Comment on a piece of work and read the comments
Every piece of work has its own page, and that page has its comments. You write there, your colleagues write there, and so do the parents. The child reads those words on their portfolio page, on the tablet. This page describes the comment box, a comment's card, and the menu that edits or deletes your own.
Write a comment under a work
- Open the work. Tap its tile in the "Portfolios" grid, or its thumbnail in the class feed.
- In the panel, under the reactions, the "Comments" header gives the number of comments, for example Comments · 3. The comment box is at the foot of the panel. On a phone, it stays at the bottom of the screen while you read.
- Write in the "Add a comment…" field.
- Tap the "Send" arrow, to the right of the field. The Enter key sends too; Shift+Enter makes a new line.
The comment appears at the bottom of the list, with your name. The field empties and stays ready for the next one. When the work has no comment yet, the list says "No comments yet." and "Be the first to comment!".
Pro plan only On the Pro plan, a microphone sits to the left of the field. The typed text goes with the recording as its caption. On the free plan, the row has no microphone. The page Add a piece of work to a student's portfolio describes that row.
A teacher's comment is visible to the parents right away, on the work's page and in their feed. On the tablet, the child's page for the work shows it too, under "A message for you", or their number, for example 3 messages for you, with the sentence "Your teacher and your parents can write to you here." The page What the student sees in their portfolio on the tablet describes their screen.
Read a comment's card
Each comment takes one row, separated from the next by a thin line.
- On the left, the person's circle. It is yellow for a teacher and pale grey for a parent, with their photo if they have one.
- At the top, their name in bold.
- Under it, a grey line: the role, "Teacher" or "Parent", then the time, for example 4 h ago, separated by a dot. After "Save", that line shows "edited" until you leave or reload the page.
- Then the text, and the "Voice message" player with its length if the comment has one.
The time reads "Just now", then minutes, hours and days, for example 12 min ago, 4 h ago, 3 d ago. After a week, it is a short date with the month abbreviated, for example Sep. 15.
On a phone, the name and the grey line sit on two lines. On a computer or a tablet, they share one line. A name too long for the row is cut off with an ellipsis; leave the mouse on it to read it in full.
A colleague who shares the class also carries "Teacher". Class accounts have only two roles here, teacher and parent.
When a notification brings you to one comment in particular, the page scrolls to it and its row carries a yellow frame for a few seconds.
Edit or delete your comment
Your own comment has one more button, to the right of the row: three vertical dots, "More options". The button does not exist on another person's comment.
- Tap "More options". A small menu opens with "Edit" and "Delete".
- To correct the text, tap "Edit". The text becomes a field you can change, with "Save" and "Cancel" under it. "Save" does not respond while the field is empty.
- Tap "Save". The grey line shows "edited" until you leave or reload the page.
To delete, tap "Delete". The browser asks "Are you sure you want to delete this comment?". Confirm, and the row disappears. There is no bin: a deleted comment does not come back.
In the LinoClass app on iPad or iPhone, the same menu sits on your own comments, to the right of the bubble, on the work's page. "Edit" turns the bubble into a field, with "Save" and "Cancel" under it. After "Save", "edited" is added after the date. "Delete" opens a sheet at the bottom of the screen that asks "Are you sure you want to delete this comment?", with "Delete" and "Cancel". A parent who opens the work in the app has the same menu on their own comments.
A voice message with no text has no "Edit"; the menu only offers "Delete". To redo a voice message, delete it and record another one.
A parent's comment does not have this menu on your side. The only way to remove it is "Reject", while it is still waiting for your decision. The next section describes it.
If the edit or the delete fails in a browser, no message appears: the comment keeps its old text, or stays in place. Reload the page and start again. In the app on iPad or iPhone, a red line explains the failure above the comment box. A failed edit keeps the field open with your text: tap "Save" again.
A parent's comment awaiting approval
A parent's comment always waits for your decision before the other parents can see it. Its row carries a small clock on the right, and under the text, "Approve" and "Reject". Leaving the mouse on the clock shows "Your comment will be visible once the teacher approves it."; a screen reader reads "Awaiting approval".
For the parent, their own comment carries the same clock, without "Approve" or "Reject". On a computer, leaving the mouse on the clock shows "Your comment will be visible once the teacher approves it." The clock goes away when you approve.
"Reject" first asks "Reject this comment?", with the sentence "Reject this comment? It will be deleted." If the action fails, LinoClass shows "That didn't work. Try again." and the comment keeps its clock. If you read "Approve it from the class feed." instead of the two buttons, open the class feed and find the comment under the work's post. The page Add a piece of work to a student's portfolio describes that step in detail, and the page Read and react to a piece of work in the class feed describes the same comment in the feed.
When the comment does not send
If the send fails, the text stays in the field and the arrow becomes active again. No message appears. Check the connection, then tap the arrow again. You do not have to type the comment over.
If the class is no longer on the Pro plan at the moment of the send, LinoClass shows "Voice messages are part of Pro. Written comments stay free." above the row. The recording stays in place. The X on the left throws it away; the text, on its own, sends without the Pro plan.
For a parent whose school turned parent comments off, the comment box does not exist on the work's page. The parent reads the comments but does not write any. The empty list then says "No comments yet." without "Be the first to comment!". You and your colleagues keep the box.
Frequently asked questions
There are no three dots on a comment.
The "More options" button is only on your own comments. You do not edit a colleague's or a parent's comment. A parent's comment that is waiting is rejected with "Reject", under its text.
My comment carries "edited" on the grey line.
You corrected it with "Edit", then "Save". The word shows until you leave or reload the page.
The parent's name is cut off.
The row keeps the name on one line and cuts the end with an ellipsis. On a computer, leave the mouse on the name: it shows in full.
A parent says they cannot write a comment.
First check whether they have the "Add a comment…" box on the work's page. If it is not there, the school turned parent comments off for the class. If it is there and the send does not go through, their text stays in the field; they can try again without typing it over.
You tapped "Send" and the comment is not in the list.
Look at the field. If your text is still there, the send failed. Tap the arrow again. If the field is empty, the comment is at the bottom of the list: scroll the panel.
A teacher's circle is yellow, a parent's is grey. Why?
The colour repeats the role written on the grey line, "Teacher" or "Parent". You can rely on the word alone.