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Comments

Use this feature to create message threads on a client's Info Request

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Written by Support
Updated today

This article is for: all SideDrawer users
Some elements will only be applicable to SideDrawer Console users

What Are Comments?

Comments are a feature that enables Collaborators on a SideDrawer to communicate directly with each other, to add notes or ask and answer questions about elements of an Info Request

Any user with access to Info Requests can post or reply to a Comment - SideDrawer Owner, SideDrawer Editor, or SideDrawer Contributor

Why Use Comments?

As the administrator sending the Info Request, you can choose to turn on Comments

When Comments are enabled, your clients will be able to ask you questions if they need advice or clarification on any aspect of the Info Request, and you can reply directly in SideDrawer

You can also use Comments to check in with your clients about the Info Request, especially if you need them to complete certain items by a particular date, for example during income tax season

When you send an Info Request with the Comments option activated, every item in the Info Request will display the Comment icon:

Any user interacting with the Info Request (admin, advisor, client) can click on the icon and start a Comment thread.

Activating Comments

Comments are selected when you send an Info Request

You don't need to do anything when the Info Request is created - all Info Requests have the option of including Comments

When you send the Info Request, the Enable Comments toggle will be turned on by default - you can turn it off if you don't want to allow Comments

This means that you can enable Comments for some users and disable it for others, on the same Info Request.

If you have multiple users on your team, it's a good idea to make some decisions about Comments

Info Requests can't be sent to the same SideDrawer twice (to prevent duplication), so make sure you have the right selection for Comments before sending!

Posting Comments

In the Info Request, every element (question, document upload) will have a Comment icon

Click on the icon to add a new Comment

Comment:

Type your comment or question in the upper box, then click the Post button (up arrow)
This comment will be added to the thread, and will be visible to anyone with access to the Info Request

Formatting:

Comments allow basic formatting options: Bold, Italic, and Underline

Click on the Formatting button at the lower left to open a formatting menu, then click on text you want to format, and select the desired option
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You can also use standard keyboard shortcuts: select the text you want to format, then type CTRL+b for Bold, CTRL+i for Italic, or CTRL+u for Underline

Emoji:

Use the emoji icon in the middle of the bottom row to add icons to your Comment
You can select one or more emoji from the menu in the toolbar

Mention @:

Mentions let you address a comment directly to a specific Collaborator, so you can specify who the comment or question is for.
A mention will generate an immediate notification by email, letting that user know that there's a comment addressed to them.

Editing or Deleting Comments

Editing or Deleting a Comment

You can edit or delete a comment if:

  1. It's your own comment AND

  2. It's the most recent comment in the thread

You can't edit another Collaborator's comment, and you can't change or remove a comment if someone's already responded to it

To edit your comment, click on the 3 dots to the right of the comment, select Edit, make the desired changes, then click the Post button (red arrow) at the lower right

To delete your comment, click on the 3 dots to the right of the comment, then select Delete
You'll get a pop-up message asking you to confirm - select Confirm to delete the comment, or Cancel to leave the comment as is
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To cancel a Comment before you've posted it, click the 'x' icon at the bottom right.
This will delete anything you've typed, letting you start over or exit out of the Comments menu.

Comments Thread: Reply, Resolve, Reopen

The Comments thread will always show the first comment and the most recent comment
Once there are 3 or more comments in the thread, the thread will truncate, so the middle sections are hidden
Click on More replies to see all comments in the thread
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Click on Hide replies to collapse the thread again, showing just the first and last comments
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Replying to a Comment

You can reply to any Comment in the thread (your own or someone else's) by clicking the Reply arrow to the right of that comment.

The original Comment will be quoted above your reply.

The Reply function is especially useful if you're responding to a Comment earlier in the thread, to help make it clear what the response relates to

Resolving and Reopening a Comment Thread

When a Comment thread has been completed (question is answered, discussion is closed, etc.) any user can click on the Resolve button at the upper right to close the thread.
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A resolved thread can still be read, but no one can add new Comments to it, and it will show as completed.


Resolving a thread will also trigger a unique notification email
This email works on the Timeline schedule, sending every 2 hours rather than right away
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If a new question comes up, or a new item for the discussion, you can re-open a Resolved thread by clicking the Reopen button at the upper right
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Re-opening a thread will enable new Comments and replies to be added - once the new question or discussion is finished, the thread can be Resolved again, to close it off

Note that each question or element in the Info Request only has 1 Comment thread
So if you Resolve a thread for one question, and a new question comes up, you'll need to Reopen the thread in order to discuss it

Comment Notifications

Comments activity will create icon notifications in the SideDrawer, timestamped markers in the Timeline, and email notifications

Front End: Icons

In your SideDrawer, the Comments icon will appear differently in different areas, to indicate activity

Unread Comments

When you log into your SideDrawer, if there are new unread Comments, you will see the solid-colour Comments icon to the right of the Info Requests entry in the left-hand menu:

In the Info Requests menu, the Info Request with unread comments will also show the solid-colour Comments icon:

Read Comments

Once all comments are read, the comments icon will change from solid-colour to outline, and the hover-text will show as "No unread comments"

No Comments Yet

If an Info Request has Comments enabled, and no Comments have been posted on an item yet, it will appear with the + in the Comment icon:

Resolved Thread

Once a Comments thread has been resolved, the Comments icon next to that question will show with a checkmark, and the hovertext will read "All comments resolved"

Timeline

Comment activity is tracked in the SideDrawer's Timeline.

When a Collaborator adds a new Comment, the Timeline note will read
​"[Collaborator] added a Comment"

When a Collaborator resolves or reopens a thread, or edits or deletes their Comment, the Timeline note will read
​"[Collaborator] updated a Comment"

Comment activity is not included in the standard Timeline notification emails, because Comments generate their own unique email notifications, described below.

Email Notifications

Even though Comments are included in the Timeline, they are not included in the Timeline Notification Email/Activity Email

Comments generate their own activity email, with a similar structure to the Timeline emails - the system will take a snapshot every 2 hours, and send a batched notification of any activity in that timeslot.
That way, if 10 comments are added in a short time, there's just one notification email, showing multiple actions.

The link in the Comments notifications will direct right to the relevant Comments thread (after login).

Comment Notification

This email shows a summary of Comments activity in the SideDrawer, and is sent every 2 hours, if there is new activity to report.

Like Timeline notifications, the email will show the SideDrawer name, the Collaborator who added or updated a comment,

Mention

If a Collaborator is directly mentioned in a Comment, using the @ function, they will receive an email notification right away, advising them that there's a Comment addressed to them.

Comment Thread Resolved

This notification is sent when a Comment thread is marked as resolved.
The notification will go out on the same schedule as Timeline notifications, every 2 hours.

Saving Comments

When saving your Info Request within your SideDrawer as a PDF, you have the option to include the Comments.

When you click on Save Info Request as PDF at the bottom of your Info Request, you will see the option to include comments in the report:

If you include the comments, the PDF will save with the file name "Info Request with comments".
You can view the comments by opening the PDF file, and clicking on the Comments icon at the top right:

Each comment thread will appear separately, and will show the Collaborator name and timestamp in addition to the comment text.

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