Editing and deleting records (and what you can get back)

A complete guide to which ArborSlate records can be edited, which can only be deleted and re-uploaded, and how to recover data you've deleted. You'll learn the two-step delete pattern, what's permanent vs. what you can get back from your export, and which features let you edit records inline.

How to

Edit a gradebook entry

Go to Gradebook and select a student/course.
Find the grade entry you want to change.
Click Edit (appears inline next to the Delete button).
Update the assignment name, type, date, score, or notes.
Click 'Save changes'.

Edit or re-mark attendance

Go to Attendance.
Find the day you want to change.
Click Delete to open the two-step prompt.
Confirm deletion.
Use 'Mark a day' form and enter the same date with the new status (full day, half day, absent, holiday).
Note: When you mark the same date twice, the new entry overwrites the old one. There is no separate 'Edit' button.

Edit or re-log test scores

Go to Test Scores.
Find the test entry you want to change.
Click Delete to open the two-step prompt.
Confirm deletion.
Use '+ Log a test' form and re-enter all test details with your corrections.
Note: Test scores don't have an inline Edit button; delete the old entry and log a new one.

Delete reading log entries

Go to Reading.
Find the book you want to remove.
Click Delete (the first step — this is the ghost Delete button).
A confirmation prompt appears with two buttons.
Click Confirm (red button) to permanently delete.
Click Cancel to back out.

Delete portfolio or document items

Go to Portfolio or Documents.
Find the item you want to remove.
Click Delete (ghost Delete button).
Confirm or cancel in the two-button prompt.
Note: Portfolio and document uploads are delete-only in the UI; there's no way to replace a file without deleting and re-uploading.

Delete a diploma, certificate, verification letter, or student ID

Navigate to the credential: Credentials > Diplomas / Certificates / Verification Letters / Student IDs.
Find the entry in the list.
Click Delete (ghost button).
Confirm in the two-step prompt.
The credential and any PDF are permanently deleted — you cannot undo.

Edit a diploma, certificate, verification letter, or student ID

Navigate to the credential page (Diplomas, Certificates, Verification Letters, or Student IDs).
Find the entry in the list.
Click Edit (appears as a link or button).
Update the fields (student, date, signature, template, recipient info, etc.).
Click 'Save' or 'Generate PDF'.
Changes are saved immediately.

Edit a recommendation letter (draft or finalized)

Go to Credentials > Letters of Recommendation.
Find the letter (status shows 'Draft' or 'Finalized').
Click Edit or Open.
If the letter is Finalized, click 'Unfinalize' to unlock editing.
Modify the AI-drafted text, recipient details, or examples.
Click 'Save' to update (autosaves while drafting), or 'Finalize' to lock it and generate the PDF.
You can always unfinalize a finalized letter to make further changes.

Get back data you've deleted

Go to Settings > Your data (the 'Your data' card).
Click 'Download all my data'.
A ZIP file downloads containing: arborslate-export.json (all your records in structured format) + a 'files' folder with your PDFs and uploaded files.
The JSON includes all students, grades, attendance, test scores, reading logs, portfolio items, documents, credentials, transcripts, and tutor conversations.
Note: This export only includes data that existed when you generated it. Deletions after export are gone.

Options & settings

Settings > Your data: Download all my data (exports a ZIP with JSON + files)
Gradebook > [Student/Course] > Grade row: Edit button (inline, left side) + Delete button → two-step confirm
Attendance page: Rows show Delete button only (no Edit); delete and re-mark the same date to overwrite
Test Scores page: Delete button only (no Edit); delete old entry and log a new test
Reading page: Delete button only (no Edit); delete old entry and add a new book
Portfolio page: Delete button only (no Edit); delete old item and upload a new file
Documents page: Delete button only (no Edit); delete old document and upload a new one
Credentials > Diplomas: Edit link (navigates to edit page) + Delete button on list
Credentials > Certificates: Edit link + Delete button (similar pattern to diplomas)
Credentials > Verification Letters: Edit link + Delete button
Credentials > Student IDs: Edit link + Delete button; generate a new one if you need changes
Credentials > Letters of Recommendation: Edit/Open link + Delete button; edit works before and after finalization (may need to unfinalize first)

Common questions

If I delete a grade, can I get it back?

