Writing comments

The fluent builder

Comments::on() starts a fluent builder that reads like a sentence; post() persists and returns the Comment:

use RoundlyConsulting\Comments\Facades\Comments;

$comment = Comments::on($post)
    ->as($user)
    ->body('Nice write-up!')
    ->post();

// A reply, fluently (the parent must belong to the same subject):
Comments::on($post)->as($user)->reply($comment)->body('Thanks!')->post();

// Hidden comment:
Comments::on($post)->as($user)->visible(false)->body('Internal note')->post();

// Anonymous / guest comment — omit ->as():
Comments::on($post)->body('Great read.')->post();

• as($author) — the author; omit it to record an anonymous/guest comment.
• body($body) — the comment body, trimmed before it is stored.
• visible($visible = true) — the visibility flag, separate from the moderation status.
• reply($parent) — make the comment a reply; the parent must belong to the same subject.
• post() — validate, persist and return the Comment.

Typed DTO

For queued jobs or service code, pass a WriteCommentData DTO to Comments::write():

use RoundlyConsulting\Comments\DataTransferObjects\WriteCommentData;
use RoundlyConsulting\Comments\Facades\Comments;

$comment = Comments::write(new WriteCommentData(
    commentable: $post,
    body: 'From a job',
    author: $user,        // optional
    parent: $rootComment, // optional reply — must belong to $post
));

From the author

GivesComments adds a writeComment() shortcut. Pass the model being commented on, the body and an optional visibility flag (defaults to true). It goes through the same manager as the facade:

$comment = $user->writeComment(
    commentable: $post,
    comment: 'This is a very good blog post, thanks for sharing!',
    visible: true, // optional, defaults to true
);   // goes through the same manager as Comments::on($post)->as($user)->…->post()

What every write checks

The builder, write() and the trait all run the same WriteCommentAction, in this order:

• Parent — a reply whose parent belongs to another subject throws InvalidCommentParentException, before authorization runs.
• Authorization — the create ability, only when comments.authorization is on.
• Body — trimmed; an empty body or one longer than max_length throws InvalidCommentBodyException.
• Reply depth — a reply deeper than max_depth throws MaxReplyDepthExceededException; soft-deleted ancestors still count.
• Locks — a locked subject, or a reply anywhere inside a locked thread, throws CommentsLockedException.
• Status — approved, or pending when require_approval is on; a blocklist match rejects, holds or hides the comment.
• Mentions — @handles in the body are stored and resolved; CommentMentioned fires only once the comment is approved.

CommentCreated is dispatched when the comment is saved. Every failure is a subclass of CommentsException, so a single catch turns them into a form error:

use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use RoundlyConsulting\Comments\Exceptions\CommentsException;
use RoundlyConsulting\Comments\Facades\Comments;

public function store(Request $request, Post $post)
{
    try {
        Comments::on($post)
            ->as($request->user())
            ->body((string) $request->input('body'))
            ->post();
    } catch (CommentsException $e) {
        return back()->withErrors(['body' => $e->getMessage()])->withInput();
    }

    return back();
}