# Rotating Composer Placeholder **URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740 **Category:** Theme component **Tags:** composer **Created:** [January 18, 2026, 9:57am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740 "2026-01-18T09:57:56Z") **Posts on this page:** 9 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![Ethsim2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/ethsim2/32/522255_2.png) [@Ethsim2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Ethsim2) #### Post date: [January 18, 2026, 9:57am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740/1 "2026-01-18T09:57:56Z")
| | | | | --- | --- | --- | | :discourse2: | **Summary** | **Rotating Composer Placeholder** adds dynamic, rotating placeholder text to the Discourse composer, showing a different prompt each time the composer is opened. | | 🛠 | **Repository Link** | [https://github.com/Ethsim12/discourse-rotating-composer-placeholder](https://github.com/Ethsim12/discourse-rotating-composer-placeholder) | | 📖 | **New to Discourse Themes?** | [Beginner’s guide to using Discourse Themes](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beginners-guide-to-using-discourse-themes/91966) | Install this theme component > [@](#): > > As this is an **unofficial theme component** maintained by me, > #Support, #Contribute > Bug, #Contribute > UX, and #Contribute > Feature requests can be made in this topic here on Meta. ### Features - Rotates the composer placeholder text each time the composer opens - Works for: - replies - new topic composer - Fully configurable via **theme component settings** - No plugin required - Client-side only (safe and lightweight) - Uses modern `api-initializers` * * * ## Install 1. In Discourse Admin, go to: **Admin → Appearance → Themes & components → Components → 3 dots** 2. Click **Install**. 3. Choose **From a git repository**. 4. Paste this repository URL and click **Install**. ## Enable the theme component Installing a theme component does **not** activate it automatically. You must attach it to a theme. 1. Go to: **Admin → Appearance → Themes & components → Components → Rotating Composer Placeholder** 2. Click your **active theme** (for example: “Default”, “Desktop”, or your custom theme). 3. Press the **green tick box**. 4. Refresh your browser. Once enabled, the component will immediately apply to that theme. ## Configure the component 1. Still within the theme component’s page. 2. Edit the `rotating_placeholders` list. Example values: - `What did you try? Include steps to reproduce.` - `One idea per reply. If it’s a new issue, start a new topic.` - `Please include: expected result, actual result, and any errors.` - `Tip: paste logs inside ```triple backticks```.` Notes: - Each list entry becomes a possible placeholder. - Empty entries are ignored. - If the list is empty, a default placeholder is used. ### Known limitations - UI-only enhancement - Does not affect post content - Placeholder rotates when the composer opens - Future composer refactors may require minor selector updates ### Compatibility - Designed for modern Discourse versions - Recommended minimum: **Discourse 3.2+** - Uses supported theme APIs only ---
### Author: ![Canapin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/canapin/32/119591_2.png) [@Canapin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Canapin) #### Post date: [January 18, 2026, 12:08pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740/2 "2026-01-18T12:08:02Z")
Can you share examples of use case? ---
### Author: ![pfaffman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/pfaffman/32/120154_2.png) [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman) #### Post date: [January 18, 2026, 12:19pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740/3 "2026-01-18T12:19:53Z")
I think the examples do a good job demonstrating the use case. There are lots of things to consider when composing a message. If you put just one, it’ll soon be ignored. If you put all of those, no one would read any of them. Having a different one each time increases the likelihood that someone might read and consider one of them. You could also put funny Easter eggs. ---
### Author: ![Canapin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/canapin/32/119591_2.png) [@Canapin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Canapin) #### Post date: [January 18, 2026, 12:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740/4 "2026-01-18T12:44:11Z")
Oh , right, I didn’t even see the examples. ![Game of Thrones: The Walk of Shame](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/0/9/8/0982f7aeced740acde40f5cb0a2414f6c8bc3a3d.webp) ---
### Author: ![Ethsim2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/ethsim2/32/522255_2.png) [@Ethsim2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Ethsim2) #### Post date: [January 18, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740/5 "2026-01-18T16:16:23Z")
Thanks! One nice bonus I found is that the component works cleanly with the **rich text composer** as well - the placeholder still rotates correctly there. Since it hooks into the composer lifecycle rather than editor-specific internals, it doesn’t rely on Markdown-only selectors, which helps keep it compatible across composer modes. If Discourse refactors the editor again in future, this should hopefully keep the surface area for breakage fairly small. ---
### Author: ![Lilly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/lilly/32/575047_2.png) [@Lilly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Lilly) #### Post date: [January 18, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740/6 "2026-01-18T16:32:56Z")
nicely done @Ethsim2 👏 Perhaps category specific placeholders could be a useful addition? (although I sort of recall there may be a component somewhere that already does that feature) > [@pfaffman](#): > > You could also put funny Easter eggs. I actually want to use this to make them ALL funny on one of my forums… _“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? CAN’T YOU READ???”_ _“What’s the difference between someone who doesn’t search before posting and a lazy arse?”_ _"If you are reporting a bug, please first make sure it is not an arachnid. "_ _“What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”_ ---
### Author: ![Ethsim2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/ethsim2/32/522255_2.png) [@Ethsim2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Ethsim2) #### Post date: [January 18, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740/7 "2026-01-18T16:46:08Z")
You’re welcome! 🙂 Category-specific placeholders is a really nice idea - I can see it being especially useful for “Support / Bug” vs “General chat” categories, where the prompts you want users to see are completely different. Implementation-wise, the composer context usually provides enough signal to do this cleanly: • New topic: key off the selected `categoryId` in the composer model • Reply: derive the category from the topic context So a possible v1 could look like: • a theme setting mapping `category_id` → placeholder list • fallback to the global `rotating_placeholders` if no category match is found If you remember the existing component you’re thinking of, I’d love a link - otherwise I’m happy to add this here as a feature request and gauge interest (and avoid duplicating work if it already exists). Also - your “ALL funny” list is exactly the kind of chaotic good I had in mind 😂 (I’d probably still mix in a few serious ones, so the occasional useful reminder sneaks through!) ---
### Author: ![Moin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/moin/32/554653_2.png) [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin) #### Post date: [January 18, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740/8 "2026-01-18T18:28:15Z")
> [@Lilly](#): > > although I sort of recall there may be a component somewhere that already does that feature There is [Topic Template Placeholder Text theme component](https://meta.discourse.org/t/topic-template-placeholder-text-theme-component/149053) where you can use the category template as the placeholder ---
### Author: ![Ethsim2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/ethsim2/32/522255_2.png) [@Ethsim2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Ethsim2) #### Post date: [January 18, 2026, 6:37pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rotating-composer-placeholder/393740/9 "2026-01-18T18:37:41Z")
Thanks! That’s a really helpful link. That component (“Topic Template Placeholder Text”) is slightly different to what this one is doing: it uses the category topic template as the placeholder (so the placeholder is category-specific, but it’s essentially the template content). This theme component rotates through a list of short prompts each time the composer opens (and it applies to replies as well as new topics). So “category-specific placeholders” could still be a useful addition here if we want rotating per-category lists with a fallback to the global list - especially for “Support/Bug” vs “General chat”. But if someone’s goal is specifically “show my category template as placeholder”, that other TC already solves it nicely.