comments.getAnswerComments()

Retrieves all comments associated with a specific answer to a question.

Syntax

async getAnswerComments(questionId: number, answerId: number): Promise<Array<CommentResponseModel>>

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
questionId	number	Yes	The unique identifier of the question that contains the answer
answerId	number	Yes	The unique identifier of the answer to retrieve comments for

Return Value

Returns a Promise<Array<CommentResponseModel>> containing an array of comment objects. Each comment has the following properties:

Property	Type	Description
id	number	The comment’s unique identifier
score	number	Comment score (upvotes minus downvotes)
body	string	The text of the comment in Markdown format
ownerUserId	number | null	ID of the user that posted the comment
ownerDisplayName	string	Name of the user that posted the comment
creationDate	Date	When the comment was created

Examples

Basic Usage

import { StackOverflowSDK } from 'so-teams-sdk';

const sdk = new StackOverflowSDK({
  accessToken: 'your-access-token',
  baseUrl: 'https://[your-site].stackenterprise.co/api/v3'
});

// Get all comments for a specific answer
const comments = await sdk.comments.getAnswerComments(123, 456);
console.log(`Found ${comments.length} comments on this answer`);

// Display comments with context
comments.forEach((comment, index) => {
  console.log(`${index + 1}. ${comment.ownerDisplayName}: ${comment.body}`);
  console.log(`   Score: ${comment.score}, Posted: ${new Date(comment.creationDate).toDateString()}`);
});

Answer Feedback Analysis

async function analyzeAnswerFeedback(questionId: number, answerId: number) {
  try {
    const comments = await sdk.comments.getAnswerComments(questionId, answerId);

    if (comments.length === 0) {
      return {
        questionId,
        answerId,
        hasFeedback: false,
        message: 'No comments found for this answer'
      };
    }

    // Categorize feedback types
    const feedbackTypes = {
      appreciation: comments.filter(c =>
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('thank') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('great') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('helpful') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('perfect')
      ),
      questions: comments.filter(c =>
        c.body?.includes('?') &&
        !c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('thank')
      ),
      suggestions: comments.filter(c =>
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('consider') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('might want') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('suggestion') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('improve')
      ),
      corrections: comments.filter(c =>
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('incorrect') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('wrong') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('error') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('mistake')
      )
    };

    // Calculate feedback sentiment
    const positiveComments = comments.filter(c => (c.score || 0) > 0).length;
    const negativeComments = comments.filter(c => (c.score || 0) < 0).length;
    const neutralComments = comments.length - positiveComments - negativeComments;

    // Calculate feedback timeline
    const sortedComments = comments.sort((a, b) =>
      new Date(a.creationDate).getTime() - new Date(b.creationDate).getTime()
    );

    const firstFeedback = sortedComments[0];
    const latestFeedback = sortedComments[sortedComments.length - 1];

    const analysis = {
      questionId,
      answerId,
      summary: {
        totalComments: comments.length,
        averageScore: comments.reduce((sum, c) => sum + (c.score || 0), 0) / comments.length,
        uniqueCommenters: new Set(comments.map(c => c.ownerUserId).filter(Boolean)).size
      },
      sentiment: {
        positive: positiveComments,
        negative: negativeComments,
        neutral: neutralComments,
        ratio: positiveComments / Math.max(negativeComments, 1)
      },
      feedbackTypes: {
        appreciation: feedbackTypes.appreciation.length,
        questions: feedbackTypes.questions.length,
        suggestions: feedbackTypes.suggestions.length,
        corrections: feedbackTypes.corrections.length
      },
      timeline: {
        firstFeedback: {
          author: firstFeedback.ownerDisplayName,
          date: firstFeedback.creationDate,
          type: categorizeFeedback(firstFeedback, feedbackTypes)
        },
        latestFeedback: {
          author: latestFeedback.ownerDisplayName,
          date: latestFeedback.creationDate,
          type: categorizeFeedback(latestFeedback, feedbackTypes)
        }
      }
    };

    return analysis;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to analyze answer feedback:', error.message);
    throw error;
  }
}

function categorizeFeedback(comment: any, types: any): string {
  if (types.appreciation.includes(comment)) return 'appreciation';
  if (types.corrections.includes(comment)) return 'correction';
  if (types.suggestions.includes(comment)) return 'suggestion';
  if (types.questions.includes(comment)) return 'question';
  return 'general';
}

const feedbackAnalysis = await analyzeAnswerFeedback(123, 456);
console.log('Answer Feedback Analysis:', feedbackAnalysis);

