Comments (configuration)

The comments functionality provides members with the ability to communicates and collaborate on portal pages by adding comments. Members may attach files to comments if this ability is configured.

There are two ways of configuring comments for a page:

  • Comments that will be related to a selected grid record: in this case, add the  Comments block to a detail page layout block that is a child to a detail page, which in its turn is a child to a grid page layout block within a grid page that contains records to which comments will be added. Additionally, the data source entity of the parent details page must be the same as the data source entity of the detail page's parent grid page.
  • Comments that will be related to the whole page (not linked to any record): in this case, add the  Comments block to a detail, grid, or home (dashboard) page layout block where you want to have an independent comments section; the layout block's page doesn't need to be a detail page embedded into a grid page.

To configure a comments block

  1. On the  grid,  detail, or  dashboard layout block of a page where you want to add/configure a block where members will be able to add comments for the whole page, select the icon, and then select  Comments. If you want comments to be linked to a selected grid record rather than the whole page, add comments to a   detail page layout block, and make sure that the parent detail page is embedded into a grid page that contains records to which comments will be linked, and that the parent detail page and its parent grid page both have the same data source entity (see an example of the structure above).

      Note

    The  Comments block includes pre-configured settings for quick and easy feature configuration; it is ready for use right after adding it to a layout block. However, you are free to adjust the settings if necessary according to your needs. 
  2. On the General tab, configure/adjust the general settings:
    1. Title - Specifies the title of the layout block element that will be displayed on the page if specified. Specifying the title is optional.
    2. Subtitle - Specifies the subtitle of the layout block element that will be displayed on the page if specified. Specifying the subtitle is optional.
    3. Icon - Specifies the image that will be displayed in front of the title if specified. Adding an icon is optional. When choosing an icon, select any icon library set except umbraco-icon because icons from this icon library are not meant to be used with front end elements – this may cause bugs and visual glitches.
    4. Width settings - Specifies the adaptive grid width settings for the layout block element per device. The width is automatically adjusted depending on the device the page is opened from.
    5. Hide element - This setting hides the layout block element from the page. It can be configured per member group. Select one or several member groups, for which this layout block element will be hidden. Alternatively, you can select the ~All~ check box to hide it for all member groups (without the necessity to select every member group's check box) or select the Hide element check box to have all member groups selected at once.
    6. Background color - Specifies the color that will be used as background of this layout block element.
    7. Background image - Specifies the image that will be displayed in the background of this layout block element.
    8. Description - Specifies a description of this layout block element.
    9. Navigate-to page - Specifies the portal page that will be displayed when the portal member edits a record. For a promoted filter summary, filling in this setting is not required.
    10. Content-from page - Specifies the portal page that will be displayed instead of the created page. The path on the address bar will be that of the original page. Use this setting only if you want to redirect the member to another existing portal page. Select Add to add a page that will be displayed instead of the source page. For a promoted filter summary, filling in this setting is not required.
    11. Redirect-to page - Specifies the portal page that will be displayed instead of the created page. The path on the address bar will be that of the target page. Use this setting only if you want to redirect the member to another existing portal page. Select Add to add a page that will be displayed instead of the source page. For a promoted filter summary, filling in this setting is not required.
  3. On the Comments tab, configure/adjust the following settings:
    1. Entity - Specify the entity where comments will be stored. For comments, use the PortalEntityComments entity.
    2. Filters - Specifies filters that define which comments will be displayed. Add filters or filters groups to limit comments that will be displayed only to those that meet the filters conditions.
    3. Comment link - Specifies what thecomments are linked to. Normally, comments are linked to the parent entity value (Value from parent = UniqueId). Leave the default value. Change this if you want comments to be linked to a different value. Note that when you need comments to be linked to a record, this is defined by the structure of the parent pages, and also by the condition where the data source of the parent detail page is the same as the data source of the grid page it is embedded into.
    4. Comment tile template - Specifies what information comments include as well as how they look like.
      1. Enabled - Specifies whether this tile set is shown. You can use this option to temporarily disable a tile set why preserving its configuration.
      2. Action title - Specifies the caption of the action that opens this list view. The title may, for example, represent the way data is displayed in this view or describe the field(s) chosen as data source.
      3. Fields - Specifies the fields from the data source the data from which will be shown on tiles in this list view.
      4. Tile width - Specifies the width of a single tile in this list view.
      5. Hidden for - Specifies the member roles for which this list view will not be shown.
      6. Style - Specifies a particular way the tiles are shown in this list view.
    5. Allow creation for - Specifies member groups the members of which are allowed to give comments.
    6. Add new on top - Specifies that the comment input field where the member adds a new comment is located at the top of the comments block. If disabled, the comment input field is located at the bottom of the comments block.
  4. Select Save and publish to save the changes and publish them on the front end. Optionally, if you were editing the page, you can select Save and preview to preview how the page will look like on the front end.