How to submit a comment on default theme

If you (or the visitor) will click on the word “Comments” the comment form will show up. By editing the index.php you can change the text displayed for zero or one or more comments.

Yes, thank you, I know how to see the comment form. My point is, the visitor did not, and gave up in frustration. Since the whole point of a blog is to have people read it (at least) and post replies (at least to many bloggers) I think the standard default interface supplied with WordPress should be particularly idiot proof.

You suggested I edit “the index.php” by which I assume you mean one of the files named “index.php” and I even guessed you mean the file index.php contained in the folder wp-admin/themes/default. I called up that file and I found the string <?php comments_popup_link(‘No Comments »’, ‘1 Comment »’, ‘% Comments »’); ?> but I am not a php programmer. I am just a blogger who has (I think) managed to successfully upload WordPress to the web and is in the process of testing its behavior.

I think that the Default template would be more idiot-proof if instead of a link which reads either No Comments or 1 Comment or n Comments (where n is an integer greater than 1), one had a link which simply read Read or Submit Comments. Such a link would be explanatory to everyone.

In particular, the link that reads merely No Comments or 1 Comment or n Comments does not clearly suggest to all readers (including my well-educated tester who was quite unfamiliar with blogs) that it should be activated to submit a link. Instead, this tester believed that the link should be depressed only if he wished to read other persons’ comments.

So the point of my discussion thread is to suggest to the community that produces WordPress that there is a defect in the Default Template that they provide to all users with the current downloaded version of WordPress. A semantic defect in that not all English-speakers clearly understand that one ought to click the link saying No Comments (or the title link).

My point is not whether or not I can customize WordPress to do what I think it should do, but whether WordPress as shipped in the default version is as perfect as it could be.

Now, as I indicated, I am not a php programmer. Nevertheless, I think that if I were to replace the fragment quoted above with the following: <?php comments_popup_link(‘Read or Submit Comments »’) ?> that I would produce the behavior I desire. Can you tell me if that is correct?

Further, can you, as forum moderator, insure that this thread is brought to the attention of the community that administers WordPress? I really think that the criticism that users are unable to determine how to submit comments or reply to posts is valid — as applied to the Default template which should be used by all users without modification.

Once again, the gist of this comment is that the Default template should be 100% user-friendly, so that any reader immediately understands how to post a comment. I think that forcing the reader to click on either the title of the post or the words “No Comments” is too indirect. I believe that the suggested words “Read or Submit Comments” would be more clearly understood by all, and I am therefore suggesting that the owners of the Default template modify it as indicated.

Thank you.

As I look at the last post I see that where I typed the characters & # 1 8 7 ; instead appeared a character looking like >> only the two angle brackets are closer together.

Thank you. RLP.

1. If you want a code snippet to appear as code here (and not being interpreted) you have to put that line in between “backticks” (see below: `.

2. Thanks for your thoughts, hopefully a developer will read it. (the volunteer forum helpers are not associated with the dev team)

3. What is or what isn’t “idiot proof” for people not familar with the blogging phenomenon – seems to be bigger issue than to pick up that challenge here.

4. Re your question. Not being a coder I’d say you are on the right track, however I’d replace the old text with the new one in all the three instances. It might also work if you have it only once, but I am always very cautious about modifying code, so I’d go by not touching the structure of the code, just replacing the text I don’t like.
(a coder might correct me, but my “version” would work for sure…)

Thanks again, and I appreciate your very prompt replies. Great!