# Articles in Conduit An article is Conduit's social-blogging content: you can find articles in feeds and lists, write or edit them, read their content, favorite them, and add comments. The article journey starts on the home page and continues through the editor, article page, and profile favorites. | If you need to… | Go to | | --- | --- | | Find an article in a feed, filter by a tag, or move between pages | [Find articles](doc:find-articles) | | Start a new article or change one you own | [Create and edit articles](doc:create-and-edit-articles) | | Read an opened article or manage its author actions | [Read and manage an article](doc:read-and-manage-an-article) | | Favorite an article or view favorited articles | [Favorite articles](doc:favorite-articles) | | Add a comment to an article | [Comment on articles](doc:comment-on-articles) | ## Before you start Before you work with articles, know which feed branch applies to you and have the article information ready if you are creating or editing one. A signed-in session starts with the feed; when you are signed out, the home page starts with the global article list. **Prerequisites** | Have or know… | Why it matters here | | --- | --- | | Whether you are signed in | It determines whether the home page starts with **Your Feed** or the global list. | | The article title, description, body, and tags you want to use | These values make up the article submitted by the editor. | | The article you want to change | The editor uses the existing article to update it instead of creating a new one. | | The displayed sign-in branch | Signed-in readers get the comment form; other readers get links to **Sign in** and **sign up**. | The editor uses the article fields and controls described in [Create and edit articles](doc:create-and-edit-articles). This article surface has no required-field marker and no save confirmation or success message for article creation, editing, favoriting, or commenting. ## Find and open articles An article list is a set of article previews that you scan before opening one. The home page can show a list from **Your Feed**, **Global Feed**, or a selected tag, with pagination when the list contains more than 10 articles. **Prerequisites** - You are on the home page. - You know whether you want your feed, the global list, or a tag-filtered list. **Steps** 1. Choose the list you need using this table. | If you want to… | Select or use | | --- | --- | | See articles from your feed | **Your Feed** when it is available | | See the global article list | **Global Feed** | | See articles for a selected tag | Select the tag in the tag list | | Move through a list with more than 10 articles | Select the page number in pagination | 2. Select **Read more...** on the article you want to open. If the list is still loading, the page displays `Loading...`. If the list has no articles, it displays `No articles are here... yet.` Pagination is not shown when the article count is 10 or less. **Result:** The selected article page is open, or the list remains on the selected feed, tag, or page; while the list is loading, the page displays `Loading...`. Continue to the article surface to decide whether to read, favorite, comment on, or edit the article. ## Understand the article surface The article page is the place to read the article body, see its title, author, date, and tags, then continue to favorites or comments. The available author and comment actions depend on whose article or comment you are viewing. | Area | What you work with | | --- | --- | | Article content | The article title, body, and tag list. | | Article preview | The article title, description, author, date, tags, and favorite count. | | Favorite action | The article's favorite state and displayed favorite count. | | Article actions | **Edit Article** and **Delete Article** for the article owner. | | Comments | Existing comment text, author, date, and the comment area. | | Comment access | Signed-in readers see the comment form; other readers see **Sign in** or **sign up**. | | Comment actions | A comment owner selects the delete icon in their own comment row. | The editor collects a title, description, body, and tags for an article. A comment contains text; an article preview carries its favorite state and favorite count. When you are ready to author an article, continue to [Create or edit an article](#create-or-edit-an-article). ## Create or edit an article An article editor is the form for putting an article's title, description, body, and tags into a submitted article. Use it for a new article or use **Edit Article** on an article you own to open the existing article in the editor. ### Enter and publish article content **Prerequisites** - For a new article, you have the title, description, body, and tags ready. - For an existing article, you have opened **Edit Article** on an article you own. **Steps** 1. Enter the article title in **Article Title**. 2. Enter the short description in **What's this article about?**. 3. Enter the article body in **Write your article (in markdown)**. 4. Enter a tag in **Enter tags**. 