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Comment & Markup Actions in Ziflow Viewer
Comment & Markup Actions in Ziflow Viewer

Markup and comment tools are an essential part of online collaboration. They are used to highlight areas of an asset that need attention

Updated over 2 months ago

Summary: Markups and comments are an essential part of the proofing process. Ziflow offers a variety of tools that are used to highlight areas that need attention. In addition, reviewers can Like, Reply, Label, and Resolve comments and Attach files. All threads of conversation are kept within the Ziflow Viewer.

Available for any user or guest reviewer that has been granted Comment permissions.

Reviewer comment permission in Ziflow

Features outlined in this article:


Adding comments with markups

Once you are inside the Legacy Proof Viewer, click on the Comment button in the upper right corner. This will open up a comments section. Now, you can start typing your comment or create a comment with a markup. If you want to do the latter, simply select your tool (square, circle, arrow, line, freehand drawing tool, or text annotation tool) from the pop-up window:

Adding comment with markup in Ziflow Viewer

Next to the markup tools is the color picker, where you can decide what color you want your markups to be set in:

Selecting markup color in Ziflow Viewer


Once you have selected your markup tool, click and drag over the area on the proof you wish to markup. Once you have placed the markup on the page, you have the ability to:

  1. Resize the markup by using the anchor points displayed when you hover over the markup.

  2. Delete the markup by clicking on the trash can icon, which appears in the top right of the markup.

  3. Scroll through the pages of a multipage document to apply multiple markups, if you want to connect it to a single comment.

Once you've added the markup, type in a comment that will be associated with it.

  1. Type your comment in the box.

  2. Click on Post, and your markup and comment will be published in the comment list.

  3. You can also post markups and comments by pressing Ctrl + Enter at the same time once you have typed your entry in the comment box.

Posting a comment with markup inside Ziflow Viewer

You can see other reviewers' comments as they will appear in real-time. You can click on any comment in the list, and it will highlight the markup on the page. In reverse, you can also click on any of the numbered pins on the proof, and it will highlight the comment.

If you click through the comments, Ziflow will automatically display the markup at a convenient zoom ratio, making it very user-friendly to scroll through all the comments.

Additional information:

  • To add comments & markups on the Live website or Rich Media proofs, please install the Ziflow plugin in your browser.


Private comments & replies (available on the Enterprise edition)

There are two types of comments/replies that can be added to a proof:

  • Public comments/replies - If someone from a stage submits a public comment/reply, it will be visible to all reviewers invited to the proof, no matter what stage they are in.

  • Private comments/replies - If someone adds a private comment/reply, it will only be visible to the reviewers in that specific stage.

Option to switch between public and private comments/replies will show when public and private comments are allowed in the stage settings on the proof:

Allow private comments setting

Reviewers can switch between public/private comments using the button under the comment field.

Switching between public and private comments in Ziflow Viewer

Filter comments & replies by their status

In the Ziflow Viewer, reviewers can also filter comments/replies by their type (public & private). This helps if you want to display only comments/replies that were posted as public or only those that are private.

Change a comment from public to private or vice versa

If you change your mind and you want to alter a public comment to private (or vice versa), you can do it by opening a comment menu and choosing a needed option.

Make comment public in Ziflow Viewer

Set default comment visibility in your Ziflow account

Administrators of Ziflow Enterprise-grade accounts can choose the default comment visibility setting for their team. Inside the account comment settings, there's a toggle that allows deciding if reviewers who open Ziflow Viewer will start by entering their comments in private or public mode.

Private replies

The option to include private responses to public comments is extremely valuable for enabling internal teams to post private replies to public comments.

Ziflow administrators can enable the option to add private replies within their Ziflow account comment settings.

Enabling this feature allows reviewers to add private replies to comments within the Ziflow Viewer. These private replies will be visible only to other reviewers from the same workflow stage. This setting can be toggled ON to permit private discussions, enhancing collaboration and privacy within your teams.

In the proof workflow example below, you can see that the proof stage called CLIENT, has only public comments enabled. The second stage of the same proof workflow (INTERNAL) has both types of comments (public & private) switched on.

