macOS “Clean Up Articles” function unclear

[tyeNewton]

EDIT: I returned to add that I’m having a similar experience with the “Refresh to Clear Read Articles” switch in iOS in-app settings.

However, while commenting I realized that these features only apply when using the unread-only filter, which simply updates the filter to hide newly read items.

I’d still suggest an FAQ entry, or even a clearer explanation within the app : )

I also hope that options for actually deleting history from storage are on the roadmap!

ORIGINAL: On macOS, I’ve yet to find a situation in which the Clean Up Articles function (⌘’ / View>Clean Up Articles / optional wind icon in customizable toolbar) does anything. It remains unavailable regardless of whether articles are marked read or unread, and whether I’m viewing a single feed, a folder, or a smart folder.

My guess was that this would entirely remove (from storage) articles marked read, and I wish that was the case since I’d like options to delete history I’m done with.

If I’m simply missing something, maybe this would be a good item for the FAQ. (Thanks for any help!)

[brentsimmons]

NetNewsWire doesn’t retain articles forever — they get marked as read and deleted. Each syncing system defines how long the retention period is. The policy we control is for local and iCloud accounts (it’s 90 days, generally speaking, with some details for edge cases).

[brentsimmons]

The Clean Up Articles command is for when you’re in a feed and the filter is set to show only unread articles. You might read a few articles in that feed, and notice that they’re still listed in the timeline, despite being read.

(The reason for that is that people don’t really want them to disappear the moment they’re marked as read — for one thing, that happens the moment you select an article. It would disappear and you wouldn’t be able to read it!)

So, to remove those read articles, use the Clean Up Articles command.

[tyeNewton]

Thanks Brent! I did figure out the Clean Up Articles command, but I'm really glad you replied because I didn't know about the 90 day iCloud retention window. That's great news. (I DO still think it would be preferable to be able to adjust this. With rich media, and a lot of feeds, 90 days could take up quite a bit of storage!)

Did I miss documentation of either of these anywhere (90 days and Clean Up explanation)? I believe I read the FAQ, so if they're not there, maybe they can be added?

Thanks so much!

[brentsimmons]

NetNewsWire doesn’t store any rich media. Text plus feed icons (and favicons) is it. Any other media (images, videos, etc.) is transient.

[tyeNewton]

I'm learning so much! /hj /g
Thanks again, Brent. I hope the FAQ feedback is at least helpful. Cheers!