Want the ability to delete Call number prefix and suffix attached to deleted call number records

[Dale Rigney]

Staff have the ability to delete call number prefix/suffix records that are not being used by going to the Administration -> Server Administration -> Call Number Prefixes/Suffuxes screen. The issue is that the delete request is blocked when prefix/suffix are being used on call number records that are marked deleted. Staff does not have the abilityto remove prefixes/suffixes from deleted call numbers which causes unused prefixes/suffixes to remain. This whishlist request would allow the delete of \call number prefixes/suffix if they are only used on deleted call number records.

[John Amundson (jamundson)]

I think this would be a great behavior change! It can be quite annoying when attempting to delete affixes only attached to deleted call number.

[Galen Charlton (gmc)]

One way to do it would be to add a deleted column to asset.call_number_suffix and asset.call_number_prefix so that they can be logically deleted (presumably only when all call numbers that use them are also logically deleted). The affixes with IDs -1 presumably should never be deletable.

Another approach, albeit an more invasive one, would be to change asset.call_number.prefix and .suffix to be nullable and change the foreign key constraint to ON CASCADE SET NULL. Two problem with that, however:

- you would have to be quite sure that you never want to include historical call number affix values in reports that may draw on deleted items
- there's likely a fair amount of code that would have to be checked if those two columns became nullable

[Beth Willis (willis-a)]

This change would be very helpful! I would vote for the first option -- adding a "deleted" column to both tables and retaining the historical data.