Title: Trackbacks Showing as Comments
Last modified: August 19, 2016

---

# Trackbacks Showing as Comments

 *  [nickaster](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nickaster/)
 * (@nickaster)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/)
 * So, trackbacks are showing up as comments on my site. I found some info on this
   that shows how to fix the problem, but the problem is my theme is already set
   up (supposedly) to work. I think the designer must have forgotten something simple.
   Is there an obvious place to start looking for why this would be happening?

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

 *  [Mark / t31os](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t31os_/)
 * (@t31os_)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158569)
 * Find this in your theme’s comments.php
    `wp_list_comments();`
 * Change to..
    `wp_list_comments('type=comment');`
 *  Thread Starter [nickaster](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nickaster/)
 * (@nickaster)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158587)
 * Thanks man!
 * Unfortunately looks like the designer put some custom code in there so I can’t
   figure it out. I’m just going to have to wait. I do have a question though – 
   trackbacks also show up as “comments” in the back-end of WP, with nothing other
   than my intuition telling me that they are trackbacks and not comments (the […]
   is the give-a-way).
 * Is that normal?
 *  [Mark / t31os](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t31os_/)
 * (@t31os_)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158596)
 * Yes i believe so…
 * What’s different in your file, i can help you with it, it’s proberly just a custom
   callback or something, nothing we can’t handle… 😉
 *  Thread Starter [nickaster](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nickaster/)
 * (@nickaster)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158662)
 * Well, thanks! First of all, here’s the a relevant page on the site: [http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/07/wine-tastings-crab-cakes-and-great-scenery-is-this-why-amtrak-is-rising/](http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/07/wine-tastings-crab-cakes-and-great-scenery-is-this-why-amtrak-is-rising/)
 * Notice that at the top it correctly states that there are 3 comments, but later
   it says 4 comments, with only 3 showing. One of those 4 is in fact a trackback
   which is not showing in its little tab.
 * The line you mention above has been changed to:
 * `count($trackbacks) > 0) wp_list_comments('type=comment&callback=sdac_comment');?
   >`
 * The “sdac” stuff is custom code from the designer and I’ve got no idea where 
   it’s coming from. Then again I’m really new to wordpress so maybe it’s obvious
   to you?
 *  [Mark / t31os](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t31os_/)
 * (@t31os_)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158666)
 * Yes it’s just a custom callback, you’ll find the related code in the theme functions.
   php.
 * Can you post more of the surrounding code, the above has an uneven amount of 
   closing brackets so there must be more code along with that…
 *  Thread Starter [nickaster](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nickaster/)
 * (@nickaster)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158667)
 * Of course, thanks a mil. At the risk of posting too much, here’s the whole thing:
 *     ```
       <?php
   
       	if (!empty($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME']) && 'comments.php' == basename($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME']))
       		die ('Please do not load this page directly. Thanks!');
   
       	if ( post_password_required() ) { ?>
       		<p class="nocomments">This post is password protected. Enter the password to view comments.</p>
       	<?php
       		return;
       	}
   
       	$trackbacks = $comments_by_type['pings'];
       ?>
   
       	<div id="comments">
       		<ul>
       			<li><a href="#commentsList"><span>Comments (<?php echo count($comments)-count($trackbacks);?>)</span></a></li>
              	 	<li><a href="#trackbacksList"><span>Trackbacks (<?php echo count($trackbacks);?>)</span></a></li>
       		</ul>
   
       			<?php if (pings_open()) : ?>
   
       			<div id="trackbacksList">
       				<ol id="trackbackList">
       					<?php if ($trackbacks) : $trackbackcount = 0; ?>
       						<?php foreach ($trackbacks as $comment) : ?>
       						<li <?php comment_class(); ?> id="li-comment-<?php comment_ID() ?>">
       							<div class="commentBox">
       								<p class="commentMeta"><?php comment_time('F m, Y');?> at <?php comment_time('G:i a T');?> | <?php comment_author_link();?> writes:</p>
       								<p><?php comment_text(); ?></p>
       							</div>
       						</li>
       						<?php endforeach;?>
   
