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Summary | Enable automatic topic votes when a user creates a topic |
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Repository | GitHub - dereklputnam/discourse-topic-voting-auto-self-vote |
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Install Guide | How to install a theme or theme component |
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New to Discourse Themes? | Beginner’s guide to using Discourse Themes |
Install this theme component
If your community has limited votes to cast, such as here on Meta, it makes sense for the OP’s vote not automatically be cast (see discussion here). But for communities with unlimited voting, it is a pain point, and users may not even vote on their own topic! Hence, the need for this component.
Settings
- Auto vote categories: if you do not want this enabled site-wite, specify which categories it should apply to.
- Excluded groups: if you don’t want this to apply to specific groups (perhaps internal teams), add them here.
- Auto vote on visit: a gentle way to clean up any existing topics where OP didn’t vote
Backfilling topics
Identify the topics
Use this data explorer query to identify topics where the OP did not vote:
-- [params]
-- null category_id :category_id
-- null string :category_slug
-- boolean :exclude_about = true
SELECT
t.id AS topic_id,
u.username AS "username",
t.title AS "Topic Title",
t.user_id AS "Author",
t.created_at AS "Created At",
c.name AS "Category Name",
c.slug AS "Category Slug"
FROM topics t
JOIN users u ON u.id = t.user_id
JOIN categories c ON c.id = t.category_id
LEFT JOIN topic_voting_topic_vote_count tvvc ON tvvc.topic_id = t.id
LEFT JOIN topic_voting_votes tvv ON tvv.topic_id = t.id AND tvv.user_id = t.user_id
WHERE t.deleted_at IS NULL
AND (
tvvc.votes_count IS NULL OR tvv.id IS NULL
)
AND (
:exclude_about = false
OR t.title ILIKE 'about the % category' = false
)
AND (
:category_id IS NULL OR c.id = :category_id
)
AND (
:category_slug IS NULL OR c.slug = :category_slug
)
Tip: Rerun this query after your update topics to verify the votes were cast
Backfilling via API
From there, use that list and run an API script to backfill the votes! To use my script below, you’ll need to trim off columns beyond the first two. I left them in the data explorer query so it’s easier to identify the topics across your community.
Note: your API key should be scoped to all users, since it’s impersonating each one.
I don’t have permission to attach the script that I used, but here it is in text:
Backfill script
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
Backfill Self-Votes via Discourse API
This script casts votes for topic authors who haven't voted on their own topics.
It uses the Discourse API to impersonate users and cast votes on their behalf.
Requirements:
- Python 3.7+
- requests library (pip install requests)
- An admin API key with impersonation permissions
Usage:
1. Update the configuration section below
2. Prepare a CSV file with topic_id and username columns
3. Run: python backfill_votes_api.py
CSV Format:
topic_id,username
12345,john_doe
12346,jane_smith
"""
import csv
import time
import requests
from datetime import datetime
#==============================================================================
# CONFIGURATION
#==============================================================================
# Discourse instance URL (no trailing slash)
DISCOURSE_URL = 'https://yourcommunity.com'
# Admin API key (must have impersonation permissions)
API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'
# Admin username that owns the API key
API_USERNAME = 'system'
# Path to CSV file with topic_id and username columns
CSV_FILE = 'topics_to_vote.csv'
# Dry run mode - set to False to actually cast votes
DRY_RUN = True
# Delay between API calls (seconds) to avoid rate limiting
DELAY_BETWEEN_REQUESTS = 0.5
#==============================================================================
# SCRIPT
#==============================================================================
def cast_vote(topic_id: int, username: str) -> dict:
"""
Cast a vote on a topic as a specific user.
Args:
topic_id: The ID of the topic to vote on
username: The username to impersonate when voting
Returns:
dict with 'success' boolean and 'message' string
"""
url = f"{DISCOURSE_URL}/voting/vote"
headers = {
'Api-Key': API_KEY,
'Api-Username': username, # Impersonate the user
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}
data = {
'topic_id': topic_id
}
try:
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=data)
if response.status_code == 200:
return {'success': True, 'message': 'Vote cast successfully'}
elif response.status_code == 422:
# Usually means already voted or voting not enabled
return {'success': False, 'message': 'Already voted or voting not enabled'}
elif response.status_code == 403:
return {'success': False, 'message': 'Permission denied - check API key permissions'}
elif response.status_code == 404:
return {'success': False, 'message': 'Topic not found or voting not enabled on category'}
else:
return {'success': False, 'message': f'HTTP {response.status_code}: {response.text[:200]}'}
except requests.RequestException as e:
return {'success': False, 'message': f'Request error: {str(e)}'}
def main():
print("\n" + "=" * 60)
print("Backfill Self-Votes via API")
print("=" * 60)
print(f"Mode: {'DRY RUN (no changes)' if DRY_RUN else 'LIVE (votes will be cast)'}")
print(f"Target: {DISCOURSE_URL}")
print(f"CSV File: {CSV_FILE}")
print("=" * 60 + "\n")
# Read CSV file
try:
with open(CSV_FILE, 'r', newline='', encoding='utf-8') as f:
reader = csv.DictReader(f)
rows = list(reader)
except FileNotFoundError:
print(f"ERROR: CSV file not found: {CSV_FILE}")
print("\nCreate a CSV file with the following format:")
print("topic_id,username")
print("12345,john_doe")
print("12346,jane_smith")
return
except Exception as e:
print(f"ERROR: Failed to read CSV file: {e}")
return
if not rows:
print("ERROR: CSV file is empty")
return
# Validate CSV columns
columns = set(rows[0].keys())
if 'topic_id' not in columns or 'username' not in columns:
print(f"ERROR: CSV must have columns: topic_id and username")
print(f"Found columns: {columns}")
return
print(f"Found {len(rows)} topics to process\n")
# Process each row
success_count = 0
skip_count = 0
error_count = 0
for i, row in enumerate(rows, 1):
topic_id = row['topic_id'].strip()
username = row['username'].strip()
print(f"[{i}/{len(rows)}] Topic #{topic_id} by @{username}", end=" ")
if DRY_RUN:
print("-> would vote")
success_count += 1
else:
result = cast_vote(int(topic_id), username)
if result['success']:
print("-> voted!")
success_count += 1
elif 'Already voted' in result['message']:
print("-> already voted (skipped)")
skip_count += 1
else:
print(f"-> ERROR: {result['message']}")
error_count += 1
# Rate limiting
if i < len(rows):
time.sleep(DELAY_BETWEEN_REQUESTS)
# Summary
print("\n" + "=" * 60)
print("SUMMARY")
print("=" * 60)
print(f"Total topics: {len(rows)}")
print(f"Votes {'to cast' if DRY_RUN else 'cast'}: {success_count}")
print(f"Already voted (skipped): {skip_count}")
print(f"Errors: {error_count}")
if DRY_RUN:
print("\n** DRY RUN COMPLETE **")
print("To cast votes, set DRY_RUN = False and run again.")
print("")
if __name__ == '__main__':
main()