Lesson 3 / 22 · Commentail 1.3.2
Open Comments → Site settings and select the correct Wagtail Site. For a first run keep Open, Review all and access for guests and registered users. A guest verifies their email before moderation; verification alone does not publish the comment.
Choose discussion behavior
| Mode | What readers can see and do |
|---|---|
| Open | See the discussion and submit messages subject to access and policy |
| Read only | See the discussion, without posting or editing |
| Hidden | Cannot see the discussion, post or edit; the data is retained |
Moderation remains available in closed modes.
Moderation choices are Review all, Review guests, Publish without review and Apply rules. Supplemental protection signals can still send a guest message to review. Changing policy does not decide existing queue entries.
Access can allow everyone, registered users, guests or nobody. It does not replace the page's viewing permissions. The default text limit is 5000 visible characters; guest names allow 40. HTML and Markdown remain plain text. Clickable links separately enables HTTP(S) links.
In the Page editor, inherit each field with Use site setting or choose an exception, such as Read only for an old article. Comments settings take effect immediately. Saving the Page applies them even when its new content revision has not been published. A draft revision does not postpone the policy change.
Follow a guest and a reply
In a private window enter a name, email and message, complete CAPTCHA, confirm the email and approve the comment. Confirmation expires 24 hours after initial acceptance. The browser remembers that email for this Site for 30 days from confirmation, without extending it on each visit. Cookies and private browsing affect that proof.
Replies can address a specific message while retaining one visual nesting level. Check the addressee in the composer. Root messages and replies load in batches of 20; new messages are not fetched automatically.
Authors can edit published text for 15 minutes. The first accepted direct reply locks editing immediately, including a reply awaiting moderation. Rejecting it later does not reopen editing. While an author revision awaits review, readers see the previous approved text and another revision cannot be submitted. A separate email gives a published guest author their protected editing link. A long link lifetime does not extend the editing window.
Staff highlighting and the superuser crown use the author's current active account. Disable these decorations per Site if desired. A badge does not grant moderation permissions.
Related lessons
- 4. Moderation and editor permissions
- 8. Schedule email processing and cleanup
- 11. Word rules, CSV and spam protection
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