With these settings in place, reviewers from the second proof stage can post private replies to public comments made by reviewers from the CLIENT stage. This ensures that the reviewer who posted a public comment will not see any replies made to his comment/markup.


Editing comments

If you want to edit a comment, you can do so by clicking the comment menu icon. Please note that you can only edit your own comments.

Edit comment in Ziflow Viewer


Removing comments

You can delete your own comments by clicking on the comment menu icon, however, this can only be done while the proof is unlocked. You can no longer remove your comments once the proof is locked or a new version is uploaded.

If you have Manage permissions, you can remove other users' comments in addition to your own.

**Please note that if you delete a comment, it will also delete any replies and any files that have been attached to the comment.

Remove comment in Ziflow Viewer


Restoring deleted comments

If you change your mind and want to restore the deleted comment, you can use the Restore option visible in the placeholder field. To view the placeholders for the deleted comments, you need to enable the Show deleted comments option:

Restore deleted comment in Ziflow Viewer

*The Restore option is available for Proof Owners and reviewers with Manage or Admin permissions. They can restore all deleted comments. Reviewers with Comment permissions can restore only their own comments.


Replying to comments

You will notice that underneath each comment is a Reply button.

You can reply to comments and start a discussion thread. This is very useful in clarifying comments so that the feedback is crystal clear.

Reply to a comment in Ziflow Viewer


Resolving comments (Standard, Pro, Business Legacy & Enterprise editions only)

The circle icon near the comment allows reviewers to resolve comments. Once clicked, it will turn green, and Ziflow will send an email notification about the action. A reviewer can also unresolve a comment by clicking on the green circle icon.

Resolving a comment in Ziflow Viewer


Labeling comments (Standard, Pro, Business Legacy & Enterprise editions only)

The flag icon allows reviewers to choose a label such as To do. Other labels can be added by account admins under Proofing Settings, so when the reviewer clicks on the icon, a list of all available labels will be presented. After selecting a label, it will be added to the comment/reply, and Ziflow will send an email notification regarding this action.

Label on comment in Ziflow Viewer

The Standard Edition is limited to only a single label that can be used. The Pro, Business Legacy & Enterprise Editions have unlimited labels to be configured and used by reviewers.


Copying the link to a comment

If you need to show a particular comment to someone, you can copy its link and share it. The person who will open the link will be redirected to the proof opened in the Proof Viewer with your comment highlighted.

Copy comment link in Ziflow Viewer


Copy comments between proof versions

When comparing proof versions, you may copy a comment from one version to another. While copying comments to another version, you can select if the action should copy the whole thread along with replies or just the main comment.

Copy comments from one version to another


Attaching Files

Attaching files to comments/replies can be done in two ways.

Option 1: When adding a comment or replying to a comment, click on the paperclip icon under the comments box, then navigate to the file you wish to attach.

Attach files to a comment in Ziflow Viewer

Option 2: Simply drag the file(s) you wish to attach directly into the comment box. The comment box will turn into an upload icon and then show a progress bar once you drop the files in.

Attach files using drag and drop method in Ziflow Viewer

Option 3: Use your keyboard shortcut to copy a desired image (Ctrl+C) and then paste it (Ctrl+V) into the comment text box.

Use your keyboard shortcut to copy a desired image (Ctrl+C) and then paste it (Ctrl+V) into the comment text box

If you wish to remove your attachment, simply click on the trashcan in the comment box next to the file.

If you want to download an attachment from a comment, then simply click on the attachment (as shown in the screenshot below). This will open the file where you can click the download button.

Download comment attachments in Ziflow Viewer

Additional Information:

  • Markups and comments cannot be added to locked versions of a proof.

  • There is a 500 MB file size limit on attachments.

  • The attached files will use space on your available storage allocation.

