PHP Installation

Add Simple Commenter to any PHP website by including the script in your templates.

Important: The public key in your script must match a project in your Simple Commenter dashboard. If it doesn't match, the widget won't load.

Basic Installation

Add the script before the closing </body> tag:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>My PHP Site</title>
</head>
<body>
    <?php include 'content.php'; ?>

    <!-- Add Simple Commenter before closing body -->
    <script
        src="https://simplecommenter.com/js/comments.min.js?id=sc_your_project_key"
        defer
    ></script>
</body>
</html>

Replace sc_your_project_key with your project's public key from the Simple Commenter dashboard.

Using a Config File

Store configuration separately:

<?php
// config.php
define('SIMPLE_COMMENTER_KEY', 'sc_your_project_key');

<?php
// header.php or footer.php
require_once 'config.php';
?>

<?php if (defined('SIMPLE_COMMENTER_KEY') && SIMPLE_COMMENTER_KEY): ?>
<script
    src="https://simplecommenter.com/js/comments.min.js?id=<?php echo htmlspecialchars(SIMPLE_COMMENTER_KEY); ?>"
    defer
></script>
<?php endif; ?>

Environment-Based Configuration

Use environment variables:

<?php
// config.php
$simpleCommenterKey = getenv('SIMPLE_COMMENTER_KEY') ?: '';

# .env or server config
SIMPLE_COMMENTER_KEY=sc_your_project_key

With vlucas/phpdotenv:

<?php
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

$dotenv = Dotenv\Dotenv::createImmutable(__DIR__);
$dotenv->load();

$simpleCommenterKey = $_ENV['SIMPLE_COMMENTER_KEY'] ?? '';

Include Pattern

Create a reusable include file:

<?php
// includes/simple-commenter.php
$key = defined('SIMPLE_COMMENTER_KEY')
    ? SIMPLE_COMMENTER_KEY
    : '';
?>
<script
    src="https://simplecommenter.com/js/comments.min.js?id=<?php echo htmlspecialchars($key); ?>"
    defer
></script>

Include in your pages:

<!-- Any page -->
<?php include 'includes/simple-commenter.php'; ?>
</body>
</html>

Conditional Loading

Only show on certain pages:

<?php
$show_widget = true;

// Don't show on admin pages
if (strpos($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'], '/admin') === 0) {
    $show_widget = false;
}

// Don't show on login page
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] === '/login.php') {
    $show_widget = false;
}
?>

<?php if ($show_widget): ?>
<script
    src="https://simplecommenter.com/js/comments.min.js?id=sc_your_project_key"
    defer
></script>
<?php endif; ?>

Laravel

For Laravel applications, add to your blade layout:

<!-- resources/views/layouts/app.blade.php -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>@yield('title')</title>
</head>
<body>
    @yield('content')

    <script
        src="https://simplecommenter.com/js/comments.min.js?id={{ config('services.simple_commenter.key') }}"
        defer
    ></script>
</body>
</html>

// config/services.php
return [
    'simple_commenter' => [
        'key' => env('SIMPLE_COMMENTER_KEY'),
    ],
];

Symfony

For Symfony applications, add to your twig base template:

{# templates/base.html.twig #}
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>{% block title %}{% endblock %}</title>
</head>
<body>
    {% block body %}{% endblock %}

    <script
        src="https://simplecommenter.com/js/comments.min.js?id={{ simple_commenter_key }}"
        defer
    ></script>
</body>
</html>

Verifying Installation

Access your PHP site in a browser
Look for the feedback widget button
Check browser Developer Tools (F12) for errors
View page source to confirm script is present

Troubleshooting

Verify the script is in the HTML output (view page source)
Check the public key matches your dashboard settings exactly
Look for PHP errors that might prevent output
Check browser console for JavaScript errors

Output buffering issues

If using output buffering, ensure the script is included before ob_end_flush():

<?php
ob_start();
// ... page content ...
include 'includes/simple-commenter.php';
ob_end_flush();

Security considerations

Always use htmlspecialchars() when outputting dynamic values
Store sensitive configuration outside the web root
Use HTTPS in production

Caching

If using PHP caching (OPcache, etc.), clear cache after changes:

Restart PHP-FPM: sudo service php-fpm restart
Or touch the file to invalidate: touch your-file.php

Need help? Contact support.