How do I get comment count in Disqus?
I'd like to store the Disqus comment count on my own database, so that I can sort my articles by comment count. Basically, every time a page is read on my site, I'd like to ask Disqus how many comments that certain page has, then update the database with that count.
http://docs.disqus.com/help/3/ doesn't seem to be helpful.
Any suggestions?
Answer
Get comment counts with disqus API
Here's what you'll need to have done before starting:
Register for a Disqus API key (optional) Have your own site to replace the example data
NOTE: The URL you use must match what's set as the URL in Disqus. See Web Integration docs for information on setting this up reliably.
Example HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Disqus Comment Counts Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Comment Counts Example</h1>
<div>
<a href="http://thenextweb.com/google/2013/05/03/fullscreen-beam-launches-first-youtube-app-for-google-glass-with-public-or-private-sharing/">
<h2>Fullscreen BEAM: The first YouTube app for Google Glass comes with public or private sharing</h2>
<div class="count-comments" data-disqus-url="http://thenextweb.com/google/2013/05/03/fullscreen-beam-launches-first-youtube-app-for-google-glass-with-public-or-private-sharing/"></div>
</a>
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/05/04/traktor-dj/">
<h2>Traktor DJ: Native Instruments remixes its impressive DJ software for iPhone</h2>
<div class="count-comments" data-disqus-url="http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/05/04/traktor-dj/"></div>
</a>
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://thenextweb.com/video/2013/05/04/ninja-innovation-in-the-21st-century-with-gary-shapiro-of-the-consumer-electronics-association-at-tnw2013-video/">
<h2>Ninja innovation in the 21st Century with the Consumer Electronics Association’s Gary Shapiro [Video]</h2>
<div class="count-comments" data-disqus-url="http://thenextweb.com/video/2013/05/04/ninja-innovation-in-the-21st-century-with-gary-shapiro-of-the-consumer-electronics-association-at-tnw2013-video/"></div>
</a>
</div>
<button type="button" id="get-counts-button">Get Comment Counts</button>
</body>
</html>
Variables:
<script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.8.3.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
$(document).ready(function () {
var disqusPublicKey = "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY";
var disqusShortname = "thenextweb"; // Replace with your own shortname
var urlArray = [];
$('.count-comments').each(function () {
var url = $(this).attr('data-disqus-url');
urlArray.push('thread:link='+url);
});
});
</script>
Making the Request API
$('#get-counts-button').click(function () {
$.ajax({
type: 'GET',
url: 'https://disqus.com/api/3.0/threads/set.json?'+urlArray.join('&')+'&forum='+disqusShortname+'&api_key='+disqusPublicKey,
cache: false,
dataType: 'json',
success: function (result) {
for (var i in result.response) {
var countText = " comments";
var count = result.response[i].posts;
if (count == 1) {
countText = " comment";
}
$('[data-disqus-url="' + result.response[i].link + '"]').html('<h4>' + count + countText + '</h4>');
}
}
});
});