Mick2016 is looking to reset their Discourse forum, used for teaching a class, to a blank slate without reinstalling. They want to remove all existing user accounts, delete all posts and uploads, but keep their current settings and plugins. jomaxro shared a link to a related discussion on repurposing a Discourse installation, but Mick2016 is seeking simpler step-by-step instructions. michaeld suggested creating a backup of the customized instance and restoring from it when needed. Mick2016 found this solution acceptable, essentially creating a template to save and restore from.
I have been using Discourse for teaching a class. Is there a way to easily:
Archive a previous class (i.e., the current forum data)
Create a new one without having to reinstall Discourse
I installed Discourse on a computer I own. I could reinstall it but it would be easier for me if there was a way to simply reset the forum, that is:
Remove all existing user accounts
Delete all posts and uploads
I would like to keep the settings and plugs-in I have installed.
For those interested in using Discourse for teaching, it has been great for my class. I use different types of categories to organize the material:
Categories read-only for students to post class material
Classical discussion/Q&A categories for homeworks, etc
For each student, I create a private category open to the students and the instructors only. The student uses it to upload homework. We use it for posting grades and feedback. Homework papers are scanned if they are not given to us in electronic form.
At this point, I am really looking for some step by step instructions to just reset the forum to a blank slate without reinstalling. The post is more a discussion of future features for Discourse. I think my situation is a bit simpler. For example, I am OK with just deleting all users. I was basically thinking of simply deleting files in /var/discourse/shared/standalone, or something along those lines.
Just set up your Discourse instance, do your customizations and create a backup (admin - backups - backup)
Whenever you want to wipe everything and start over again, you simply restore from that backup.