Free Client Comment Validation + Captcha

[Chris Boulton]

Greetings all, another quick modification put together to enhance a specific area of SupportSuite.

This particular modification relates to improving the client side comment functionality on knowledge base articles, news items, downloads and troubleshooter items.

The comment functionality in SupportSuite has a few major problems:

1. When users do not enter any comment or their full name, they receive a blank page with no error messages after submitting the comment form.
2. Spam bots are free to use the comment system as there is no "captcha" protection for it.

This modification addresses these things by adding the following functionality:

• Name & comment validation, with optional ability to require email addresses to be valid.
• When errors are detected with the submitted comment, the users information is saved and they're taken back to a comment form which mentions these errors and retains their previous values.
• A captcha image will be generated if captcha images are enabled in SupportSuite and the user is not logged in when commenting.

Personally, I would recommend all users of Kayako SupportSuite who have commenting enabled by guests, and even users, install this modification - it is something very necessary!

Please see the following screenshot for an example:


Please see the instructions in the attached text file to apply it to your insallation.

Let me know if you're using it and if you have any feedback.

[Jamie Edwards]

Fantastic mod Chris, thanks for sharing

[craigbrass]

Lookin Good Chris! Thanks for sharing!

[ansuk]

I am using yearly licensed eSupport and because of the encription the "Find and Add" doesnt work

[Chris Boulton]

Ah sorry - yes, you'd need an owned license.

Sorry about that,
Chris

[craigbrass]

You may be able to get the unencoded files by submitting a ticket to Kayako. Sometimes they allow this.

[SWG]

I have followed the steps and can't get the captcha to appear. I am not logged in and have captcha turned on and is visible for new registrations. I've cleared the cache. I see the changed text in the template and even uncommented the lines for valid email addresses and that works, just no captcha! Is there another loale to turn it on that I'm missing? Any help is appreciated as this mod is just what we need and there is no reason Kayako shouldn't include it!!!

[Chris Boulton]

Hi,

It should appear. Can you send me a PM with the link to your frontend/client side of SupportSuite so I can take a look?

Also - are you by chance integrating SupportSuite & ModernBill? Just thought that this might be the cause of it.

Regards,
Chris

[Chris Boulton]

I've just updated the modification to allow it to function correctly with Modern Bill integrated installs.

Please grab the updated version from the first post.

Originally Posted by SWG

I have followed the steps and can't get the captcha to appear. I am not logged in and have captcha turned on and is visible for new registrations.

SWG,

Can you reapply the changes in step 1 (includes/functions_comments.php), it should work then.

Cheers,
Chris

[mopa]

In the template editing area of your file I see that there is this code:

PHP Code:

 <tr>
    <td colspan="2" class="smalltext"><{$language[commentsdesc]}></td>
  </tr>
<{if $errors}>
  <tr>
  <td colspan="2" class="smalltext" style="padding-top: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
   <div style="padding: 5px; border: #FC6 1px solid; background-color: #FFC;">
    <p style="color: #C00; margin: 0; font-weight: bold;">Please correct the following errors and try again:</p>
    <ul>
    <{foreach key=key value=error from=$errors}>
     <li><{$error}></li>
    <{/foreach}>
    </ul>
    <script type="text/javascript">javascript:switchDisplay('comments');</script>
   </div>
  </td>
 </tr>
<{/if}>
<{if $_USER[loggedin] == true}>
  <tr class="smalltext">
    <td><strong><{$language[cmname]}></strong><BR /><{$_USER[fullname]}><input name="fullname" value="<{$_USER[fullname]}>" type="hidden" /></td>
    <td><strong><{$language[cmemail]}></strong><BR /><{$_USER[primaryemail]}><input name="email" value="<{$_USER[primaryemail]}>" type="hidden" /></td>
  </tr>
  <{else}>
  <tr class="smalltext">
    <td><strong><{$language[cmname]}></strong><BR /><input name="fullname" type="text" size="30" value="<{$fullname}>" class="swifttext"></td>
    <td><strong><{$language[cmemail]}></strong><BR /><input name="email" type="text" size="30" value="<{$email}>" class="swifttext"></td>
  </tr>
  <{if $cancaptcha eq "1"}>
   <tr class="smalltext">
     <td colspan="2"><strong>Human Verification:</strong></td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
     <td><span class="smalltext">Please enter the text you see in the image at the right into the textbox below. This is required to prevent automated comments.</span></td>
     <td rowspan="2" align="left" valign="center" width="100"><img src="<{$swiftpath}>index.php?_m=core&_a=addcomment&do=captcha&randomhash=<{$randomhash}>&sessionid=<{$sessionid}>" border="0"></td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
    <td><input name="verifyregcode" type="text" style="WIDTH:100%;" class="swifttext"></td>
   </tr>
  <{/if}>
  <{/if}>
  <tr>
    <td colspan="2" class="smalltext"><strong><{$language[cmcomments]}></strong><BR /><textarea name="comments" style="WIDTH:98%;" class="swifttextarea" rows="4"><{$comments}></textarea></td>
  </tr> 


Wouldn't it be better to add the phrase: Please enter the text you see in the image at the right into the textbox below. This is required to prevent automated comments in a language-string instead, so it could be easily translated into different needed languages?

[Chris Boulton]

Possibly, but that involves extra file edits and too many of those make things hard to maintain for users. It isn't really a priority/issue for me because I only use the English language and users with one language installed (most only use one) can change it in the template too.

If there is demand for it, however, I can do so.

[mopa]

You are propably right. No need to do so - at least now people who use more languages are aware that if they want to easily translate this it have to be done with an added phrase into the languages. Since I use two languages I might do so.
But it can also just be translated directly in the template...

Thanks - keep up the nice work

[handsonweb]

Nice mod - I'll be implementing it shortly to see how it goes. I've been using some of our own SQL searches to remove comments etc that are spam - but this will hopefully help take care of some of that too.

Will update this thread once we've implemented it. Thanks again.

[fivestarhost]

thank you

[supportskins]

Great mod! Thanks for sharing