I thought about that too in order to make something Wikipedia has. So I asked and it seems to me there would be a way, maybe with a little theme that would convert the links leading nowhere to that:
Discourse allows you to create a topic dynamically by constructing a specific URL with parameters. However, it does not directly create topics by clicking on arbitrary non-existing links, unless incorporated via a custom system like the embedded comments setup. Here’s how dynamic topic creation via URL works:
Constructing the URL for Topic Creation
- Basic new topic URL:
Add/new-topicto your site’s URL:
https://your-discourse-instance.com/new-topic
Clicking this will open a blank new topic composer for logged-in users. Non-logged-in users will be prompted to log in before composing.
2. Pre-fill topic fields with parameters:
To include predefined information such as title, body, category, or tags, use additional query parameters:
https://your-discourse-instance.com/new-topic?title=Topic%20Title&body=Topic%20Body&category=category/subcategory&tags=tag1,tag2
title: The topic title (URL-encoded, e.g., spaces replaced by%20).body: Content of the topic.category: Specify the category and optional subcategory using/.tags: Comma-separated list of tags.
- Optional parameter for category ID:
Instead of the category name, you can use the numericcategory_id. For instance:
https://your-discourse-instance.com/new-topic?title=Topic%20Title&category_id=5
- Encoding special characters:
Ensure all added text parameters are URL-encoded to avoid errors. Tools like the w3Schools URL Encode Decoder can help.
Example
To pre-fill a topic for discussing a WordPress issue:
https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?title=WordPress%20Issue&body=Please%20describe%20your%20issue...&category=support/wordpress&tags=wordpress
Additional Notes:
- This approach works only for logged-in users. Non-logged-in users will need to sign in first.
- Testing links beforehand is advisable to ensure all parameters function as expected.
If you’re looking for a completely automated dynamic linking solution (similar to embedded comments or a Wikipedia-style red link setup), that would require custom development or integration.