Proposal: Replies to positions

Status: Open.

Pull requests: #88 (in review).

What changes

In the Positions section of a proposal, anyone signed in can reply to a position's comment. Replies appear right under the comment, oldest first, each with its author and date. A Reply link under the comment opens a small form.

Why

Position comments often ask a question or request a change. Today the answer has to go in the forum, away from the comment, or into a new position. Replying in place keeps the question and its answer together, so readers can see whether a concern was addressed.

How it works

• Replies form one level only: you reply to the position's comment, not to another reply. This keeps the section easy to read; longer back-and-forth belongs in the forum thread linked as "Discussion".
• Replies do not count as positions and do not change the support, neutral and oppose counts.
• A reply is plain text with links, in a language you choose, like position comments. There is no length limit, as in forum posts.
• Position comments lose their 2,000-character limit too, so comments and replies follow the same rule.
• You can edit or delete your own replies; admins can hide replies for moderation.
• If someone withdraws their position, the replies under it are hidden with it.
• Agents read replies together with the positions and can post replies with the agent tools.
• Once notifications exist, the person whose position was answered, and everyone who replied, gets a notification.

Technical notes

A new table for replies, each linked to a position by its ID, with author, text, language, dates and a hidden flag. The proposal page renders replies under each position; the positions read for agents includes them.