CommentXpert – Private Comments, Comment Modifications, and Advanced Commenting Features

Description

CommentXpert is a powerful and easy to use plugin that gives administrators complete control over comment functionality on their websites. It introduces the ability for users to mark comments as private, making them visible only to the comment author and site administrators. This feature is perfect for confidential discussions or sensitive feedback. Private comments submitted by users go through an admin review and approval process, ensuring a secure and moderated environment. Once approved, these comments remain hidden from other users or visitors. Admins also have the flexibility to convert private comments into public ones if deemed helpful to others, or vice versa, upon the comment author’s request. With an intuitive settings page, admins can effortlessly customize comment behavior to suit their specific needs, enhancing moderation, security, and user experience.

New! Private Comments Feature
CommentXpert introduces the ability for users to mark their comments as private, ensuring they are visible only to the comment author and site administrators. Perfect for sensitive feedback or confidential discussions, this feature allows admins to review and approve private comments securely. Approved private comments remain hidden from other users or visitors, maintaining privacy. Admins also have the flexibility to convert private comments into public ones if they find them valuable for broader visibility or revert public comments to private upon the author’s request. This feature enhances user trust and provides a secure communication channel on your website.

New! Cleanup Pending/Spam Comments Feature
CommentXpert now includes a powerful cleanup tool to remove all pending and spam comments in bulk. This feature helps administrators maintain a clean and optimized comment section by eliminating unwanted or unapproved comments. With secure confirmation and a user-friendly interface, this tool ensures easy management of pending/spam comments while protecting approved ones from accidental deletion.

New! Enable Comment Votes (Upvotes/Downvotes) Feature

New! Enable Comment Captcha Feature

Key Features

1. Enable Private Comments

   • Allow users to mark comments as private, ensuring visibility only to the comment author and site administrators.
   • Ideal for sensitive discussions and confidential feedback.

2. Eliminate Comment Author Hyperlink

   • Remove hyperlinks associated with comment authors to prevent spam and unnecessary outbound links.

3. Eliminate Website Input from Comment Form

   • Disable the “Website” field in the comment form for non-logged-in users, reducing spam submissions.

4. Prevent Automatic Hyperlinking of URLs

   • Turn off the conversion of plain URLs in comments into clickable hyperlinks, maintaining a cleaner comment section and reducing the risk of spam or malicious links being shared.

5. Turn Off Comments Across the Entire Site

   • Completely disable the comments feature across your website with a single click.
   • Perfect for blogs or sites that do not require user feedback.

6. Cleanup Pending/Spam Comments

   • Easily bulk delete all pending and spam comments from your site with a secure confirmation process.
   • Helps maintain a clean database and declutters your comment section.

7. Cleanup Pending/Spam Comments

   • Easily bulk delete all pending and spam comments from your site with a secure confirmation process.
   • Helps maintain a clean database and declutters your comment section.

8. Enable Comment Upvote/Downvote

   • Allow users to upvote or downvote comments, promoting valuable contributions and helping surface the most useful discussions.
   • Encourages community engagement and helps highlight popular opinions.

9. Enable CAPTCHA in Comment Form

   • Add a CAPTCHA to the comment form to block bots and reduce automated spam submissions.
   • Supports multiple CAPTCHA types, like Google reCAPTCHA v2, Google reCAPTCHA v3 or hCaptcha, for flexible security options.

Benefits

• Enhanced control over comment moderation.
• Improved website security by reducing spam and malicious links.
• Better user experience by decluttering the comment section.
• Flexibility to manage comments in line with site-specific requirements.
• Streamlined database performance by removing unnecessary comment records.
• Increased user interaction through comment upvotes and downvotes.
• Reduced spam submissions with CAPTCHA protection in the comment form.

Screenshots

Installation

1. Navigate to Plugins -> Add New in your website’s admin dashboard.
2. Search for “CommentXpert” and click “Install Now.”
3. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen.
4. Access the plugin settings via WP Admin -> CommentXpert and configure as needed.

FAQ

How can I enable private comments for users?

Navigate to WP Admin -> CommentXpert and check the “Enable Private Comments” option. After enabling this, users will be able to mark their comments as private, making them visible only to the comment author and site administrators.

Are there any dependencies for enabling private comments?

There are no specific dependencies for this setting. However, you should ensure that you have an active comment system on your site for the feature to work.

How does the “Enable Private Comments” setting work after activation?

Once enabled, users will see an option to mark their comment as private when submitting a comment. Only the comment author and site administrators will be able to view these comments. Other users will not be able to see these private comments, ensuring confidentiality.

How is this setting useful?

CAPTCHA prevents automated bots from spamming your comment section, dramatically reducing comment spam and improving your site’s security.

How can I eliminate hyperlinks associated with comment authors?

Navigate to WP Admin -> CommentXpert and check the “Eliminate Comment Author Hyperlink” option. This will remove the link to the comment author’s website from their name in the comment section.

Are there any dependencies for eliminating comment author hyperlinks?

No specific dependencies. It will work as long as your comment system is enabled.

How does the “Eliminate Comment Author Hyperlink” setting work after activation?

Once activated, the comment author’s name will no longer link to their website (or profile) in the comment section. This helps reduce spam and unnecessary outbound links.

How can I remove the “Website” field in the comment form for non-logged-in users?

Navigate to WP Admin -> CommentXpert and check the “Eliminate Website Input from Comment Form” option. This will disable the “Website” field for users who are not logged in.

Are there any dependencies for removing the “Website” input field?

This feature works only for non-logged-in users. If a user is logged in, they will still see the “Website” field.

How does the “Eliminate Website Input from Comment Form” setting work after activation?

After enabling this setting, the “Website” field will no longer appear for non-logged-in users when they submit a comment. This helps prevent spam from bots and users who are not registered.