  • List of file formats that are not supported as comment attachments:

    .exe, .bat, .dll, .tmp, .sfx, .js, .jse, .jar, .vbs, .vb, .vbe, .py, .msi, .msp, .com, .cmd, .hta, .ps1, .pif, .application, .gadget, .scr, .cpl, .msc, .ws, .wsf, .wsc, .wsh, .psc1, .scf, .lnk, .inf, .reg, .docm, .dotm, .xlsm, .xltm, .xlam, .pptm, .potm, .ppam, .ppsm, .sldm, .eicar, .sh


Using @mentions

Summary: @mentions are an easy way to draw someone's attention to a conversation or message.

Available for: Any reviewer with Comment permissions on all Ziflow editions.

Where is the feature accessible? @mentions can be used when adding comments or replies within the Proof Viewer.

How Does It Work?

Once you use the @ sign, a dropdown menu with a list of all the reviewers within that stage will appear. Select the reviewer by clicking on their name to confirm your selection.

Mention another reviewer in Ziflow Viewer

How to control who can be mentioned on your proofs?

As a Ziflow user with admin rights, you have the ability to manage the individuals who can be mentioned on a proof level. You can customize the options to determine which contacts are eligible to be selected when using mentions in the Ziflow Viewer.

This option is available in Settings > Proofing settings > General.

At mention reviewers setting in Ziflow configuration

Read more about allowing mentioning settings in the following article.


Is it possible to enable all contacts to be mentioned?

Yes, a special account setting allows all contacts to be listed when using @mentions. It is located under Settings > Proofing Settings > General.

Available for: users on our Business and Enterprise plans.

At mention all users setting in Ziflow configuration

When the above option is enabled, and you use @mentions when commenting, you will be able to see who is not added as a reviewer on the proof.

Not on the proof label when using at mention in Ziflow Viewer

When you @mention someone who is not added to the review process, you will be asked to share the proof with them and assign them to the chosen stage.

What happens after @mentions are used in a comment/reply?

Once a reviewer uses @mentions to draw another reviewer's attention, Ziflow sends an email containing comment/reply text and proof details.

At mention notification in Ziflow

Please note:

  • If the comment is edited, all @mentioned reviewers will receive an email.



Comment reactions

(available on all Ziflow editions)

Summary: We're excited to announce a new feature in Ziflow that allows you to add reactions to comments. With this feature, you can now easily respond to comments with a quick Like, Verified, Insightful, or Rejected emoji.

Comment reactions in Ziflow

Reactions are a great way to show your support for a comment, express agreement or disagreement, or simply acknowledge that you've seen it. They're also a fun and easy way to add a bit of personality and emotion to your conversations.

Available for: Any reviewer with Comment permissions on all Ziflow editions.

Adding comment reactions.

Adding reactions is simple and easy. To add a reaction, hover over a comment and click the reaction button. You'll see a list of available emojis to choose from, and you can select the one that best fits your response.

Adding comment reactions in Ziflow Viewer

We hope this new feature will make communicating with others even easier and more enjoyable.

Adding Comment reactions in Ziflow

Comment reactions are not included in automatic emails sent by Ziflow.

Comment reactions while Exporting comments to PDF.

Added comment reactions will also be shown under comments while exporting comments to PDF.

Export comments to PDF with comment reactions

If you're a Ziflow administrator and want to enable/disable specific reactions in your account, please open the Comments settings and adjust reactions according to your needs.

Comment reactions in the activity log.

Proof owners/managers can also see comment reactions in the proof activity log when they view proof details.

Comment reactions in the activity log.

Comment reactions filters in the Ziflow Viewer.

Some reviewers may also need to filter comments/replies with specific reactions. That's where the comments reactions filter comes in handy.

Comment reactions filters in the Ziflow Viewer.

With the following filter applied to the comment list, reviewers will be able to display only comments/replies that they are looking for in terms of specific comment reactions.

Applying comment reactions filter on a comment list in the Ziflow Viewer

Adding comment reactions to locked stages.

By default, reviewers are not allowed to post/edit their comment reactions when their stage or whole proof is locked. When stage/proof is locked, the React button will be disabled, and already-added reactions will be greyed out.

Adding comment reactions to locked stages.

Ziflow administrators can adjust this mechanism and, if needed, change a setting responsible for blocking reviewers from adding new comments. If you're a Ziflow admin, please refer to this article for more information.


Supporting material:

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