1.7 Optimisation History and Undo Guide
Overview
SmartDescribe Pro includes optimisation history and undo features to help you manage changes made to product image alt text.
These features are particularly useful when processing multiple products, testing different AI providers, or reviewing descriptions generated during bulk or scheduled optimisation.
Keeping track of previous changes can help you identify what happened, review earlier results, and recover from unsuitable descriptions where the installed version supports restoration.
Important: History and undo capabilities depend on the functionality available in your installed version. Always check the controls displayed in your WordPress administration area before relying on them to restore previous content.
Why Optimisation History Matters
AI-generated alt text can save time, but not every result will be suitable for every product.
For example, a generated description might:
- Misidentify a product’s colour or material.
- Omit a distinctive visual feature.
- Include unnecessary wording.
- Be less useful than the original alt text.
- Use a tone that does not suit your store.
- Replace an accurate description with a less helpful one.
Optimisation history can help you investigate these changes and determine whether a previous description should be restored.
Before You Begin
Before reviewing history or attempting to undo a change:
- Confirm that SmartDescribe Pro is installed and active.
- Make sure you are logged in with an account that has the necessary permissions.
- Identify the product and image you want to investigate.
- Note the current alt text.
- Check whether the installed version provides history and undo controls.
- If the change affects important product content, consider recording the current value before making further changes.
Do not assume that every optimisation action is reversible or that every previous description will be available indefinitely.
Step 1: Locate the History Controls
- Log in to your WordPress administration area.
- Open the SmartDescribe Pro administration menu.
- Locate the optimisation history feature provided by your installed version.
- Open the history screen or relevant history controls.
The exact menu location and labels may differ between releases. If you cannot find the history screen, consult the documentation supplied with your installed version.
Step 2: Review Previous Optimisation Activity
Where history records are available, review the information displayed for the relevant operation.
Depending on the installed version, the available information may help you identify the affected product, the previous optimisation activity, or the recorded change.
Use the available details to establish:
- Which product was affected.
- Whether the change relates to the image you are investigating.
- Whether the current alt text differs from the previous description.
- Whether the generated description appears to be the source of the problem.
- Whether a suitable recovery action is available.
If the history does not clearly identify the affected product or image, do not guess which record to restore.
Step 3: Decide Whether to Undo a Change
Undo should be used when a previous description is more accurate or useful than the replacement.
Consider undoing an optimisation if:
- The AI-generated description is factually incorrect.
- The description omits important visual information.
- The previous alt text was clearer.
- The new wording is unnecessarily long or repetitive.
- The optimisation changed content that should have remained unchanged.
Before undoing a change, compare the current description with the previous version where that information is available.
Remember that an AI-generated description is not automatically better than the original.
Step 4: Use the Available Undo Control
If your installed version provides an undo action for the relevant record:
- Confirm that you have selected the correct product or history entry.
- Review any confirmation message or warning.
- Use the displayed undo or restore control.
- Wait for the operation to finish.
- Check the resulting status message.
Do not assume that selecting a history entry automatically restores the previous alt text. Follow the action provided by the installed version.
If the interface does not provide an undo action for the record, do not assume that the change can be reversed through the history screen.
Step 5: Verify the Restored Alt Text
After using an undo or restore action, verify the result.
- Open the relevant WooCommerce product.
- Identify the correct featured image.
- Inspect the saved alt text through the product editor or the WordPress Media Library, as appropriate.
- Confirm that the intended description has been restored.
- Check the product page if necessary.
If the original description has not been restored, review the status message and any available error information before attempting the operation again.
Important: SmartDescribe Pro targets product featured images for its product optimisation workflow. Do not assume that undoing a change to the featured image also restores alt text on every gallery image.
Using History After Bulk Optimisation
Bulk optimisation can affect multiple products, so reviewing results carefully is especially important.
If you discover a problem after a bulk operation:
- Identify the affected products.
- Review the available history records.
- Determine which changes need to be reversed.
- Use the available recovery controls for the relevant records.
- Verify the restored alt text on each affected product.
Avoid assuming that a single undo action will reverse an entire batch. Confirm what the selected action will restore before proceeding.
For large catalogues, keep a list of products that need review so that you can work through them systematically.
Using History After Scheduled Optimisation
If a scheduled process generates unsuitable alt text:
- Pause or adjust further scheduled processing if the installed version provides the relevant controls.
- Identify the products affected by the run.
- Review the available history and error information.
- Restore previous descriptions where supported and appropriate.
- Correct the settings or configuration that contributed to the problem.
- Test the revised configuration on a small selection before resuming automated processing.
This helps prevent the same issue from recurring across additional products.
What History and Undo May Not Do
History and undo should not be treated as a complete backup system.
Depending on the installed version, limitations may include:
- Some actions may not have a recoverable history record.
- Older records may not remain available indefinitely.
- A history entry may record an operation without providing a restoration action.
- Undo may apply only to a particular change rather than an entire bulk operation.
- Changes made outside SmartDescribe Pro may not be covered by its history.
- Restoring one image’s alt text may not restore other product content.
If you need to preserve important product content, maintain an appropriate backup rather than relying exclusively on optimisation history.
Troubleshooting
I cannot find an optimisation history screen
Confirm that you are using SmartDescribe Pro and that the installed version includes the history feature. Check the plugin menu and documentation for your release.
No history records are displayed
Check whether any optimisation operations have been completed and whether the history screen has filters or other display controls. If the problem continues, review available plugin error information.
The undo option is unavailable
Not every record or action necessarily supports restoration. Confirm that the selected record provides an undo or restore control.
Undo reports an error
Read the displayed error message and verify that the correct product and history record were selected. Check for relevant WordPress or plugin errors before retrying.
The wrong description appears after undo
Inspect the image and history record again to confirm that you restored the intended change. If the desired description is not available in the history, check any separate backup or saved record of the original text.
I need to reverse several bulk changes
Identify the affected products and review the available recovery actions for each relevant record. Do not assume that a single operation will restore every product in a batch.
Best Practices
- Review AI-generated alt text regularly.
- Test new settings on a small group of products.
- Check the available history controls before large-scale optimisation.
- Confirm what an undo action will change before using it.
- Verify restored descriptions on the relevant products.
- Keep backups of important product information.
- Do not assume that history covers changes made by other plugins or manual edits.
- Investigate the cause of unsuitable output before resuming scheduled optimisation.
Summary
Optimisation history and undo can help you manage changes made by SmartDescribe Pro and recover from unsuitable AI-generated descriptions where restoration is supported.
For the best results, review history carefully, select the correct record, verify restored alt text, and maintain backups of important product information.
The goal is not simply to generate alt text faster. It is to improve your product images while retaining control over the quality and accuracy of your store’s content.
Next Guide
1.8 — Category-Specific Templates and Writing Tones
The next guide will cover how to tailor image alt text to different product categories and achieve a more consistent writing style across your WooCommerce store.