In this episode, we're diving into how to let users reply to comments by toggling a reply form – but we're specifically focused on doing it the right way!
First, we take a look at a naive approach: using Livewire to toggle the reply state directly in the backend whenever the user clicks "Reply". While this works, every toggle sends a network request – which is pretty inefficient for something that doesn't need to hit the backend just to show or hide a form.
Then, I show you a much better option: using Alpine.js for this kind of UI state. We set up an Alpine component for each comment, track whether we're replying or not in the frontend (replying
), and toggle it with simple Alpine click handlers. The reply form pops up instantly with no extra requests to the server.
We also tweak the layout and buttons a bit to make things look and work better, including a "Cancel" button that hides the form again. Throughout, I point out why this approach is more efficient and makes your interface snappier. By the end, you'll have a clean, user-friendly way to reply to comments – all handled on the client side for the best user experience!