How can I prevent the automatic hyperlinking of URLs in comment text?

Navigate to WP Admin -> CommentXpert and check the “Prevent Automatic Hyperlinking of URLs” option. This will stop URLs in comments from being automatically converted into clickable links.

Are there any dependencies for preventing automatic hyperlinking?

This setting works independently of other comment settings. However, it is most effective when combined with other anti-spam measures like disabling the “Website” input and eliminating hyperlinks from authors.

How does the “Prevent Automatic Hyperlinking of URLs” setting work after activation?

Once activated, URLs entered into the comment text will remain as plain text. They won’t be converted into clickable hyperlinks, reducing the potential for spammy or malicious links being shared in the comment section.

How can I turn off comments across the entire site?

Navigate to WP Admin -> CommentXpert and check the “Turn Off Comments Across the Entire Site” option. This will disable the comment feature globally on your website.

Are there any dependencies for disabling comments site-wide?

This setting overrides any comment settings at the individual post or page level. If you have specific posts or pages where you still want to allow comments, you will need to disable this option.

How does the “Turn Off Comments Across the Entire Site” setting work after activation?

After enabling this setting, all comment forms across your site will be hidden, and users will not be able to submit new comments. Existing comments may still be visible, depending on your theme’s display settings.

What does the Cleanup Pending/Spam Comments feature do?

This feature allows administrators to bulk delete all pending and spam comments from their website. It ensures a cleaner database and a more manageable comment section, removing unwanted content permanently.

How do I use the Cleanup Pending/Spam Comments feature?

1. Go to the website’s admin dashboard.
2. Navigate to CommentXpert > Cleanup Comments.
3. Check the count of pending/spam comments displayed.
4. Type Cleanup Comments in the confirmation box and click the cleanup button.

Can the cleanup process be undone?

No, the cleanup process is permanent and irreversible. Once comments are deleted, they cannot be restored. Ensure that you verify the pending and spam comments before confirming the action.

Will approved comments be affected?

No, this feature only deletes comments that are either pending or marked as spam. Approved comments remain intact.

Is this feature secure?

Yes, it includes security measures such as nonce verification to prevent unauthorized access, and it requires a specific confirmation text to avoid accidental deletions.

How can I enable the comment upvote/downvote feature?

Navigate to WP Admin -> CommentXpert and check the “Enable Comment Upvote/Downvote” option. Once enabled, users will see up and down arrows next to each comment to vote on them.

Are there any dependencies for the upvote/downvote feature?

No, but the feature works best if your comment section is already active. It’s compatible with most themes, but you should test it with your setup to ensure proper styling and functionality.

How do votes affect comment visibility?

By default, votes are just a way to show popularity, but you can choose to sort comments by vote count or even hide comments with negative scores via the settings panel.

How can I add CAPTCHA to the comment form?

Navigate to WP Admin -> CommentXpert and check the “Enable CAPTCHA for Comments” option. After enabling this, go to the CommentXpert -> captcha configuration sub-menu page. There, you can choose from three options: Google reCAPTCHA v2, Google reCAPTCHA v3, or hCaptcha. Based on your selection, you’ll need to enter the corresponding API keys, API secrets, and, in the case of reCAPTCHA v3, set a threshold score to control the spam detection sensitivity. Once configured, the CAPTCHA field will appear on the comment form, requiring users to solve it before submitting a comment.

Are there any dependencies for enabling CAPTCHA?

This feature requires a CAPTCHA provider (Google reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha). You must complete the configuration by entering valid API credentials for the CAPTCHA to function correctly.

What happens if users fail the CAPTCHA test?

If the CAPTCHA is incorrect or fails the verification, the comment submission will be blocked, and users will see an error message prompting them to try again.

Reviews

CommentXpert Transformed My WordPress Commenting Experience!

Mayursinh Vadher March 6, 2025 5 replies

As a subscriber of CommentXpert, I’m truly impressed with its powerful features! The ability to leave private comments, edit existing ones, and enhance the overall discussion flow has made a huge difference on my site. It’s user-friendly, efficient, and a must-have for anyone looking to improve their WordPress commenting system. Highly recommended!

Contributors & Developers

Changelog

1.0.0

• Initial Release.

1.0.1

• Added CommentXpert plugin screenshots.
• Added plugin logos and header banners.
• Updated screenshots in the plugin.

1.0.2

• Solved nonce verification issues for better security.

1.0.3

• Added bulk actions for “Make Comment Private” and “Make Comment Public.”
• Resolved an issue where privately posted comments displayed the “Make Private” action unnecessarily.

1.0.4

• Updated the plugin author URI.
• Updated GPL license version to 3.0.

1.0.5

• Added a redirection to the plugin’s settings page upon activation.
• Updated the plugin action settings link code to include the settings link.

1.0.6

• Added a new feature to remove the website input field from the comment form.
• Updated the label text for removing the website input field for better clarity.

1.0.7

• Added a filter hook for developers to modify private comment behavior.

1.0.8

• Added a new feature to prevent hyperlinking of URLs in comments.
• Added a new feature to eliminate hyperlinks from comment authors.

1.0.9

• Added a new feature to globally disable comments for the entire site.

1.1.0

• Added a new feature to cleanup pending/spam comments for the entire site.
• Updated the readme.txt file with improved documentation.

1.1.1

• Minor bug fixes
• Updated the readme.txt file with improved documentation.

1.1.2

• Updated the readme.txt file with improved documentation.

1.1.3

• Added a new feature to enable comment upvote/downvote. (Like / Dislike Comments)
• Added a new feature to enable and add a CAPTCHA field in comment form.
• Improved code security.
• Updated the plugin documentation.