The Content Engine APIs provide hold-related classes for preventing deletion of documents, folders, annotations, or custom objects. Holds are an ad hoc feature that can be applied and removed any number of times during the object's lifecycle. Holds apply indefinitely and must be explicitly removed before deletion is allowed. Holds are typically used in litigation scenarios.
Another deletion-prevention mechanism is retention. In contrast to the ad hoc nature of holds, retention is usually applied systematically, at a single predetermined point in the object's lifecycle. Objects are retained as long as certain conditions, usually time-based and controlled by administrative policy, apply. When the conditions no longer apply, deletion automatically becomes possible. To administer holds with an administration console for Content Platform Engine, see Retaining objects.
Objects to which you can apply holds are of type CmHoldable. A CmHold object represents a hold defining a business purpose, such as a hold on all deposition material in a legal case. A CmHoldRelationship object associates a single hold (CmHold object) with a single held object (CmHoldable object). Multiple CmHoldRelationship objects can reference the same CmHold object, indicating that the hold applies to various held objects. Multiple CmHoldRelationship objects can also reference the same CmHoldable object, indicating that the same object is held in multiple different holds.
To remove a hold on a single CmHoldable object, delete the CmHoldRelationship that references that CmHoldable object. To remove a hold on every CmHoldable object to which the hold applies, delete the CmHold object. Deleting a CmHold object results in a cascade delete of all CmHoldRelationship objects that reference the CmHold object.
For code examples, see Working with Holds.