       					<?php else : ?>
   
       						<li class="odd">No trackbacks yet</li>
   
       					<?php endif; ?>
       				</ol>
   
       			<div class="clearjz"></div>
       		</div>	
   
        		<?php endif;?>
   
       		<?php if ( have_comments() ) : ?>
   
       			<div id="commentsList">
       				<h2 class="articles">Comments</h2>
       				<ol id="commentList">
       					<?php if ($comments && count($comments) - count($trackbacks) > 0) wp_list_comments('type=comment&callback=sdac_comment'); ?>
       				</ol>
       				<?php if (show_posts_nav()) : ?>
       					<div class="navigation">
       						<div class="alignleft"><?php previous_comments_link() ?></div>
       						<div class="alignright"><?php next_comments_link() ?></div>
       					</div>
       				<?php endif;?>
   
        		<?php else : ?>
   
       			<?php if ( comments_open() ) : ?>
       				<div id="commentsList">
       					<ol id="commentList" class="noComments">
       						<li>No Comments - Be the first to comment!</li>
       					</ol>
       					<div class="clearjz"></div>
   
       			<?php else : // comments are closed ?>
   
       				<div id="commentsList">
       					<ol id="commentList">
       						<li>Comments are Closed</li>
       					</ol>
       					<div class="clearjz"></div>
       				</div>	
   
       			<?php endif; ?>
       		<?php endif; ?>
   
       		<?php if ( comments_open() ) : ?>
   
       			<div id="respond">
       				<h2 class="articles"><?php comment_form_title( 'Leave a Reply', 'Leave a Reply to %s' ); ?></h2>
       				<div class="cancel-comment-reply">
       				<p><?php cancel_comment_reply_link(); ?></p>
       			</div>
   
       		<?php if ( get_option('comment_registration') && !is_user_logged_in() ) : ?>
   
       			<p>You must be <a href="<?php echo wp_login_url( get_permalink() ); ?>">logged in</a> to post a comment.</p>
   
       		<?php else : ?>
   
       			<form action="<?php echo get_option('siteurl'); ?>/wp-comments-post.php" method="post" id="commentForm">
   
       			<?php if ( is_user_logged_in() ) : ?>
   
       				<p>Logged in as <a href="<?php echo get_option('siteurl'); ?>/wp-admin/profile.php"><?php echo $user_identity; ?></a>. <a href="<?php echo wp_logout_url(get_permalink()); ?>" title="Log out of this account">Log out &raquo;</a></p>
       				<p><textarea name="comment" class="text" id="comment" cols="100%" rows="10" tabindex="4"></textarea></p>
   
       			<?php else : ?>
   
       <div id="ways">There are 3 ways to comment on 3P</div>
   
       				<div id="commentOptions">
   
       					<div class="commentOption">
       						<p><strong>1. Guests</strong></p>
       						<a id="respond">Comment Instantly<br /> Below:</a>
       					</div>
   
       					<div class="commentOption">
       						<p><strong>2. Facebook Users</strong></p>
       						<p>Login to your Facebook account</p>
       						<?php widget_FacebookConnector(array());?>
       					</div>
   
       					<div class="commentOption lastOption">
       						<p><strong>3. Members</strong></p>
       						<p><a target="_blank" href="<?php bloginfo('url');?>/wp-login.php?action=register">Register</a> for an account or <a target="_blank" href="<?php bloginfo('url');?>/wp-login.php">login</a>.</p>
       					</div>
       				</div>
   
       			<div id="commentsLeft">
       				<p>
       					<label for="author">Name <?php if ($req) echo "(required)"; ?></label>
       					<input type="text" class="text" name="author" id="author" value="<?php echo $comment_author; ?>" size="22" tabindex="1" <?php if ($req) echo "aria-required='true'"; ?> />
       				</p>
   
       				<p>
       					<label for="email">Email <?php if ($req) echo "(required)"; ?></label>
       					<input type="text" class="text" name="email" id="email" value="<?php echo $comment_author_email; ?>" size="22" tabindex="2" <?php if ($req) echo "aria-required='true'"; ?> />
       				</p>
   
       				<p>
       					<label for="url">URL</label>
       					<input type="text" class="text" name="url" id="url" value="<?php echo $comment_author_url; ?>" size="22" tabindex="3" />
       				</p>
       			</div>
       			<div id="commentsRight">
       				<p>
       					<label>Comment:</label>
       					<textarea name="comment" class="text" id="comment" cols="100%" rows="10" tabindex="4"></textarea>
       				</p>
       			</div>
   
       			<?php endif; ?>
   
       			<p id="subscribeComments"><a href="#"><img src="<?php bloginfo('template_url');?>/images/icon-rss.gif" /></a> <a href="#">Subscribe to Comments</a></p>
       			<p id="submitComment"><input name="submit" type="submit" id="submit" tabindex="5" value="Submit Comment" /></p>
       			<?php comment_id_fields(); ?>
       			<?php do_action('comment_form', $post->ID); ?>
       		</form>
       		<div class="clearjz"></div>
       	</div>	
   
