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Welcome to Codidact Meta!

Codidact Meta is the meta-discussion site for the Codidact community network and the Codidact software. Whether you have bug reports or feature requests, support questions or rule discussions that touch the whole network – this is the site for you.

Adjustable size comment text area

+3
−0

The character limit for a comment is 1000, but the text area in which it is typed or edited is much smaller than this.

Most comments are short, but some comments can have reason to be longer, and others can be taller despite being only a small number of characters (due to quote blocks, code blocks, MathJax, or lists of points if lists (bullets and numbers) in comment markdown is implemented).

In most cases the comment editing text area does not need to be taller - the current default height works well. However, it would be useful to have the option to drag the bottom of the text area to a custom height in the cases described.

Examples

Long feedback

Particularly on Meta sites, and also in the Code Golf Sandbox, there can be quite detailed feedback on how to improve a post. This can be well within the 1000 character limit but still exceed the height of the text area.

Quote blocks

In giving feedback on a post it can be useful to quote the relevant section of the post, and/or quote a relevant section of documentation. This requires additional blank lines in the markdown leading to more height even with few characters.

The comment text area with markdown for a quote block

Making 2 quote blocks, to contrast 2 sections of the post that contradict each other, or to compare part of the post with documentation, would take the height well over the default.

Code blocks

On sites that discuss code (Software Development, Power Users, Code Golf, Linux Systems) comments sometimes include code blocks. Even a short snippet of code with few characters can take up several lines and make the comment taller, especially as the markdown for a code block is generally 2 lines taller than the rendered code block.

The comment text area with markdown for a code block

On any Codidact site the same can happen when using a code block to explain how the markdown code of a post works or could be improved.

MathJax

On sites that have MathJax enabled (Scientific Speculation, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Code Golf, Physics, Tabletop RPGs) height can be increased by MathJax code with only a few characters per line - both for explaining a point with mathematical notation, and for explaining to someone how to fix their MathJax code if it isn't displaying as intended.

The following MathJax code fills up the height of the text area:

The comment text area with MathJax code

When rendered it is a short comment with few characters:

The rendered comment with mathematical notation

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1 comment thread

Character limit is 1000 that doesn't mean, you have to write an essay there. (4 comments)

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