5. Press Enter to add the tag to the article's tag list. 6. Select **Publish Article**. The same **Publish Article** control submits a new article when no existing article is loaded and submits an update when an article slug is loaded. **Result:** The editor has submitted the article create or update request. For work on an opened article, continue to [Read, favorite, and comment](#read-favorite-and-comment). ## Read, favorite, and comment An opened article lets you read its body and choose whether to keep it in your favorites. A signed-in reader can also enter a comment in the comment form. ### Change an article's favorite state **Prerequisites** - An article preview is visible in an article list. **Steps** 1. Select the article favorite button beside the displayed favorite count. When the article is already favorited, selecting the button unfavorites it. When it is not favorited, selecting the button favorites it. **Result:** The article's favorite action has been toggled. ### Add a comment **Prerequisites** - The article page is open. **Steps** 1. Choose the path that matches your sign-in state. | If you are… | Do this | | --- | --- | | Signed in | Enter the comment in **Write a comment...**, then select **Post Comment**. | | Signed out | Select **Sign in** or **sign up** in the prompt `to add comments on this article.` | The comment is submitted with the article's slug and the text entered in the comment body. **Result:** The signed-in path submits the comment for the opened article; the signed-out path opens the selected authentication page. Use the branch table next when your sign-in state, ownership, or list selection changes what you see. ## Handle the available branches The article surfaces change with your sign-in state, the selected list, and ownership. Use the branch that matches what you see rather than looking for a control from another branch. | What you are trying to do | What appears | | --- | --- | | Start with your signed-in feed | **Your Feed** appears. | | Start with the global list | **Global Feed** appears. | | Work with a selected tag | The tag-filter tab appears with the selected tag. | | Wait for articles to arrive | `Loading...` appears while the list has no article data. | | Work with an empty list | `No articles are here... yet.` appears. | | Edit an article you own | **Edit Article** appears. | | Add a comment while signed in | **Write a comment...** and **Post Comment** appear. | | Add a comment while signed out | **Sign in**, **sign up**, and `to add comments on this article.` appear. | | Remove your own comment | In the comment row, select the delete icon next to your own comment. | | Favorite an article | The outlined favorite button is used when the article is not favorited. | | Remove an article from favorites | The filled favorite button is used when the article is already favorited. | If a message appears instead of the expected article result, use the troubleshooting table next. ## When article work goes wrong Use the exact message on screen to decide whether the article list is loading, empty, waiting for access, or showing a form error. For broader error handling, see [General error messages](doc:general-error-messages). | What you see | What it means | What to do | | --- | --- | --- | | `Loading...` | The article list has not arrived yet. | Wait for the list to load. | | `No articles are here... yet.` | The article list is empty. | Choose another feed, tag, or page. | | `Sign in` and `sign up` | The article page is showing its anonymous comment branch. | Select **Sign in** or **sign up** before adding a comment. | | `to add comments on this article.` | The anonymous reader prompt explains why the comment form is not shown. | Sign in or register, then return to the article. | | `Article Title` | The title field is ready for article input. | Enter the article title. | | `What's this article about?` | The description field is ready for article input. | Enter the article description. | | `Write your article (in markdown)` | The body field is ready for article input. | Enter the article body. | | `Enter tags` | The tag field is ready for article input. | Enter a tag and press Enter. | | `Write a comment...` | The comment field is ready for comment input. | Enter the comment text. | | `The rendered text is each error key followed by its value` | The error list is displaying the returned error information. | Read the key and value, then correct the related input. | The article surface supplies no declared validation, confirmation, or success message for the article and comment actions described here. ## Know what to do next Choose the focused procedure that matches the work you want to complete. | Next task | Continue with | | --- | --- | | Find a list, feed, tag, or page of articles | [Find articles](doc:find-articles) | | Create or edit article content | [Create and edit articles](doc:create-and-edit-articles) | | Read an opened article or use author actions | [Read and manage an article](doc:read-and-manage-an-article) | | Favorite an article or view favorited articles | [Favorite articles](doc:favorite-articles) | | Add or manage comments | [Comment on articles](doc:comment-on-articles) | | Understand the sign-in branch before commenting | [Authentication overview](doc:authentication-overview) | | Continue from an author's article or favorites list | [Profiles overview](doc:profiles-overview) | **Result:** You have the focused article procedure for the next action.