Team Context

// Using team context
const teamSDK = sdk.forTeam('team-123');
const teamComments = await teamSDK.comments.getAnswerComments(123, 456);

// Or with direct client initialization
import { CommentClient } from 'so-teams-sdk';
const teamCommentClient = new CommentClient(config, 'team-123');
const comments = await teamCommentClient.getAnswerComments(123, 456);

Answer Quality Improvement Insights

async function generateAnswerImprovementInsights(questionId: number, answerId: number) {
  try {
    const comments = await sdk.comments.getAnswerComments(questionId, answerId);

    if (comments.length === 0) {
      return {
        questionId,
        answerId,
        insights: ['No feedback available - consider asking for community input'],
        needsImprovement: false
      };
    }

    const insights = [];
    const warnings = [];

    // Analyze common patterns in comments
    const hasQuestions = comments.some(c => c.body?.includes('?'));
    const hasCorrections = comments.some(c =>
      c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('incorrect') ||
      c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('wrong') ||
      c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('error')
    );
    const hasAppreciation = comments.some(c =>
      c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('thank') ||
      c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('helpful')
    );
    const hasSuggestions = comments.some(c =>
      c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('consider') ||
      c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('improve')
    );

    // Generate insights
    if (hasAppreciation) {
      insights.push('Answer is appreciated by the community');
    }

    if (hasQuestions) {
      insights.push('Some aspects may need clarification - consider adding more detail');
    }

    if (hasSuggestions) {
      insights.push('Community has provided improvement suggestions');
    }

    if (hasCorrections) {
      warnings.push('⚠️ Potential accuracy issues mentioned in comments');
    }

    // Check comment scores
    const negativeComments = comments.filter(c => (c.score || 0) < 0);
    if (negativeComments.length > comments.length * 0.3) {
      warnings.push('⚠️ High proportion of negative feedback');
    }

    const averageScore = comments.reduce((sum, c) => sum + (c.score || 0), 0) / comments.length;
    if (averageScore < 0) {
      warnings.push('⚠️ Overall comment sentiment is negative');
    }

    // Determine if improvement is needed
    const needsImprovement = warnings.length > 0 || hasCorrections || (hasQuestions && !hasAppreciation);

    return {
      questionId,
      answerId,
      insights: insights.length > 0 ? insights : ['Answer has received community feedback'],
      warnings,
      needsImprovement,
      recommendations: generateRecommendations(hasQuestions, hasCorrections, hasSuggestions, hasAppreciation)
    };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to generate improvement insights:', error.message);
    throw error;
  }
}

function generateRecommendations(hasQuestions: boolean, hasCorrections: boolean, hasSuggestions: boolean, hasAppreciation: boolean): string[] {
  const recommendations = [];

  if (hasCorrections) {
    recommendations.push('Review answer for accuracy and address any errors mentioned');
  }

  if (hasQuestions && !hasAppreciation) {
    recommendations.push('Add more detailed explanation to address questions');
  }

  if (hasSuggestions) {
    recommendations.push('Consider implementing suggested improvements');
  }

  if (!hasAppreciation && !hasQuestions) {
    recommendations.push('Consider asking for feedback to improve answer quality');
  }

  return recommendations;
}

const improvementInsights = await generateAnswerImprovementInsights(123, 456);
console.log('Improvement needed:', improvementInsights.needsImprovement);
console.log('Insights:', improvementInsights.insights);
if (improvementInsights.warnings.length > 0) {
  console.log('Warnings:', improvementInsights.warnings);
}

Bulk Answer Comment Analysis

async function analyzeMultipleAnswerComments(questionId: number, answerIds: number[]) {
  const results = [];

  for (const answerId of answerIds) {
    try {
      const comments = await sdk.comments.getAnswerComments(questionId, answerId);

      const analysis = {
        answerId,
        commentCount: comments.length,
        averageScore: comments.length > 0
          ? comments.reduce((sum, c) => sum + (c.score || 0), 0) / comments.length
          : 0,
        hasPositiveFeedback: comments.some(c => (c.score || 0) > 0),
        hasQuestions: comments.some(c => c.body?.includes('?')),
        hasAppreciation: comments.some(c =>
          c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('thank') ||
          c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('helpful')
        ),
        lastCommentDate: comments.length > 0
          ? Math.max(...comments.map(c => new Date(c.creationDate).getTime()))
          : null
      };

      results.push({ status: 'success', ...analysis });
      console.log(`✓ Answer ${answerId}: ${analysis.commentCount} comments`);
    } catch (error) {
      results.push({
        status: 'failed',
        answerId,
        error: error.message
      });
      console.error(`✗ Failed to analyze answer ${answerId}:`, error.message);
    }
  }

