Getting started with WPClientFeedback
Five minutes from install to your first resolved thread. This guide covers the free core; Pro steps are marked.
Requirements
- WordPress 6.5 or newer
- PHP 8.0 or newer
- Content built with the block editor (block themes and classic themes both work)
1. Install and activate
Install WPClientFeedback from Plugins → Add New (or upload the ZIP) and activate it. On a fresh site with no existing feedback, activation creates a draft page called "Sample: try WPClientFeedback here" with three example threads — one open with a guest reply, one resolved, one assigned with a due date — so the dashboard demonstrates itself. Delete the sample page whenever you like; its threads go with it.
2. Turn on feedback mode
Visit any page on the live site while logged in. The admin bar shows "Feedback: Off". Click it — the page reloads with feedback mode on.
3. Pin your first comment
Click "+ Add comment" in the overlay toolbar. Your cursor becomes a crosshair and blocks highlight as you hover. Click a paragraph or an image, type your suggestion, and submit. A yellow pin lands on that block. Press Esc at any time to cancel.
4. Reply and resolve
Click any pin to open its thread in a pop-out beside it. Reply, or click Resolve — the pin turns green. "Show/Hide resolved" in the toolbar controls whether finished threads stay visible. Reopening a resolved thread requires adding a comment, so reopenings always come with a reason.
5. See it in the block editor
Open the same page in the editor. The block with feedback is outlined with a count chip. Select it and click "View feedback" in the block toolbar, or open the Feedback sidebar from the top-right. From the sidebar you can read threads, reply, resolve, and start new threads on the selected block. Clicking a thread scrolls the editor to its block.
6. Work from the dashboard
Go to Feedback in the admin menu. The Feedback Overview groups every thread by page, with open/resolved counts and element-type chips per page. Group by commenter or status instead using the toggle on any column header, filter from the column headers, sort by replies or last update, and export CSV. "View in context" jumps to the live page with that thread popped open.
7. Set who can participate
By default, feedback is visible to logged-in users who can edit the post — Editors and Administrators everywhere, Authors and Contributors on their own posts. Site visitors never see anything. Adjust the required capability under Feedback → Settings, or with the wbifb_required_capability filter.
8. Turn on email notifications
Under Feedback → Settings, enable email notifications for new feedback, replies, and resolutions.
Inviting clients (Pro)
With WPClientFeedback Pro active:
- Go to Feedback → Review links and create one labeled link per reviewer ("Dana — Acme homepage review").
- Send the link. Your client opens it and comments like a teammate — no WordPress account needed. Their first comment claims the link, so you always know who said what.
- Set an expiry when you create the link, or revoke it any time. Revoking or deleting a link never deletes the comments made through it.
Also worth setting up on day one with Pro: white label (your logo and accent color on the overlay), page approvals (client sign-off, visible on the dashboard), and assignments (hand threads to teammates with due dates).
Good habits that pay off
- One review link per reviewer. Claimed-by tracking only works if links aren't shared.
- Resolve as you fix. The dashboard is only as honest as your resolve habit.
- Don't fear big edits. Anchors survive reordering, rewrites, and revisions. If a block is deleted outright, its thread waits in the Unattached comments tray — re-pin it or resolve it, nothing is lost.
- Export before experiments. Settings → Data & backup exports all feedback to JSON and manages snapshots. A snapshot is also written automatically before any schema migration.
Uninstalling
Deactivating keeps all data. Deleting the plugin removes its database tables and options completely — export first if you want a record.