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August 17, 2007
CAPTCHA for MovableType 3.2
The spam on my website is getting to be such a problem that I have to do something.
Six Apart has a guide to MovableType comment spam. Plus, this post talks about fighting blog spam in MovableType as well.
Now, Jay Allen apparently has a new plugin called Comment Challenge, and he wants me to get rid of the MT-Blacklist plugin.
So, OK. FIrst of all, I'll remove my MT-Blacklist plugin. Hmmm. After looking around a bit, I see that I'm not using that plugin any more anyway. Just some vestigial folders floating around out there in odd places. So, I just deleted the old MT-Blacklist folder(s). Done.
Now, the Comment Challenge Plugin requires the following:
- Movable Type 3.2 or higher or Movable Type Enterprise
- Ability to install plugins
- Permission to configure a blog and edit its templates
- A seething hatred of spam
Ok. Check. Check. Check. Check.
Directions for downloading and installing Comment Challenge.
So, I copied in the files as described in the directions.
Then, I inserted the <$MTCommentChallenge$> tag into my Individual Entry Archive. (Templates » Archives » Individual Entry Archive).
Then, I rebuilt all of my individual archives.
Now, when I go to MovableType, Plugins, I do see CommentChallenge listed there, and it says it is "Enabled", but I don't see the "Settings" link that is described in the documentation.
OK. Now I see the problem. I was in the wrong place: I was in "Main Menu > System Overview > Plugins". I needed to go to "Main Menu > Peenie Wallie > Plugin Settings".
So, I set the CommentChallenge Settings and rebuilt all of my individual archives (again).
It was working, but I had never put the <$MTCommentChallenge$> into my Comment Preview template, because the template was apparently old or obsolete. It used the MTCommentFields tag, which Jay pointed out wouldn't work. So, I refreshed the Comment Preview Template, as Jay described:
"You can always check by refreshing your indiv archive template (select template, pull down the itemset action ("More actions") dropdown and choose Refresh template(s... "
Then, with the updated Comments Preview template, I was able to put the <$MTCommentChallenge$> tag into the template, and it seems to be working now.
Posted by Rob Kiser on August 17, 2007 at 9:08 AM
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