# I can't delete a category or topic description

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [8 בספטמבר,‏ 2018,‏ 1:19pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737 "2018-09-08T13:19:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![david](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/david/32/157490_2.png) [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [11 בספטמבר,‏ 2018,‏ 2:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737/21 "2018-09-11T14:31:18Z")

</div>

Ok, try running this in the rails console. What number does it give?

```plaintext
Category.find_by(name: 'Your Category Name').topics.count

```

You can list the topic titles like this:

```plaintext
Category.find_by(name: 'Your Category Name').topics.pluck(:title)
```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Sevosik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/sevosik/32/80703_2.png) [@Sevosik](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Sevosik)
#### Post date: [11 בספטמבר,‏ 2018,‏ 3:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737/22 "2018-09-11T15:48:01Z")

</div>

Okay, that’s what I got:

> [1] pry(main)\> Category.find\_by(name: ‘Discord’).topics.count  
> =\> 1

> [2] pry(main)\> Category.find\_by(name: ‘Discord’).topics.pluck(:title)  
> =\> [“O kategorii Discord”]

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![david](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/david/32/157490_2.png) [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [11 בספטמבר,‏ 2018,‏ 4:19pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737/23 "2018-09-11T16:19:28Z")

</div>

Please can you try these as well:

```ruby
Category.find_by(name: 'Discord').topic_count

```

```ruby
Category.find_by(name: 'Discord').topics.pluck(:id)

```

```ruby
Category.find_by(name: 'Discord').topic_id

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Sevosik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/sevosik/32/80703_2.png) [@Sevosik](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Sevosik)
#### Post date: [11 בספטמבר,‏ 2018,‏ 4:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737/24 "2018-09-11T16:31:13Z")

</div>

> [@david](#):
>
> Category.find\_by(name: ‘Discord’).topic\_id

Here you are:

> [5] pry(main)\> Category.find\_by(name: ‘Discord’).topics.pluck(:id)  
> =\> [17]

> [4] pry(main)\> Category.find\_by(name: ‘Discord’).topic\_id  
> =\> 17

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![david](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/david/32/157490_2.png) [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [11 בספטמבר,‏ 2018,‏ 4:42pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737/25 "2018-09-11T16:42:23Z")

</div>

Those two look ok, what about the first one in my list?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Sevosik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/sevosik/32/80703_2.png) [@Sevosik](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Sevosik)
#### Post date: [11 בספטמבר,‏ 2018,‏ 4:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737/26 "2018-09-11T16:47:28Z")

</div>

I already sent you output of this command in last reply, but anyway:

> [10] pry(main)\> Category.find\_by(name: ‘Discord’).topic\_count  
> =\> 1

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![david](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/david/32/157490_2.png) [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [11 בספטמבר,‏ 2018,‏ 4:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737/27 "2018-09-11T16:54:01Z")

</div>

> [@Sevosik](#):
>
> I already sent you output of this command in last reply

`topics.count` is different to `topic_count` 😉

I think something is going wrong with your `topic_count`. By all the commands you’ve run, I think it should be zero (it is supposed to ignore the category description topic).

So, to reset it, run

```ruby
Category.find_by(name: 'Discord').update(topic_count: 0)

```

Then try deleting the category from the UI again.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Sevosik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/sevosik/32/80703_2.png) [@Sevosik](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Sevosik)
#### Post date: [11 בספטמבר,‏ 2018,‏ 4:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737/28 "2018-09-11T16:59:56Z")

</div>

> [@david](#):
>
> So, to reset it, run
> 
> ```plaintext
> Category.find_by(name: ‘Discord’).update(topic_count: 0)
> 
> ```
> 
> Then try deleting the category from the UI again.

It worked, thank you so much 🎉

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![codinghorror](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/codinghorror/32/110067_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [11 בספטמבר,‏ 2018,‏ 6:01pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-cant-delete-a-category-or-topic-description/96737/31 "2018-09-11T18:01:51Z")

</div>



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