@username mention system with autocomplete search and reply button integration for referencing users in forum content.

Creating Mentions

Autocomplete Search

Type @ followed by username characters in TinyMCE editor to trigger autocomplete dropdown.

User Selection

Select user from dropdown to insert mention into content. Mention appears as @username.

Search Criteria

Autocomplete searches both username (user_login) and profile slug (user_nicename) fields.

Result Limit

Autocomplete displays maximum 10 matching users per search.

Mention Notifications

Automatic Notifications

Mentioned users receive real-time notification when content containing their mention is published.

Notification Content

Notifications include mention author, content context, and direct link to mentioned content.

REST API

User Search Endpoint

Provided by extrachill-api plugin at /wp-json/extrachill/v1/users/search

• Method: GET
• Parameters:
  • term (string): Search query (minimum 1 character)
• Response: JSON array of matching users with username and slug fields

Response Format

[
  {
    "id": 123,
    "username": "user_login",
    "slug": "user_nicename",
    "avatar_url": "https://...",
    "profile_url": "https://community.extrachill.com/users/user_nicename"
  }
]

Security

Permission

For mentions autocomplete (default context=mentions), the endpoint requires a logged-in user.

Input Sanitization

Search terms sanitized with sanitize_text_field() before database query.

Result Filtering

Search limited to existing WordPress users only.

Reply Button Integration

Reply buttons in forum threads automatically insert @mentions when clicked, scrolling to the reply form and pre-filling the mention for easy responses.

Implementation: Reply button handler runs independently of TinyMCE availability, ensuring functionality even when the rich text editor is not loaded.

Usage Patterns

Users mention others to:

• Direct responses to specific community members
• Acknowledge contributions or reference previous discussions
• Request input from users with relevant expertise
• Notify users of content they may find interesting

Mentions create engagement and facilitate threaded conversations within forum discussions.