wheels destroy

Remove generated code and files associated with a model, controller, views, and tests.

Synopsis

wheels destroy <name>
wheels d <name>

CommandBox Parameter Syntax

This command supports multiple parameter formats:

• Positional parameters: wheels destroy user (resource name as positional)

• Named parameters: name=value (e.g., name=user)

Parameter Mixing Rules:

✅ ALLOWED:

• Positional: wheels destroy user

• Named: wheels destroy name=user

❌ NOT ALLOWED:

• Positional + named for same parameter: wheels destroy user name=other

Recommendation: Use positional parameter for simplicity: wheels destroy user

Note: This command always prompts for confirmation before proceeding. There is no --force flag to skip confirmation.

Description

The wheels destroy command removes all files and code associated with a resource that was previously generated. It's useful for cleaning up mistakes or removing features completely. This command will also drop the associated database table and remove resource routes.

Arguments

Argument	Description	Required
name	Name of the resource to destroy	Yes

Options

This command has no additional options. It always prompts for confirmation before proceeding.

What Gets Removed

When you destroy a resource, the following items are deleted:

• Model file (/app/models/[Name].cfc)

• Controller file (/app/controllers/[Names].cfc)

• Views directory (/app/views/[names]/)

• Model test file (/tests/specs/models/[Name].cfc)

• Controller test file (/tests/specs/controllers/[Names].cfc)

• View test directory (/tests/specs/views/[names]/)

• Resource route entry in /config/routes.cfm

• Database table (if confirmed)

Examples

Basic destroy

# Positional (recommended)
wheels destroy user

# OR named
wheels destroy name=user

# OR alias (positional)
wheels d user

This will prompt:

================================================
= Watch Out!                                   =
================================================
This will delete the associated database table 'users', and
the following files and directories:

/app/models/User.cfc
/app/controllers/Users.cfc
/app/views/users/
/tests/specs/models/User.cfc
/tests/specs/controllers/Users.cfc
/tests/specs/views/users/
/config/routes.cfm
.resources("users")

Are you sure? [y/n]

Using the short alias

# Positional with alias (recommended)
wheels d product

# OR named with alias
wheels d name=product

Confirmation

The command always asks for confirmation and shows exactly what will be deleted:

================================================
= Watch Out!                                   =
================================================
This will delete the associated database table 'users', and
the following files and directories:

/app/models/User.cfc
/app/controllers/Users.cfc
/app/views/users/
/tests/specs/models/User.cfc
/tests/specs/controllers/Users.cfc
/tests/specs/views/users/
/config/routes.cfm
.resources("users")

Are you sure? [y/n]

Safety Features

1. Confirmation Required: Always asks for confirmation before proceeding

2. Shows All Changes: Lists all files and directories that will be deleted

3. Database Migration: Creates and runs a migration to drop the table

4. Route Cleanup: Automatically removes resource routes from routes.cfm

What Gets Destroyed

1. Files Deleted:

   • Model file

   • Controller file

   • Views directory and all view files

   • Test files (model, controller, and view tests)

2. Database Changes:

   • Creates a migration to drop the table

   • Runs wheels dbmigrate latest to execute the migration

3. Route Changes:

   • Removes .resources("name") from routes.cfm

   • Cleans up extra whitespace

Best Practices

1. Commit First: Always commit your changes before destroying

2. Review Carefully: Read the confirmation list carefully

3. Check Dependencies: Make sure other code doesn't depend on what you're destroying

4. Backup Database: Have a database backup before running in production

Common Workflows

Undo a generated resource

# Generated the wrong name
wheels generate resource prduct  # Oops, typo!
wheels destroy prduct            # Remove it
wheels generate resource product # Create correct one

Clean up after experimentation

# Try out a feature
wheels generate scaffold blog_post title:string,content:text
# Decide you don't want it
wheels destroy blog_post

Notes

• Cannot be undone - files are permanently deleted

• Database table is dropped via migration

• Resource routes are automatically removed from routes.cfm

• Only works with resources that follow Wheels naming conventions

See Also

• wheels generate resource - Generate resources

• wheels generate scaffold - Generate scaffolding

• wheels dbmigrate remove table - Remove database tables