate
   Label	Start Date (created after)
   Required	ON

Configure endDate

The endDate Date Input lets the Creator specify the end of the date range. The pluginDelete Plug-In component and the pluginHardDelete Plug-In component read its value as dateFieldEndToFilterOn.

1. Add a Date Input component to fgUI after startDate.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	endDate
   Label	End Date (created on/before)
   Required	ON

Configure initError

The initError Initializer component sets the response field to Fail when something goes wrong. Both delete Plug-Ins reference it as their error handler.

1. Add an Initializer component to fgConfig.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	initError
   Trigger Type	Manual

3. Configure the Outputs:

   #	Property ID	Type	Value
   1	response	Value	Fail

Configure pluginDelete

The pluginDelete Plug-In component calls the Delete endpoint to archive records in the selected date range (soft delete). It is triggered by the btnDelete Button component. On success, it triggers the pluginGetJobDetails Plug-In component to begin polling.

1. Add a Plug-In component to fgConfig.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	pluginDelete
   Trigger Type	Manual
   Endpoint URL	https://{environment}.unqork.io/fbu/uapi/bulkOperations/delete
   Method	POST

3. Configure the Inputs:

   #	Property ID	Value
   1	resourceId	'REPLACE_WITH_DATA_MODEL_ID'
   2	name	'Bulk Delete'
   3	dateFieldToFilterOn	'created'
   4	dateFieldStartToFilterOn	startDate
   5	dateFieldEndToFilterOn	endDate

4. Configure the Outputs:

   #	Property ID	Value
   1	jobId	id

5. Under Triggers, set the Post Trigger drop-down to pluginGetJobDetails and the Error Handler drop-down to initError.

To delete records from a previous Export operation instead, set dataSource to 'EXPORT' and include exportOperationId as an additional input. See Bulk Data Operations for all available parameters.

Configure pluginHardDelete

The pluginHardDelete Plug-In component permanently removes all archived records in the same date range. It is triggered by the btnHardDelete Button component after the soft delete completes, and targets only ARCHIVED records to avoid affecting active records.

1. Add a Plug-In component to fgConfig after pluginDelete.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	pluginHardDelete
   Trigger Type	Manual
   Endpoint URL	https://{environment}.unqork.io/fbu/uapi/bulkOperations/delete?destroy=true
   Method	POST

3. Configure the Inputs:

   #	Property ID	Value
   1	resourceId	'REPLACE_WITH_DATA_MODEL_ID'
   2	name	'Bulk Hard Delete'
   3	targetRecordType	'ARCHIVED'
   4	dateFieldToFilterOn	'created'
   5	dateFieldStartToFilterOn	startDate
   6	dateFieldEndToFilterOn	endDate

4. Configure the Outputs:

   #	Property ID	Value
   1	jobId	id

5. Under Triggers, set the Post Trigger drop-down to pluginGetJobDetails and the Error Handler drop-down to initError.

Hard delete is permanent. Unqork cannot recover records after this step completes.

Configure pluginGetJobDetails

The pluginGetJobDetails Plug-In component checks the status of the current delete job. It is triggered by both the pluginDelete Plug-In component and the pluginHardDelete Plug-In component on success, and by the btnRefresh Button component when the Creator clicks it manually. On completion, it triggers the ruleCheckStatus Decisions component.

1. Add a Plug-In component to fgConfig after pluginHardDelete.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	pluginGetJobDetails
   Trigger Type	Manual
   Endpoint URL	https://{environment}.unqork.io/fbu/uapi/bulkOperations/jobs/{{data.jobId}}
   Method

3. Configure the Outputs:

   #	Property ID	Value
   1	status	data.status

4. Under Triggers, set the Post Trigger drop-down to ruleCheckStatus.

All BDO endpoints in this module use the bulkOperations (camelCase, no hyphen).

Configure ruleCheckStatus

The ruleCheckStatus Decisions component reads the job status from the pluginGetJobDetails Plug-In component, triggers a pop-up message, and enables the btnRefresh Button component while a job is running. When the soft delete reaches completed, it also enables the btnHardDelete Button component so the Creator can proceed to the permanent delete.

1. Add a Decisions component to fgConfig after pluginGetJobDetails.

2. Configure the following settings:

   Setting	Value
   Property ID	ruleCheckStatus
   Trigger Type	Manual

3. Configure the Inputs:

   #	Property ID	Alias	Type
   1	jobId	A	Exact
   2	status		Exact

4. Configure the Outputs:

   #	Property ID	Type
   1	btnRefresh	Disabled
   2	btnHardDelete	Disabled
   3	fgUI	Pop Message

5. Add one row per job status in the Decision grid:

   Status	btnRefresh_disabled	btnHardDelete_disabled	fgUI_popMessage
   created	=IF(LEN(A)>0,'no','yes')	yes	Delete started.
   inProgress	=IF(LEN(A)>0,'no','yes')	yes	Delete in progress.
   completed	=IF(LEN(A)>0,'no','yes')	no	Records archived. Click Permanently Delete to remove them, or leave them archived.
   partiallyCompleted	=IF(LEN(A)>0,'no','yes')	yes	Delete partially complete.
   canceled	=IF(LEN(A)>0,'no','yes')	yes	Delete canceled.
   failed	=IF(LEN(A)>0,'no','yes')	yes	Delete failed.

   The formula in the disabled column uses A (the jobId alias). btnHardDelete is set to a literal yes (always disabled) for all rows except completed, where it is set to no.

Test the Module

1. Open the module in Preview.
2. Enter a Start Date and End Date to define the range of records to delete.
3. Click Delete Records to begin the soft delete.
4. Click Refresh until the pop-up message reads Records archived. Click Permanently Delete to remove them, or leave them archived.
5. Open the submission using the platform's submission inspection method. See Debugger for how to access submission data from Express View.
6. Confirm the jobId and status fields contain the expected values.
7. To permanently remove the archived records, click Permanently Delete.
8. Click Refresh again until the pop-up message updates to confirm the hard delete is complete.

Step 7 is irreversible. Only proceed if you are certain the archived records should be permanently removed.