Observable is a great place to publish notebooks that engage readers, teach new concepts, and challenge assumptions: they start conversations. In Observable, you can discuss your work right in the notebook by adding Comments to specific cells.
Note
If you are subject to or witness abuse by another user please contact conduct@observablehq.com. You can refer to our Code of Conduct for more clarification. If you see an offending comment you can report it directly by using the menu on the comment and choosing “Report spam or abuse.”
To add a comment, click on the comment icon () to the left of any notebook cell or open the Cell menu (), then choose Add comment. A text window will appear immediately below the cell. Add your comment, then click Comment.
When viewing a notebook, others’ comments are hidden by default to limit distraction from the notebook content. If there are already comments on a notebook cell, a number appears next to the comment icon in the left margin indicating the number of comments in the thread. For example, the cell below has an existing thread with three comments:
Thread size is indicated next to the comment icon.
To add to the thread, click on the comment icon in the left margin to reveal all existing comments. To add your own, click the + Comment button at the end of the thread.
Thread size is indicated next to the comment icon.
Generally speaking, comment visibility matches notebook visibility. For example, as a notebook transitions from private to link-shared to published, so will the comments on that notebook.
This means that if you’ve shared a notebook with a colleague or friend and used comments for feedback, when you publish your notebook those comments will become visible to everyone. If you don’t want this to happen, you can delete these comments before publishing.
Anyone who can see the notebook can also see its comments. For public notebooks, this means anyone can see the comments. Members of team workspaces can have private conversations in private team notebooks. Comments on link-shared and published notebooks are visible to any viewers of the notebook, however. When you comment, your comments will appear on the notebook, and the notebook’s authors will be notified.
On notebooks you edit or comment on, you’ll receive email notifications for each new comment someone else makes. If you’d rather not receive email notifications for a given notebook, you can unsubscribe using the link in the email or through the notebook menu () in the top right and choosing “Disable notifications.”
If you change your mind and wish to resubscribe to a specific notebook or want to be alerted of comments without leaving a comment yourself, use the same menu () and choose the “Enable notifications” option.
To get somebody’s attention or to loop them into a comment, you can mention a user using the @ symbol and their username. If the mentioned user has access to the notebook, they will receive an email with the content of the comment, as well as a link to the notebook it appears in.
Notebook owners can delete any comments. To delete a comment, open the comment thread by clicking to the left of any cell. Then, click the three dot icon () to the right of any comment to reveal options to Edit or Delete. Immediately below each comment, you will also see a Resolve option, which you can use to tidy up threads or track progress while addressing comments.
Comments
NotebooksObservable is a great place to publish notebooks that engage readers, teach new concepts, and challenge assumptions: they start conversations. In Observable, you can discuss your work right in the notebook by adding Comments to specific cells.
Note
If you are subject to or witness abuse by another user please contact conduct@observablehq.com. You can refer to our Code of Conduct for more clarification. If you see an offending comment you can report it directly by using the menu on the comment and choosing “Report spam or abuse.”
Adding comments
To add a comment, click on the comment icon () to the left of any notebook cell or open the Cell menu (), then choose Add comment. A text window will appear immediately below the cell. Add your comment, then click Comment.
Joining a thread
When viewing a notebook, others’ comments are hidden by default to limit distraction from the notebook content. If there are already comments on a notebook cell, a number appears next to the comment icon in the left margin indicating the number of comments in the thread. For example, the cell below has an existing thread with three comments:
To add to the thread, click on the comment icon in the left margin to reveal all existing comments. To add your own, click the
+ Commentbutton at the end of the thread.Who can comment?
Generally speaking, comment visibility matches notebook visibility. For example, as a notebook transitions from private to link-shared to published, so will the comments on that notebook.
This means that if you’ve shared a notebook with a colleague or friend and used comments for feedback, when you publish your notebook those comments will become visible to everyone. If you don’t want this to happen, you can delete these comments before publishing.
Who can see comments?
Anyone who can see the notebook can also see its comments. For public notebooks, this means anyone can see the comments. Members of team workspaces can have private conversations in private team notebooks. Comments on link-shared and published notebooks are visible to any viewers of the notebook, however. When you comment, your comments will appear on the notebook, and the notebook’s authors will be notified.
Notifications
On notebooks you edit or comment on, you’ll receive email notifications for each new comment someone else makes. If you’d rather not receive email notifications for a given notebook, you can unsubscribe using the link in the email or through the notebook menu () in the top right and choosing “Disable notifications.”
If you change your mind and wish to resubscribe to a specific notebook or want to be alerted of comments without leaving a comment yourself, use the same menu () and choose the “Enable notifications” option.
@-Mentions
To get somebody’s attention or to loop them into a comment, you can mention a user using the @ symbol and their username. If the mentioned user has access to the notebook, they will receive an email with the content of the comment, as well as a link to the notebook it appears in.
Locking, editing or deleting comments
Locking comments
As an editor, you can disallow non-editors from commenting on your notebook by locking comments from the notebook menu () via Settings.
Editing and deleting comments
Notebook owners can delete any comments. To delete a comment, open the comment thread by clicking to the left of any cell. Then, click the three dot icon () to the right of any comment to reveal options to Edit or Delete. Immediately below each comment, you will also see a Resolve option, which you can use to tidy up threads or track progress while addressing comments.