Gridbox Comments App

Today, we want to introduce you a Comments App for the Joomla website builder Gridbox. With Gridbox 2.7.0 you'll get a modern and fully featured built-in comment system. User login, social login, Gravatar support, image and file attachments, social sharing, comment rating, spam filters and much more. Improve your website's social engagement with the Gridbox Comments App.

No time for writing about why comments are important for social engagement! You better us know how is important. Let's get down to business and explore what we have prepared for you in this update!

Like any other Gridbox App, Comments Apps can be installed in the Gridbox Apps Manager.

With the Comments App also will be installed:

• Dashboard Widget “Recent Comments” - displays the last 10 comments in the admin dashboard
• “Comments Box” Plugin - displaying comments system to the site
• “Recent Comments” Plugin - the plugin displays the latest comments on the site.

The Comments App can be visited within the sidebar navigation, icon "Comments".

The Comments App Dashboard it’s a place where you can moderate posted comments and configure the whole comment system.

Comments App Settings

To start configuring comment system click on the icon "Settings". In the opened modal window you'll find all available options.

Sort and Search Comments

Using the search bar at the top you can search by message in the comment. The dropdown filter allows sorting comments by status: Approved, Pending and Spam.

The Gridbox plugin “Comments Box” displaying a comment system on the site. The plugin can be added to the regular Gridbox page or to the single post layout.

The Comments Box Plugin allows you to configure comments box view. You can disable or enable such things like attachments, rate, login, etc. Using design and layout settings configure Comment Box style to fit your website design.

To post a comment, the user should be logged. Gridbox comments box provides 3 different types of login: User login, Guest login and Social Media login.

User Login

User login allows to already registered users login and post a comment. Also, user login will be suitable if you want to give the opportunity to post comments only for registered users! Disable other login systems in the comments box and enjoy!

User Login of the comments box is fully integrated with a Joomla! login system! If you logged to the site using standard Joomla! login module, you'll be automatically logged to the comments system.

Guest Login

Guest Login allows non-registered users to leave comments. User should enter his name and email to start adding comments.

Guest Login it’s a great choice for users who prefers to leave comments anonymously.

Social Media Login

Make the life of your visitors easier, allows them to login with their Facebook, Google or VK accounts.

To enable this awesome feature, not enough just enable checkbox in the comments box. You need to generate Apps ID for Facebook and VK logins, and OAuth client for Google Login. Values should be entered to the relevant fields in the Comments App Settings, tab “Integrations”.

Let's imagine Facebook or any other Social Media without profile pictures, sounds not cool, right? Gridbox Comments App supports Gravatar. Gravatar.com, it’s a service for storing and retrieving an avatar image.

When a user leaves a comment using an email address (User and Guest login) Gridbox Comments App automatically pulls assigned an avatar to the user email address from Gravatar servers and displays in the comments.

So, you have logged using one of three variants. Now, it's time to post your comment. You have a keyboard, you have a place where to type - so just start typing your comment. That's all!

Make your comment more attractive by adding Emoji!

Comments Box allows visitors to attach files and pictures to their comments.

Allowed file types and max.upload file size can be configured in the Comments App Settings.

Attached pictures we have released in a beautiful gallery with a lightbox.

Each comment can be shared to most popular social networks: Twitter, Facebook, VK and also, a direct link to the comment can be copied.

Users can like or dislike any comment in your post. Such small things can boost social engagement on your site.

Let’s back to the Comments App Dashboard to explore how to moderate new comments. In the top right corner of each comment, you'll see moderation icons which allow to Approve, Move To Spam, Delete Comment or Ban User.

Directly from the dashboard, you can reply to user comments.

If you need to Approve, Move To Spam or Delete more than 1 comment, use buttons at the toolbar.

Frontend Moderation

Frontend moderation allows managing comments directly from the site, without visiting the admin dashboard. Users with Moderator Privileges has a badge "Moderator"! By the way, label "Moderator" you can replace in the Comment App Settings, tab "Admins".

But the most important, that moderators can Delete, Approve, Move to Spam comments and also they can Ban users!

One more thing. No one can't change the original text of the comment, even moderator! Only user can edit and make changes in the text of his comment.

Adding a Moderator

You can assign moderator privileges to any of registered users. For that, visit Comments App Settings, tab “Admin”. Click on the button "Add New Item" and select a user from the list.

Oh Yeah! Spambots and spammers are researching the web to find a nice place to post a comment with an SEO text and backlink. Gridbox Comments App comes with a range of tools which allows you to avoid spam.

Comments Pre-Moderation

The most simple solution is to enable “Submissions pre-moderation” in the Comments App Settings. The comment will be published after admin Approving.

Google reCAPTCHA Protection

The most elegant solution. Gridbox comments app supports default Joomla reCAPTCHA plugins:

• reCAPTCHA
• Invisible reCAPTCHA

Configure plugins by entering the site and secret keys, enable and after that select plugin on the Comments App Settings, tab “Captcha”.

By the way, you can enable reCAPTCHA only for Guests visitors.

Spam Filters

Spam filters are a list of emails, words and IP addresses. If the comment includes something from the lists, the comment will be automatically moved to the spam. To add value to the list just paste or type it and press enter.

Also, you can enable “Block Links” feature which automatically moving to the spam all comments which include links.

Take your attention to the feature “Auto-Deleting”. By enabling this option, all comments with values from spam filters or links will be automatically deleted.

Report Comment

Report comment is a nice tool which allows site visitors to inform moderators about spam. By a simple click on the icon Flag, site moderators will be informed by automatic email about a spam or abuse comment.

The Gridbox Comments App comes with email notifications which inform moderators about new comments, spam or abuse comments, and the user receives email notifications if someone has replied to his comment.

Email To Moderator About New Comment

Email To Moderator About Spam or Abuse

Email To User About Reply on Comment

User can unsubscribe from the email notifications by clicking on the link “Unsubscribe” at the bottom of the email.

Emails sending through your Joomla email system. So, you need to configure your site email in Joomla Global Configurations.

Posts with a large number of comments always attract user attention. The comment count can be displayed in such plugins as: Recent Posts, Post Slider, Category List, Post Intro and Search Results.

To enable comment count, open plugin settings and check-in “Comments”.

The Recent Comments plugin displaying the latest comments from the App. A simple but very effective tool which allows attracting visitor attention. Usually, recent comments plugins adding to blog sidebars or to the footer.

Different type of sorting can change this plugin from "Recent comments" to "Popular Comments" or "Random Comments".

Wide range of design tools, allows you to change default plugin style to fit your website design without a line of CSS code.

When we started, we planned to create a small comment box. In the end, we got a huge comment system with moderators, email notifications, plugins, dashboard widget, spam protection, social login, etc.

In your hands the powerful and modern comment system. All that you need to create a modern comment system on your site is already in Gridbox. Enjoy and build beautiful websites with Joomla Website Builder Gridbox!

2.7.0 — 30.05.2019

• Gridbox Comments App
• Dashboard widjet "Recent Comments"
• "Recent Comments" Plugin
• Comment Count to plugins: Recent Posts, Post Slider, Category List, Post Intro and Search Results
• "Trailing slash" option to the XML Sitemap App
• Gridbox Link / File Picker to default text and blog post editors

• Issues with a column animations
• Issue with a plugin "Slideshow" inside the "Content Slider" plugin
• Issue with a "Post Navigation" plugin

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