# Comment on an article

An article comment is text you add to an article for other readers to read. Use the comment
area to add a new comment, or remove a comment that you authored.

| If you need to… | Go to |
| --- | --- |
| Open the article and read its comments | [Read an article](doc:read-an-article) |
| Add text to an article | [Add a comment](#add-a-comment) |
| Remove a comment you wrote | [Delete a comment you authored](#delete-a-comment-you-authored) |
| Sign in before commenting | [Sign in](doc:sign-in) |
| Create an account before commenting | [Create an account](doc:create-an-account) |
| Find help for a general error | [General error messages](doc:general-error-messages) |

## Before you start

Have the following ready before you begin:

| What you need | Why it matters |
| --- | --- |
| The article you want to comment on | Comments are displayed in the article page's comments area. |
| A signed-in session | The comment form is available to authenticated readers. |
| The comment text you want to post | This is the text readers see in your comment. |
| Ownership of the comment you want to remove | A delete control appears beside comments you authored, not beside comments written by other readers. |

If you are not signed in, the article page provides **Sign in** and **sign up** links instead of
the comment form.

## Find and open the article

An article page is the place where the article content and its comments are available together.
Open the article page for the article you want to discuss.

**Steps**

1. Open the article through [Read an article](doc:read-an-article).

**Result:** The article page opens with the article content and its comment area.

## Understand the comment area

The comment area is the part of the article page where you enter a comment, submit it, and read
the comments already attached to the article. Each comment shows its text, author, and creation
date.

| What you need to do | What to use |
| --- | --- |
| Enter a comment | The multiline field with the placeholder **Write a comment...** |
| Submit the comment | **Post Comment** |
| Reach the form while signed out | **Sign in** or **sign up** |
| Remove your own comment | The delete control beside comments you authored, not beside comments written by other readers. |
| Read an existing comment | Its text, author, and creation date |

The form is available when you are signed in. While a comment is being submitted, the form is
disabled.

## Add a comment

Use this procedure when you are signed in and the article page is open.

**Prerequisites**

- Open the article you want to comment on.
- Sign in to your account.

**Steps**

1. In the comment area, enter your text in **Write a comment...**.
2. Select **Post Comment**.

   The form is disabled while the submission is in progress.

**Result:** The new comment is added to the beginning of the comments list, and the comment
field is cleared.

## Delete a comment you authored

Use this procedure to remove a comment that belongs to your account.

**Prerequisites**

- Open the article containing your comment.
- Confirm that the delete control appears beside your comment.

**Steps**

1. On your comment, select the delete control beside it.

**Result:** After deletion succeeds, the comment is removed from the comments list.

## When comment actions go wrong

The article page displays errors in its error area. If loading the article returns no specific
error message, the page displays `Failed to load article`.

| What you see | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| An error appears after submitting a comment | Read the error area for the returned error. |
| An error appears while deleting your comment | Read the error message. |
| The article cannot be loaded | Read the displayed error before attempting to comment. |

## What happens next

After a successful submission, the new comment appears at the beginning of the comments list and
the entry field is empty. After a successful deletion, the selected comment is removed from the
list. Continue reading in [Read an article](doc:read-an-article), or use [General error
messages](doc:general-error-messages) when the page displays an error.