Adding a new element to an item type fails

[cmx]

Adding a new element to an item type fails with the message that the element already exists, although it is not in the list of elements for this particular item type, and it doesn’t exist in any other item type or in Dublin Core, not even extended.

Omeka Version is Omeka Classic 2.5

The message reads:

Name: An element named “myElement” already exists for the “Item Type Metadata” element set.

How to reproduce:

1. Add a new element to an item type with the name myElement
2. Save Changes
3. Delete the element myElement
4. Save changes
5. Add a new element to an item type with the name myElement
6. Save changes fails with the message that the element myElement already exists.

Why is this a problem?
I needed to implement a model in Omeka with idiosyncratic elements and their descriptions. After inserting the new element myElement and the description, I realized that there was a bad typo in the description. Since it is not possible to edit element names or element descriptions for item types, I deleted the element in order to make it again – which failed in the above way.

Workaround: Implement the element with a slightly different name. Working solo and small - no problem, but when I need to implement a list of well discussed features, I can’t just rename an element.

How can I find the ghost of that old myElement and delete it in a way so I can then just redo it?

[cmx]

Okay, before anybody tells me to RTFM – I found the solution:

The Element in Question still shows up in the list of existing elements that is shown when adding an existing element in the edit menu for a particular item type. So it’s not exactly a ghost, but still visible.

Regarding the problem of changing the description of an element: It seems that every element that is added in an Item Type Edit Menu, e.g. myElement in the edit menu for the item type Text, is automatically being added to a global list of Item Type Elements. Deletion in the particular Item Type edit menu only deletes the new element from the list of available elements for this particular item type, but it does not delete the new element from the global list of item type elements.

Changing an item type element’s description and deleting an element for good is possible in the global settings menu.

Problem solved.