HameThread

Contributors: hametuha, Takahashi_Fumiki
Tags: forum, support, thread, faq, woocommerce
Tested up to: 7.0
Stable tag: 2.1.0
License: GPLv3 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

Lightweight Q&A forum and support desk for WordPress: threads, best answers, private threads, and per-product support for WooCommerce.

Description

HameThread turns WordPress into a thread-based Q&A forum / support desk without a heavyweight setup. Each topic is a thread post and replies are ordinary WordPress comments, so everything you already know about moderation, roles and the REST API keeps working.

It shines where a generic forum does not:

• WooCommerce product support — show a "Get support" button on a product and collect purchaser questions as threads, right inside My Account.
• Private threads — let users open threads only the author, invited people and editors can read. Perfect for paid or sensitive support.
• Best answer — mark the reply that resolved the question and flag the whole thread as Resolved.
• Block-first — drop the Thread Button block on any page to let visitors start a thread. No template editing, no code.

Features

• thread post type with a topic taxonomy
• Comment-based replies with AJAX/REST posting (no full page reload)
• Best answer & resolved / unresolved status
• Private threads with capability checks
• Auto-close threads after a period of inactivity
• Upvotes on comments
• E-mail notifications to thread subscribers
• JSON-LD (QAPage) structured data for SEO
• WooCommerce My Account support page and per-product support button
• Optionally enable comment threads on any public post type
• Admin settings under Settings → Discussion (no code required for common tweaks)

Customization

Common settings are available under Settings → Discussion:

• Thread description
• Allow users to start private threads
• Post types that get HameThread-style comment threads

Everything else is filterable. See For developers below.

Installation

1. Upload the plugin to wp-content/plugins/hamethread (or install from the Plugins screen) and activate it.
2. Visit Settings → Discussion to choose the post types and options you need.
3. Add the Thread Button block to any page or post to let visitors start a thread, or call hamethread_button() from a template.
4. Threads are listed at the thread archive (e.g. /thread/).

WooCommerce is optional. When it is active, a Support tab is added to My Account and a support button can be shown on product pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I let visitors start a thread?

Add the Thread Button block to a page, or call hamethread_button( $parent_id, $label ) in a template. The button opens a thread form powered by the REST API.

Can I use it on posts or custom post types, not just threads?

Yes. Go to Settings → Discussion → Thread Comments and tick the post types you want, or use the hamethread_dynamic_comment_post_types filter.

Does it require WooCommerce?

No. WooCommerce integration is enabled automatically only when WooCommerce is active; otherwise the plugin works as a standalone forum.

How do I customize the form, validation or notifications?

HameThread exposes a large set of filters and actions. See For developers.

For developers

Replies are standard WordPress comments and threads are a standard post type, so core hooks apply. On top of that, HameThread exposes many filters/actions. The most useful ones:

Hook	Type	Purpose
hamethread_before_thread_form / hamethread_after_thread_form	action	Add markup/fields to the thread form
hamethread_new_thread_post_params	filter	Register extra REST parameters for new threads
hamethread_new_thread_post_arg	filter	Modify the post array before a thread is inserted
hamethread_new_thread_validation	filter	Add validation errors (WP_Error)
hamethread_new_thread_inserted	action	React after a thread is created
hamethread_before_comment_form / hamethread_after_comment_form	action	Add markup/fields to the comment form
hamethread_new_comment_params	filter	Modify comment data before insert
hamethread_default_subscribers / hamethread_subscribers	filter	Control who is notified
hamethread_user_can_start_private_thread	filter	Allow private threads
hamethread_user_can_comment / hamethread_user_can_post	filter	Capability checks
hamethread_dynamic_comment_post_types	filter	Post types that get comment threads
hamethread_post_setting / hamethread_post_type / hamethread_taxonomy	filter	Customize the post type & taxonomy
hamethread_template	filter	Override template parts

Example — add a field to the thread form and store it:

// 1. Render the field.
add_action( 'hamethread_after_thread_form', function ( $args, $default ) {
	if ( $args['post'] ) {
		return; // Only on new threads.
	}
	echo '<label><input type="checkbox" name="notify_staff" value="1" /> Notify staff</label>';
}, 10, 2 );

// 2. Register the REST parameter.
add_filter( 'hamethread_new_thread_post_params', function ( $params ) {
	$params['notify_staff'] = [ 'type' => 'integer', 'default' => 0 ];
	return $params;
} );

// 3. React after the thread is created.
add_action( 'hamethread_new_thread_inserted', function ( $post_id, $request ) {
	if ( $request->get_param( 'notify_staff' ) ) {
		// notify…
	}
}, 10, 2 );

Example — enable comment threads on the post post type:

add_filter( 'hamethread_dynamic_comment_post_types', function ( $post_types ) {
	$post_types[] = 'post';
	return $post_types;
} );

A full list of hooks lives in the source. See the app/ directory and the GitHub repository.

Changelog

2.1.0

• Add the Thread Button block for the block editor.
• Add a settings screen (Settings → Discussion) for thread description, private threads and comment-enabled post types.
• Improve escaping, i18n and coding standards for WordPress.org Plugin Check compliance.

2.0.0

• Removed dependencies on Twitter Bootstrap and FontAwesome.
• Modernize JavaScripts.

1.2.0

• Bump minimum PHP version to 7.4.

1.1.0

• Add structured data.
• Add best answer feature.

1.0.0

• Initial release.

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See our all changelog on GitHub Releases.