Block Notes Compatibility

[fabiankaegy]

WordPress 6.9 introduces Block Notes, a collaborative feedback feature stored as WP_Comments with comment_type of note. The current disable comments implementation blocks all comment queries unconditionally, which will break Notes functionality.

Conflict Analysis

Filter/Hook	Current Behavior	Impact on Notes	Fix Required
comments_pre_query	Returns empty array for ALL queries	CRITICAL: Blocks all Notes retrieval	Yes
comments_array	Returns empty array	Low: Only affects frontend templates	Recommended
comments_open	Returns false	Unknown: May block Note creation	Investigate
pings_open	Returns false	None	No
Post type support removal	Removes comments support	None: Notes use editor support	No
Comment blocks removal	Removes core/comment-* blocks	None: No Note blocks in list	No

Implementation

1. Add Helper Method for Allowed Comment Types

Add a new method to includes/classes/Comments/Comments.php that returns an array of comment types that should bypass the disable comments filters. This provides a central location and a filter for extensibility.

protected function get_allowed_comment_types() {
    $allowed_types = array( 'note' );
    
    return apply_filters( 'tenup_experience_disable_comments_allowed_types', $allowed_types );
}

2. Fix the Query Short-Circuit (Critical)

Update filter_comments_pre_query() to check the query's type parameter and allow Notes queries to proceed:

public function filter_comments_pre_query( $comment_data, $query ) {
    if ( is_a( $query, '\WP_Comment_Query' ) ) {
        $comment_type = $query->query_vars['type'] ?? '';
        
        // Allow certain comment types (like Block Notes) to pass through.
        if ( in_array( $comment_type, $this->get_allowed_comment_types(), true ) ) {
            return $comment_data;
        }
        
        if ( $query->query_vars['count'] ) {
            return 0;
        }
    }

    return array();
}

3. Fix the Comments Array Filter (Recommended)

Update disable_comments_hide_existing_comments() to preserve Notes in the array. This method receives the comments array and post ID as parameters (the current signature is missing the second parameter):

public function disable_comments_hide_existing_comments( $comments, $post_id ) {
    $allowed_types = $this->get_allowed_comment_types();
    
    return array_filter( $comments, function( $comment ) use ( $allowed_types ) {
        return in_array( $comment->comment_type, $allowed_types, true );
    } );
}

4. Fix the Comments Open Filter (Investigate)

The comments_open filter currently returns false unconditionally. According to WordPress 6.9 documentation, Notes use edit_post capability rather than comment capabilities. However, to be safe, update disable_comments_status() to accept the post ID parameter and preserve the original behavior for non-comment contexts:

public function disable_comments_status( $open, $post_id ) {
    // Always return false - Notes do not rely on comments_open.
    return false;
}

This likely does not need changes, but the method signature should be updated to match the filter's expected parameters for correctness.

5. Add Documentation

Add inline documentation explaining:

• Why certain comment types are allowed through
• Reference to WordPress 6.9 Block Notes feature
• How to extend the allowed types list via filter

Files to Modify

• includes/classes/Comments/Comments.php: All changes are contained in this single file

Testing Considerations

After implementation, verify:

1. Notes can be created on posts/pages when comments are disabled
2. Notes can be retrieved and displayed in the editor
3. Notes can be resolved and deleted
4. Traditional comments remain fully disabled (queries return empty, UI hidden)
5. REST API requests for Notes work correctly (/wp/v2/comments?type=note)

[fabiankaegy]

Props to @claytoncollie for connecting the dots here

[fabiankaegy]

CC: @jeffpaul @dkotter