       <?php endif; // If registration required and not logged in ?>
       </div>
   
       <?php endif; // if you delete this the sky will fall on your head ?>
       </div>
       ```
   
 *  [Mark / t31os](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t31os_/)
 * (@t31os_)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158673)
 * Ok and what you like to do with the pings/trackbacks?
 * Remove them completely or move them to a different area of the page?
 *  Thread Starter [nickaster](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nickaster/)
 * (@nickaster)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158792)
 * Right… well, there’s supposed to be a nifty little section in a tab which would
   display them essentially the same way as comments, but yes, in a different area.
   You can see where it’s supposed to be here:
 * [http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/07/wine-tastings-crab-cakes-and-great-scenery-is-this-why-amtrak-is-rising/](http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/07/wine-tastings-crab-cakes-and-great-scenery-is-this-why-amtrak-is-rising/)
 * (note the two tabs)
 *  [Mark / t31os](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t31os_/)
 * (@t31os_)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158802)
 * I think the problem relates to this.
    `$trackbacks = $comments_by_type['pings'];`
 * Unless another file is populating `$comments_by_type`
 * Then your trackback checks in the above code will be looking at an empty variable..
 * Perhaps there’s something more in the functions file, i can see there is a custom
   callback at least…
 * Can you paste the functions file code into a pastebin please…
    [http://wordpress.pastebin.com/](http://wordpress.pastebin.com/)
 *  Thread Starter [nickaster](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nickaster/)
 * (@nickaster)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158821)
 * You got it. Thanks a million…. that pastebin thing is pretty cool. Hope I did
   it right:
 * [http://wordpress.pastebin.com/m39e586a1](http://wordpress.pastebin.com/m39e586a1)
 *  [Mark / t31os](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t31os_/)
 * (@t31os_)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158822)
 * Yeah i’m not sure how that code is suppose to function, it’s essentially a variant
   that’s used in other themes such as iNove, however as far as i can tell ….
 * `$comments_by_type`
 * Is not holding the value it should do, and therefore $trackback is storing nothing…
 * The function in the functions file only counts the comments, but it’s never actually
   called anywhere in the comments file…. yet it’s the only place i see `$comments_by_type`
   referenced…
 * Quite simply the variable that is suppose to hold information on pings (trackbacks&
   pingbacks in terms of comment “type”) is not holding that data.. and the count
   is also off…
 * I’m not sure where the issue lies specifically because i’m not familiar with 
   those methods or seperating and displaying comments in such a manner, so the 
   best advice i can give you is to seek some assistance from the theme author or
   any coder was has used this approach before and is aware of any such problems..
 * I spent a good amount of time looking and fiddling with the code, but i think
   anything i suggest at this point would be pure guess work on my part..
 * Admittedly, i’m stumped.. 🙂
 *  [Mark / t31os](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t31os_/)
 * (@t31os_)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158824)
 * Been having a bit more of a read, and i’m convinced what you have should work,
   providing all the necessary pieces of code exist..
 * See this article..
    [http://sivel.net/2008/10/wp-27-comment-separation/](http://sivel.net/2008/10/wp-27-comment-separation/)
 * Note the area regarding the modification made to single.php, check yours has 
   this because this information applies to you and your theme.
 *  Thread Starter [nickaster](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nickaster/)
 * (@nickaster)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158828)
 * Yes! That worked. It was the stuff missing on single.php that was missing. Once
   again, you rock.
 * Cheers…
 *  [Mark / t31os](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t31os_/)
 * (@t31os_)
 * [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158829)
 * No problem matey… 😉

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

The topic ‘Trackbacks Showing as Comments’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 14 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Mark / t31os](https://wordpress.org/support/users/t31os_/)
 * Last activity: [16 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/trackbacks-showing-as-comments/#post-1158829)
 * Status: not resolved

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