wpDiscuz Emoticons Addon

A custom emoticon is a word the site recognizes

You open the comments on your blog and see that every reader writes their smileys in their own way. You want your community to have its own set of images, but first you need to know how the site tells a smiley from ordinary text.

Each emoticon works as a keyword: any text that matches its code turns into an image, so the code you choose matters as much as the image itself.

wpDiscuz Emoticons is an add-on for the wpDiscuz comments plugin. It brings a package of smileys, converts the codes into images inside each comment's text and adds a button to the comment field's toolbar, which opens a chooser and inserts the selected code. Because the change is applied to the written text, a code that resembles a word or a common symbol could be transformed where nobody expects it. It is best to pick codes that no reader would type by accident.

Packages, codes and images you define

• Bundled package: comes with a set of smileys ready to use.
• Button in the comment toolbar: opens the chooser and writes the code into the text.
• Custom emoticons: each has its own code and image, and they are added from the settings.
• Custom packages: you create a package and switch between them from the settings page.
• Individual switch: each emoticon is enabled or disabled separately.
• Post content: optionally, the conversion also applies to the text of your posts.
• bbPress: replaces the emoticons in bbPress posts and adds a selector to the topic and reply editor.
• Chooser colors: background and border are adjusted in the settings.

To build your own package you create a folder inside wpDiscuz's emoticons directory, copy the files from the bundled package, replace the images, rename their files in wpsmiliestrans.php so they match the codes and change the package icon without altering its file name. Then you switch to it from the settings page.

A package with the tone of your community

Imagine a gardening blog whose readers comment every week with photos and questions. With its own package, its smileys could be a watering can, a flowerpot or a sprout, each with a code that is easy to remember. The reader clicks the button in the comment field, picks the image and the chooser inserts the code; the published comment shows the illustration. It is a way to give the comments a visual identity without touching the site's theme. Adjust it to your blog's style; it is only an example.

It needs wpDiscuz and does not cover every forum

The add-on works on top of wpDiscuz; without that comments plugin there is nowhere to apply it. To see it on mobile you have to enable the "Mobile and Desktop" option inside Load Rich Editor.

Among its functions there is no wpForo compatibility: it covers wpDiscuz comments and bbPress posts.

Getting started

You need WordPress with wpDiscuz installed and active. Then:

1. Install the add-on like any other plugin and activate it.
2. Go to Comments, wpDiscuz Settings, Addons and open the emoticons section.
3. Decide whether to use the bundled package or create your own, and review the chooser colors.
4. In Load Rich Editor, enable "Mobile and Desktop" so the editor also loads on mobile.

Base plugin and family add-ons

The plugin it works on is wpDiscuz. Within the same family you also have wpDiscuz myCRED Integration, which adds a different function to comments.

Answers about wpDiscuz Emoticons

Can I use my own images?

Yes. Each custom emoticon is defined with a code and an image, and you can group several into a package.

Can I disable only some smileys?

Yes. Each emoticon is enabled or disabled individually.

Can a code convert by accident?

It can happen, because the add-on converts the codes it finds in the comment. That is why your package's codes should not match ordinary text.