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Comment flagging is hidden from inexperienced users
GitHub issue: https://github.com/codidact/qpixel/issues/544
In the past, it was not possible to flag individual comments for moderator attention. There was a Meta question asking how to respond to comments that would otherwise be flagged. The suggestion was to instead flag the post on which the comment appears.
This workaround is no longer required, as individual comments can now be flagged. However, this fact is not obvious, because the "flag" link only appears after clicking on "See the whole thread" at the bottom of the comments section. For a thread of 5 comments or fewer, there is no reason to click on this unless the user intends to write a response. This gives the impression that there is no way to flag a comment.
Should the option to flag be present in the initial comment thread view, before the user clicks on "See the whole thread"?
2 answers
We definitely want this to be possible from the in-page view, without clicking through to the thread. This issue is even on the roadmap we laid out at the beginning of the year -- it's important. I thought this would be easy but it turns out there are some complications in the code.
I was just reviewing the roadmap earlier today, coincidentally. I'm not sure who the right people are to look at this, but thanks for the reminder. Apparently this involves changes to co-design (the design framework), to expose an API, and to qpixel (the platform code), to use it. If anybody reading this is thinking "I probably know how to do that" and you're willing to lend a hand, please let me know (or comment on the GitHub issue).
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I do not see flagging as something that should be restricted to experienced users who know where to find the link. A new user who sees a comment on their first post and wants to flag it should not have to wonder how to do this, or wonder whether flagging is an option for them.
Including the flag link in the initial comment thread view will also make flagging simpler for experienced users, so problematic comments are less likely to be ignored.
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1 comment thread