I have been working on a stand alone comments module that can be placed at the bottom of any page. Or anywhere you like actually.
It has the ability to authorise comments/reply to comments and has some basic configuration. The user must be logged on to be able to comment but not to read comments. As I said it is stand alone and is built for DNN 10 with Bootstap 5 skin. If there is any interest I will put it on Github as open source. Please let me know if there is any interest. Disclaimer: I have a custom Gpt that I created for Chatgpt to help with the coding.
King Regards Trevor
I have released a testing version of the Jacaranda-Comments-Module.
https://github.com/Forro-...anda-Comments-Module Jacaranda Comments 01.00.19 – Public Testing Release
Highlights in version 01.00.19 Improved positioning after posting comments and threaded replies Immediately published comments return to the newly created comment Immediately published replies return to the newly created reply Pending comments and replies return to a clear moderation confirmation Improved handling of DNN page-layout changes after postback Middle-right success and validation pop-up notifications More reliable notification close-button and automatic-dismiss behaviour Configurable maximum comment and reply length Character limit configurable separately for each module instance Default character limit of 4,000 characters Supported configurable range of 250 to 10,000 characters Dynamic remaining-character counter Pasted text is preserved rather than silently truncated Over-length submissions are rejected before database insertion or email notification Full entered text remains available for correction Improved security-token handling for comments, replies, approval, and deletion Clean redirects after posting and moderation actions Prevention of browser form-resubmission prompts Existing moderation, permissions, CAPTCHA, rate limiting, and email-notification behaviour retained Database changes
There are no database schema changes in this release.
The existing comment text column already supports the configurable character limit. Matching upgrade scripts are included for DNN extension-version tracking.
Testing completed
Version 01.00.19 has been tested on DNN Platform 10.3.2 with:
Clean module installation and upgrades Normal registered users Administrators and superusers New comments Threaded replies Comments awaiting moderation Approval and deletion Email notifications CAPTCHA Rate limiting Configurable character limits Over-length validation Success and error notifications Page positioning after posting Default DNN containers Preliminary custom-theme testing
All tested functions are currently working as expected. Wider testing with additional skins, containers, DNN configurations, browsers, and mobile layouts is welcomed. It is a stand aloe module and can be placed on any page.
Comments and testers welcome. Kind Regards Trevor
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
I have been working on the module and it now allows Guest comments with a 5 minute correction window and a centalised master settings area.
Testers are welcome. Try out on a test site before trying on a production site!!!
Development of Jacaranda Comments has continued, and the Advanced branch has now reached version 01.02.02.
Jacaranda Comments is a page-level comments module for DNN Platform 10. It was originally designed as a straightforward way to add comments and threaded replies to individual DNN pages, but the Advanced branch is now developing into a more complete site-wide comment-management system.
The Simple edition remains separately maintained on the <code>main</code> branch at version 01.01.03, while the Advanced features are developed on the <code>advanced-settings</code> branch.
One of the biggest additions to the Advanced edition is the new Comments Administration panel.
Administrators no longer need to visit every page individually to discover whether a comment is waiting for approval.
The central moderation queue brings together pending comments and replies from every Jacaranda Comments module within the current DNN portal.
For each pending submission, the administrator can see information including:
From the same central panel, an administrator can:
Moderation is deliberately performed one comment at a time. There is currently no “Approve All” or “Delete All” function, reducing the possibility of an administrator accidentally changing a large number of comments with a single click.
The Advanced edition also includes central settings that can affect every Jacaranda Comments instance in the current portal.
Two particularly useful emergency controls are available.
An administrator can stop new comments and replies across the entire portal while leaving existing discussions visible.
This could be useful during a spam attack, site maintenance, or another situation where new submissions need to be temporarily suspended.
Guest commenting can also be disabled across the entire portal without affecting registered-user commenting.
This provides a quick response if guest posting starts attracting unwanted submissions.
A central administration system should not remove the flexibility that makes a page-level module useful.
For that reason, individual Jacaranda Comments modules can either continue using their own local settings or deliberately inherit the site's central defaults.
Existing modules do not automatically switch to central settings during an upgrade.
This is important because an established site should not suddenly find that its moderation, guest access, CAPTCHA, rate limiting, or email behaviour has changed merely because the Advanced edition was installed.
