Hello HackMD users! We’re excited to share important updates to our commenting feature, designed to make your experience even more interactive and enjoyable. Let’s dive in.
More ways to comment
In the past, the norm was to select a piece of text within a note before leaving a comment. While that feature is here to stay, we’ve added the option for you to leave comments without needing to highlight any text. This provides greater freedom to express overarching sentiments or react to the entire note.
Context included in comments
We understand notes are living documents that often evolve. To keep the context of older comments clear, we now include the initially selected text right on the comment card. This ensures everyone can easily understand what each comment is referring to, even if the original text changes.
Dedicated panel guides you through time
A dedicated panel now organizes comments chronologically. Latest comments at the bottom. Click on a comment, and the main content will automatically scroll to the relevant text, offering you a seamless way to understand the context.
With these changes, you can read the comments panel separately from the content.
A more spacious place to comment
We’ve expanded the comment input area to give you more room to share your thoughts. Also, we’ve implemented safeguards against accidental data loss, hit ‘Discard’ or refresh the page by mistake, for example, and your input is safe.
Navigate through multiple comments
If there are multiple comments on the same highlighted text, a repeated click lets you cycle through them. We’re also working on bundling these comments together for an even more cohesive experience.
Never miss an ongoing discussion
Reply to any comment, old or new, and HackMD will notify the original commenter, ensuring that meaningful conversations continue to flourish.
Notifications for followed users and teams
Following certain users or teams? You get notifications for new comments on their publicly shared notes.
Upcoming: react with emojis
Just a little tease – emoji reactions are on their way. Because sometimes an emoji speaks louder than words.
That’s the lowdown on our enhanced commenting feature. Feel free to try it out and let us know how it fits into your HackMD journey. We can’t wait to hear from you, just click the Feedback button on the comment panel. 😉