EJC - Easy Joomla Comments

Version 6.0.4.3-PRO - 2026-06-02

• ! Orphaned shared JavaScript chunk files removed – previously generated shared chunk assets are no longer needed and were removed as separate files, simplifying the overall frontend asset structure.
• ^ JavaScript build process simplified – the frontend build was reworked so each editor bundle is now fully self-contained, improving reliability and ensuring that version-based cache busting works consistently for all JavaScript assets.
• ^ Asset loading on the shortcode path improved – manually injected CSS and JavaScript assets for the {easyjoomlacomments} shortcode now follow the same versioned cache-busting strategy as the regular asset-loading path.
• # Missing cache-busting version on shortcode assets fixed – assets loaded through the shortcode rendering path now include the correct version query string, preventing browsers from serving stale CSS and JavaScript files after updates.

Version 6.0.4.2-PRO - 2026-05-31

• ^ AJAX base URL handling for voting and reporting aligned with the rest of EJC – the vote and report actions now use the same root-based AJAX URL logic already used by the thread loader, thread refresh and moderation workflow, ensuring fully consistent request handling across all AJAX endpoints.
• # Voting and reporting on nested SEF URLs fixed – vote and report actions now work correctly again on sites where articles are served from multi-level SEF URLs.
• # Wrong AJAX URL construction in interactions fixed – the JavaScript for voting and reporting now correctly prefixes the Joomla root URL before the AJAX endpoint instead of relying on a bare relative index.php path.
• # Raw HTML error output in vote and report responses resolved – failed AJAX requests on affected pages no longer return HTML pages that were previously shown as visible raw text inside the comment thread.

Version 6.0.4.1-PRO - 2026-05-31

• ^ AJAX URL handling in moderation aligned with the rest of EJC – the moderation workflow now uses the same root-based URL approach already used by the thread loader and thread refresh logic, improving consistency and reliability.
• # Moderation actions on nested SEF URLs fixed – approve, reject, trash, delete and save actions now work correctly again on sites where articles are loaded through multi-level SEF URLs.
• # Wrong AJAX URL handling in moderation fixed – the moderation JavaScript now correctly prefixes the Joomla root URL before the AJAX endpoint, preventing requests from being sent to invalid nested paths like /category/index.php.
• # Broken moderation responses on affected pages resolved – failed moderation requests no longer return HTML error pages that were previously shown as raw visible text inside the comment thread.

Version 6.0.4.0-PRO - 2026-05-29

• + Enhanced notification system added – administrator email notifications can now be configured individually per event, allowing separate control over new comments, reported comments and comments that were automatically hidden after reaching the report threshold. Thanks to Michael for requesting it!
• + New report and threshold notification emails introduced – Easy Joomla Comments can now send dedicated notification emails when a comment is reported or automatically hidden, including full comment details and practical one-click moderation action links directly inside the message.
• + One-click moderation links in notification emails added – notification emails now support direct actions such as restoring reported comments, permanently blocking them, hiding them or deleting them without needing to navigate manually through the backend first.
• + Server-side comment pagination introduced – comment threads with many root comments can now be loaded in pages, which significantly reduces initial load times and improves frontend performance on large discussion threads.
• + New "Load More" and optional "Load All" buttons added – visitors can now load additional comments incrementally or display all remaining comments in one step, with the "Load All" button showing the exact remaining number of comments.
• ^ AJAX language handling fixed completely – comment submissions, votes, reports, moderation actions and thread refreshes now always respond in the active site language instead of incorrectly falling back to the Joomla default language.
• ^ Post-submit loading overlay added – after submitting a reply, the form now stays visible and is covered with a dedicated loading overlay and animated spinner, giving users continuous visual feedback instead of showing an abrupt empty gap during the AJAX refresh.
• ^ Database and performance improvements included – the token action column was widened to support longer action names, and new voter-key indexes were added to the votes and reports tables to improve lookup performance on larger installations.

Version 6.0.3.1-PRO - 2026-05-23

• General reliability of the dynamic thread architecture improved – this maintenance release resolves a small but important issue in the AJAX-based comment loading workflow without introducing new features, database changes or breaking changes.
• ^ Thread loader URL handling improved – the AJAX base URL is now derived reliably from the absolute site root embedded in the thread placeholder, ensuring correct comment loading even on cached pages and deeply nested SEF routes.
• # AJAX thread loading on SEF URLs fixed – the comment thread now loads correctly on pages using SEF URLs, where the AJAX endpoint was previously resolved against the current page path instead of the site root and caused a 404 error page to appear instead of comments. Thanks to George for reporting it!

Version 6.0.3.0-PRO - 2026-05-22

• General AJAX refresh architecture – the new dynamic loading and refresh approach improves cache compatibility, security-field handling and frontend reliability throughout the comment workflow without requiring database changes.
• + Dynamic AJAX-based thread loading introduced – Easy Joomla Comments now loads the complete comment thread dynamically via AJAX on every page load, ensuring that visitors always see the latest comments and moderation changes even when Joomla page caching is active.
• + Full compatibility with all CAPTCHA plugins in cached environments achieved – because the comment thread and security fields are now refreshed dynamically via AJAX, CAPTCHA integrations remain fully functional even with Joomla page cache enabled. This also means that the new core Joomla! CAPTCHA Proof of Work can now be used in Easy Joomla Comments without any issues.
• + Proof of Work CAPTCHA compatibility with page cache fixed completely – the server-side challenge handling now works reliably in cached environments, preventing stale or already-consumed CAPTCHA challenges from being reused.
• + Reply form drafts added – when the draft feature is enabled, reply forms now also support saving, restoring and discarding drafts, making longer discussions much more comfortable to handle.
• + Reply drafts remain available after closing the form – closing a reply form no longer removes the stored draft, so users can reopen the same reply later and continue where they left off.
• # Colored initials avatars fixed for all nesting levels – avatar colour handling now works consistently across the full comment tree, including nested replies.
• # Login note shown correctly again when guest comments are disabled – visitors now properly see the login hint and login link instead of an empty area when commenting is restricted to registered users.

