WordPress Question

[jeldera]

We are working on a WordPress project and we need to add two checkboxes to the comment section. So when someone comes to leave a comment they can choose one of the two boxes. We then need to sort this out somehow in the backend so the admin and see which checkbox was checked.

Here is the link so you can see it in context: [Link](http://174.121.64.229/~turnerfu/obituaries/glenn-e-strong/ “Link”)

Any help would be appreciated!

[deeve007]

Top of my head solution (without googling comments form customisation…) would be to replace the default comments form with a Gravity Form, that writes to a custom content type called “Comments”, and then in that form you could add whatever fields you wanted to. And then on the page below this form, just output the “comments” that have been approved.

That seems the easy way. As I said, not sure about full on WP comments form code customising.

[Alen]

If you are using `` to generate your comment form. You could hook into `comment_form_default_fields` and add all the necessary fields. Like so:

function add_check_boxes_to_comment_form( $fields )
{
$fields = ‘

Priviate (Given to family only)

‘;
return $fields;
}

add_filter(‘comment_form_default_fields’,’add_check_boxes_to_comment_form’);

ETA: This goes to `functions.php` file.

[deeve007]

Does Disqus have the ability to add custom fields?
I’m actually leaning towards using facebook commenting on most sites now, seems to get better spread on social media that way.

[chrisburton]

@deev007 What about those not using Facebook?

[jeldera]

Good idea but the Facebook option will not work in our situation.

[Alen]

I absolutly hate when I see blogs implement both standard commenting and Facebook, and now with [Google+ commnenting](http://www.cloudhero.net/gplus-comments)… jeez!

I like to leave the standard comments and encourage my clients to engage their target audience on the actual platform (Facebook, Twitter, etc) because this engagement feels natural to people using them.

[jeldera]

@AlenAbdula – your solution does not seem to be working for us. It seems logical but we must be missing something?

[deeve007]

@chrisburton – I’m seeing on many sites that users who comment have FB accounts. Doesn’t mean this suits every site, but for those where users have FB, and are already logged in, it breaks down the signup barrier completely. I’d love to do some A/B testing one day to find out exactly what difference it can make.

I myself hate having to sign up to make a comment.

[deeve007]

In a perfect implementation (and haven’t yet had the client with the budget to look at this) your comments would exist on the site, but would also post to your FB page along with a link to the post, to get the best of both worlds. The sites I’ve used it on have certainly seen more cross promotion of their articles. You might hate it @AlenAbdula, but getting better cross-channel reach is the aim for most sites, and this is one way to achieve it.

[chrisburton]

Oh no, I agree. I was just thinking that it seems limiting to restrict it to Facebook and not Twitter as well. One click signup (there’s usually two clicks involved) buttons are ideal, in my opinion. Much better than having to fill out a form.

[deeve007]

You still have to click. Plus if they simply signup and comment, the comment simply resides on your site, yes? It doesn’t automatically create a post on their FB wall that their friends then see, is that right?

I think the choice of what type of commenting system to use isn’t a “one size fits all”. For some sites, comments that live within the site environment are the best fit, for others commenting may merely be a means to an end and FB comments would be better. For others something else again…

[chrisburton]

Why not both, on the site and on the social network?

[deeve007]

If it can be done easily, great! But haven’t seen anyplace where that happens, or a simple way to implement.

[jeldera]

@AlenAbdula – do you know if you can use multiple checkboxes? When we have one it seems to work, but when we add two that’s where we have issues?

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