Only if you exported your data before deleting it. Grades are hard-deleted from the database with no undo button. If you have a backup export (ZIP), you can reference the grade details in the JSON. To recover an accidentally deleted grade, re-enter it manually. We log all deletions in the audit trail, but that's for our debugging — you don't have access to it.

What's the difference between Delete and Edit?

Edit lets you update a record in place (change the score, date, name, etc.). Delete removes it permanently. Some features (like gradebook and credentials) have both buttons. Others (like test scores and reading log) are delete-and-re-add only — there's no Edit button.

Why is attendance delete-and-re-mark instead of Edit?

Attendance is stored one entry per day per student. When you mark the same date and pick a new status, it automatically overwrites the old entry (this is called an 'upsert'). So there's no separate Edit UI — just delete the day you want to change, then mark it again with the new status.

What happens when I delete a diploma or other credential? Is the PDF gone forever?

Yes. The PDF is deleted from storage and the record is removed from your account. You cannot undo this. If you need to keep a copy, export your data first or download the PDF before deleting.

Can I undo a deletion I just did?

No. Once you click 'Confirm' on the two-step delete prompt, the record is permanently deleted. There is no Undo button in ArborSlate. If you deleted by accident, your only option is to re-enter the data or restore from an exported backup.

Where is the Undo button?

ArborSlate does not have a global Undo button. Deletions are final and intentional. The two-step delete pattern (ghost Delete button → Confirm/Cancel prompt) is designed to prevent accidental loss, but once Confirm is clicked, the action cannot be reversed.

How often should I export my data for backup?

Export whenever you want a snapshot you can restore from. There's no automatic backup, so if data loss is a concern, export monthly or after major changes (adding students, grades, credentials, etc.). The export includes everything: students, grades, attendance, reading logs, test scores, portfolios, documents, all credentials, and tutor conversations.

Can I edit a recommendation letter after I finalize it?

To make changes after finalizing, you need to click 'Unfinalize' first. Once unfinaliz, the letter is editable again. You can finalize and unfinalize as many times as you need before sending.

Good to know

Test scores and reading log have no Edit button — you must delete and re-add to make changes.
Attendance doesn't have a separate Edit UI; marking the same date overwrites (upsert behavior), so there's no two-step confirm on re-marking.
Deleting a file (portfolio item, document, or PDF credential) also deletes the file from Supabase Storage — it's not in your export if the deletion happened after you last exported.
Portfolio and document uploads are delete-only in the UI; there's no way to replace a file without deleting and re-uploading.
The audit trail (who deleted what, when) is not visible in the app — it's logged server-side for support only.
Exporting is a manual action; there is no automatic backup, so if data loss matters to you, export regularly.
Recommendation letters are editable, but once finalized, you must click 'Unfinalize' before you can edit again.
If you accidentally delete and realize it later, re-entering the data is your only app-based recovery — exports only help if you grabbed a backup before the deletion.

Plans

Edit vs. delete patterns: The app has two distinct data-handling philosophies. *Transactional records* (grades, attendance, tests, reading, portfolio) are often delete-only or delete-and-replace, because they represent a single point-in-time event or upload. *Credentials* (diplomas, certs, verification letters, student IDs, recommendation letters) are documents you craft over time, so they support edit-and-save workflows. Attendance is special: It uses 'upsert' logic — marking the same date overwrites the old entry automatically. No separate Edit button is needed. Permanent deletions: There is no trash, no soft-delete, no audit-UI for recovery. All deletions are hard-deletes to the database and (for files) to Supabase Storage. The audit_log table records who deleted what and when, but this is internal only — you won't see it in the UI. Recovery via export: The only way to recover deleted data is via a pre-deletion export (Settings > Your data). Export frequently if backup is important to you. Two-step delete UX: Every delete goes Delete (ghost button) → Confirm/Cancel (red + gray buttons). This is intentional friction to prevent accidental loss. Finalized recommendation letters: Once finalized, you must click 'Unfinalize' before editing. After unfinalizing, you can edit freely and finalize again.