Version 6.0.2.1-PRO - 2026-05-13

• + General maintenance and privacy improvements – this is a targeted bug-fix and privacy update with no new features, no database schema changes and no breaking changes.
• ^ Emoji picker made privacy-friendly – the emoji dataset is now self-hosted locally instead of being loaded from an external CDN, preventing unnecessary third-party requests and improving GDPR compliance.
• ^ Thread refresh behaviour improved – expanded and collapsed reply states are now preserved automatically during thread refreshes, ensuring a smoother moderation workflow and reducing unnecessary extra clicks.
• ^ Moderator actions now preserve expanded reply threads – reply sections that were manually opened by a moderator no longer collapse automatically after actions such as activate, deactivate or delete.
• # Broken backend comment editor fixed – the rich-text editor in the administrator “Edit Comment” view now displays correctly again, including a properly aligned toolbar and restored editor styling.
• # Admin editor CSS integration improved – the backend editor is now wrapped correctly so the scoped Easy Joomla Comments editor styles and design variables are applied reliably inside the Joomla administrator interface.

Version 6.0.2.0-PRO - 2026-04-25

• + Initials avatars with optional per-author colors added – when no Gravatar is used, Easy Joomla Comments now generates modern circular initials avatars, with optional consistent author-specific colors for a more attractive visual appearance.
• + New collapsible replies feature added – first-level reply threads can now be collapsed behind a compact toggle element that shows the total number of nested replies, making long discussions much clearer and easier to navigate.
• + Optional collapsible comment form introduced – the main submission form can now be displayed in a collapsible container, providing a cleaner and more compact layout without requiring JavaScript.
• + "Read more" / "Read less" function for long comments added – lengthy comment texts can now be truncated in the thread view and expanded on demand, improving readability especially in larger discussions.
• + Reply form handling completely reworked – reply forms are now cloned dynamically per click instead of moving the main form, allowing multiple reply forms to be opened independently and preventing page jump issues.
• + Frontend usability and layout stability improved – several form and thread display issues were resolved, including overlapping guest fields, unwanted scroll jumps when replying and incorrect interaction behaviour in collapsible reply areas.
• + New spam-rejection logging added – administrators can now log failed spam checks and unexpected AJAX errors in the Joomla log, making it much easier to diagnose why submissions were rejected.
• ^ Security token handling relaxed and improved – blocked license states no longer modify the extension status or stored configuration data. Instead, the extension configuration remains untouched, and users are only redirected with an error message, resulting in a safer and less invasive handling process. Thanks to David J. for requesting it!

Version 6.0.1.0-PRO - 2026-04-17

• + CSS template independence significantly improved – the entire comment thread styling was reworked to make Easy Joomla Comments much more resistant against template-specific CSS overrides and layout conflicts.
• + Font sizes and input styling optimised – several frontend form and message elements now use fixed pixel-based sizing to ensure a consistent appearance across all Joomla templates, regardless of custom root font settings.
• + Improved frontend spacing and usability – message areas, security fields, form footer spacing, disabled draft button styling and anchor positioning were refined for a cleaner and more user-friendly comment form experience.
• + Better TipTap editor compatibility – list styling inside the editor was improved so that bullet points and numbered lists remain visible even on templates with aggressive global CSS resets.
• + New direct #comments anchor support added – the comment section can now be linked directly via anchor URLs for easier navigation and improved usability.
• + Comment form layout made more self-contained – additional dedicated layout classes were introduced for guest fields, labels, inputs, hints, form meta sections and checkbox handling to reduce dependency on external framework styling.
• + CAPTCHA placement improved – the security field output was repositioned in the form layout to create a more logical order between comment editor, meta information, CAPTCHA and action buttons.
• + Draft button behaviour improved – the "Save draft" button is now automatically disabled when the editor is empty, preventing unnecessary or empty draft saves.
• + Moderation flash message styling cleaned up – inline font-size handling was removed so that message appearance is now fully controlled by the stylesheet for better consistency.

Version 6.0.0.0-PRO - 2026-04-15

• + First production release for Joomla! 6
• + New native, privacy-first and self-hosted comment system for Joomla! 6
• + Implemented as component + system plugin package for universal embedding
• + Added automatic article injection and universal shortcode support
• + Added full, light and plain editor modes with draft saving
• + Added configurable comment ordering, optional comment count and nested replies
• + Added guest and user moderation options including first-comment approval
• + Added five-layer security concept with honeypot, time lock, JavaScript field, rate limiting and CAPTCHA
• + Added privacy-first IP hashing and hashed Gravatar integration
• + Added voting and reporting features with moderation support
• + Added admin notifications, reply notifications and secure single-use moderation tokens
• + Added frontend and backend moderation workflows
• + Added full en-GB and de-DE language support