# Read and manage an article

An article is a published post in Conduit's social blogging application. A comment is text
attached to an article so readers can respond to its content. Use the article page to read the
post, review its tags and comments, and manage the post when you are its author. The page
renders the article body as markdown, places comments at the bottom, and shows actions to the
author.

| If you need to… | Go to |
| --- | --- |
| Open and read an existing article | [Find and open the article](#find-and-open-the-article) |
| Locate the title, body, tags, author, or comments | [Understand the article page](#understand-the-article-page) |
| Edit or delete an article you authored | [Manage an article you authored](#manage-an-article-you-authored) |
| Add or manage comments | [Work with comments](#work-with-comments) or [Comment on articles](doc:comment-on-articles) |
| Continue editing an article | [Create and edit articles](doc:create-and-edit-articles) |

## Before you start

The article page needs an article record before it can display the article content. Your
relationship to the article and your sign-in state determine which controls appear.

| Before you start | What to have ready |
| --- | --- |
| Article record | The article route and its article identifier |
| Article authorship | Sign in with the account that authored the article to manage it |
| Commenting | Sign in to enter and post a comment |
| Signed-out reading | Use the **Sign in** or **sign up** link when you want to add comments |

## Find and open the article

An article route opens one existing article record for reading and any available author or
comment actions.

**Prerequisites**

- Know the article identifier for the article you want to open.

**Steps**

1. Open the article from the article list.

**Result:** The article record opens at the article route.

## Understand the article page

The article page is the reading surface for the post and its related author and comment
content.

The page contains these areas:

| Area | What you use it for |
| --- | --- |
| Article title | Identify the post you opened |
| Article body | Read the post content rendered from markdown |
| Author information | Identify the article author and the author's date information |
| Tags | Review the tags attached to the article |
| Comments area | Read the comments associated with the article |

The article body is converted to HTML with sanitization enabled before it is inserted into
the page. Tags are displayed from the article's tag list, and each comment comes from the
article's comments collection.

## Manage an article you authored

Article management is the set of actions available to the account whose username matches
the article author's username.

**Prerequisites**

- Open the article you authored.
- Sign in with the account that authored the article.

**Steps**

1. Select **Edit Article** to open the article in the editor.
2. Select **Delete Article** to send the article deletion request.

**Result:** The article page shows **Edit Article** and **Delete Article** for the article's
author. Another signed-in account does not receive these controls.

## Work with comments

Signed-in readers can enter and post comments; the comment author can use the comment delete
icon beside that comment in the comment's row.

**Prerequisites**

- Open the article whose comments you want to read or manage.
- Use the account state that matches the action you want to take.

**Steps**

1. Choose the branch that matches your account:

   | If you need to… | Action |
   | --- | --- |
   | Add a comment while signed in | Enter the comment in **Write a comment...** |
   | Start signing in before commenting | Select **Sign in** |
   | Create an account before commenting | Select **sign up** |
   | Read comments while signed out | Review the comments shown below the sign-in prompt |

2. Select **Post Comment** after entering the comment in **Write a comment...**.
3. For a comment you authored, select the comment delete icon beside that comment.

**Result:** The comment form clears its comment body after submission. The page lists comments
from the article's comments collection, and a delete icon appears at the end of a comment row
when the current account is that comment's author.

## Continue from the article

When you need to change the article rather than read it, continue with [Create and edit
articles](doc:create-and-edit-articles). For the complete comment workflow, continue with
[Comment on articles](doc:comment-on-articles).