Version 01.02.02 introduces another useful feature: guests can now correct mistakes in their own submissions.
A guest who notices a typo or poorly worded sentence immediately after posting has up to five minutes to correct the text.
There are important limitations.
The guest can edit only:
They cannot change:
The five-minute period begins when the original submission is made and does not restart after an edit.
Guest editing also ends immediately if:
Most importantly, a guest can edit a comment only while it is still awaiting moderation.
This prevents a guest from submitting harmless text, having it approved, and then replacing the approved public comment with different content.
Allowing an unauthenticated visitor to edit a comment creates an obvious security question:
How does the module know that the person requesting the edit is really the guest who submitted the comment?
Jacaranda Comments does not rely on the guest's name, email address, IP address, browser information, or Comment ID as proof of ownership.
Instead, the server creates a cryptographically random temporary edit credential when the guest submits the comment.
Only a SHA-256 hash of that credential is stored with the comment.
The original credential is not placed in:
When a guest attempts to edit the submission, the server checks the credential along with the portal, page, module, comment identity, moderation status, deletion status and five-minute time limit.
These checks are repeated at the database update stage rather than trusting values supplied by the browser.
Existing guest comments created before the upgrade do not suddenly become editable because they do not possess the required guest-edit credential.
Registered DNN users continue to receive the existing 15-minute editing window for their own comments and replies.
Registered ownership is based on the authenticated DNN <code>UserId</code>, while guests use the temporary secure correction mechanism.
This provides a useful distinction between registered and guest participation while still giving guests a short opportunity to correct genuine mistakes.
Guest commenting remains optional.
When enabled:
The site administrator can disable guest participation at any time through the Advanced central administration panel.
Jacaranda Comments also includes an optional administrator-controlled language filter.
Administrators can enter terms or phrases that they do not want automatically published.
When a comment matches the list:
This allows the filter to assist human moderation rather than attempting to replace it.
Guest corrections are rechecked by the language filter before being saved.
Moderator emails identify which DNN page generated the submission.
For example:
Comment awaiting approval — Understanding Grace
The notification body can also include the page title, page link, module title, Comment ID, author details and moderation status.
This becomes increasingly useful as the same comments module is deployed across many pages.
Accessibility has also been considered during development.
Success and error notifications remain within the boundaries of the Jacaranda Comments module rather than appearing over unrelated content elsewhere on the page.
This is particularly useful on layouts where a long article and its comments appear in separate columns.
Notification panels include stronger borders, clearer visual distinction and prominent close controls.
The CAPTCHA answer field also has a stronger high-contrast border, increased size and a clear keyboard-focus indicator to make it easier to locate for visitors with limited vision.
Adding guest access and central administration increases the importance of server-side security.
Jacaranda Comments continues to use:
Central administration is restricted to:
No additional DNN security role is required.
Portal-wide moderation and settings are scoped to the server-derived <code>PortalId</code>, helping prevent an administrator from one portal changing another portal's comments or settings.
Jacaranda Comments is now being maintained in two development lines.
The <code>main</code> branch remains the simpler page-level module at:
Jacaranda Comments 01.01.03
This edition is intended for sites that want individual page-level configuration without central administration.
The <code>advanced-settings</code> branch currently contains:
Jacaranda Comments Advanced 01.02.02
The Advanced edition adds:
The Advanced edition retains the same underlying DNN module identity and is intended as an upgrade path rather than as a second copy of Jacaranda Comments installed side by side.
The earlier Advanced revisions have been trialled successfully on a DNN test site, including the central administration and portal-wide moderation workflows.
Version 01.02.02 is the latest development revision and introduces the new five-minute guest correction capability.
As with any DNN extension upgrade, administrators should back up both the website files and database and test the release on a staging site or low-risk page before wider deployment.
The DNN Event Viewer should also be checked after installation and during testing.
Jacaranda Comments continues to grow through practical use and careful incremental development.
Feedback is particularly welcome regarding:
The aim is to keep the module useful, understandable and secure without turning it into an unnecessarily complicated system.
Jacaranda Comments Advanced 01.02.02 represents another step towards providing DNN site owners with a practical comments system that can scale from a single page to a site containing many active discussions.
https://github.com/Forro-...odule/releases/tag/v
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