  // Find the most discussed answer
  const successfulResults = results.filter(r => r.status === 'success');
  const mostDiscussed = successfulResults.reduce((max, current) =>
    current.commentCount > max.commentCount ? current : max,
    successfulResults[0]
  );

  console.log(`Most discussed answer: ${mostDiscussed?.answerId} with ${mostDiscussed?.commentCount} comments`);

  return results;
}

const bulkAnalysis = await analyzeMultipleAnswerComments(123, [456, 789, 101]);

Comment-Based Answer Ranking

async function rankAnswersByCommentFeedback(questionId: number, answerIds: number[]) {
  const rankings = [];

  for (const answerId of answerIds) {
    try {
      const comments = await sdk.comments.getAnswerComments(questionId, answerId);

      // Calculate engagement score based on comments
      const commentCount = comments.length;
      const averageScore = commentCount > 0
        ? comments.reduce((sum, c) => sum + (c.score || 0), 0) / commentCount
        : 0;
      const positiveComments = comments.filter(c => (c.score || 0) > 0).length;
      const appreciationComments = comments.filter(c =>
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('thank') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('helpful') ||
        c.body?.toLowerCase().includes('great')
      ).length;

      // Calculate engagement score (weighted)
      const engagementScore = (
        commentCount * 1 +           // Base engagement
        averageScore * 2 +           // Comment quality
        positiveComments * 1.5 +     // Positive reception
        appreciationComments * 3     // Direct appreciation
      );

      rankings.push({
        answerId,
        engagementScore: parseFloat(engagementScore.toFixed(2)),
        metrics: {
          commentCount,
          averageScore: parseFloat(averageScore.toFixed(2)),
          positiveComments,
          appreciationComments
        }
      });

    } catch (error) {
      console.error(`Failed to analyze answer ${answerId}:`, error.message);
    }
  }

  // Sort by engagement score
  rankings.sort((a, b) => b.engagementScore - a.engagementScore);

  console.log('Answer Ranking by Comment Feedback:');
  rankings.forEach((answer, index) => {
    console.log(`${index + 1}. Answer ${answer.answerId}: Score ${answer.engagementScore} (${answer.metrics.commentCount} comments)`);
  });

  return rankings;
}

const answerRankings = await rankAnswersByCommentFeedback(123, [456, 789, 101, 234]);

Error Handling

This method can throw the following errors:

Error Type	Status Code	Description
AuthenticationError	401	Invalid or missing authentication token
TokenExpiredError	401	Authentication token has expired
ForbiddenError	403	Insufficient permissions to access the answer or its comments
NotFoundError	404	Question or answer with the specified ID does not exist
SDKError	Various	Other API or network errors

Example Error Handling

import StackOverflowSDK, { NotFoundError, ForbiddenError } from 'so-teams-sdk';

const sdk = new StackOverflowSDK({
  accessToken: 'your-access-token',
  baseUrl: 'https://[your-site].stackenterprise.co/api/v3'
});

try {
  const comments = await sdk.comments.getAnswerComments(123, 456);
  console.log(`Retrieved ${comments.length} comments for this answer`);

  if (comments.length > 0) {
    console.log('Community feedback:');
    comments.forEach(comment => {
      const sentiment = (comment.score || 0) > 0 ? '👍' : (comment.score || 0) < 0 ? '👎' : '➖';
      console.log(`  ${sentiment} ${comment.ownerDisplayName}: ${comment.body}`);
    });
  } else {
    console.log('No comments - answer may be clear and complete');
  }
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof NotFoundError) {
    console.error('Question or answer not found');
  } else if (error instanceof ForbiddenError) {
    console.error('Access denied to answer comments');
  } else {
    console.error('Failed to retrieve comments:', error.message);
  }
}

Notes

• This method returns all comments for the specified answer in a single array
• Both questionId and answerId are required to uniquely identify the answer
• Comments are returned in the order provided by the API (typically chronological)
• Answer comments often contain feedback, questions, and suggestions for improvement
• Comment bodies are in Markdown format and may contain formatting
• Returns an empty array if the answer has no comments rather than throwing an error
• Comment scores reflect community perception of comment helpfulness
• The ownerUserId may be null for deleted or anonymous users
• Comments are read-only through this client - no creation, editing, or voting methods are available
• Answer comments are distinct from question comments and other answer comments within the same question