Add a Different Background For Author Comments in Blogger's Threaded Comments

In this tutorial we will learn how to highlight the author comments so that they will have a different background color, border, or anything that makes them stand out from the others. To achieve this, we need to add a code in the Blogger's template and to modify the style according to our preferences.

  

How to highlight author comments in Blogger:

Step 1. Go to Template, click on Edit HTML

Step 2. Click anywhere inside the code area and try to find - using CTRL + F keys - this tag:

</body>

Screenshot:

Step 3. Just above it, paste the following code:

<script src='http://code.jquery.com/jquery-latest.js'/>
<script>
$(function() {
function highlight(){
$('.user.blog-author').closest('.comment-block')
.css('border', '1px solid #FFA500')
.css('background','#F1F1F2 url("http://www.blogblog.com/1kt/transparent/white80.png")')
.css('color', '#444444')
.css('font-size', '12px')
.css('padding', '10px');
}
$(document).bind('ready scroll click', highlight);
});
</script>

Customizing the Author Comments:

Border:
The line marked in orange represents the border's style.
What it can be done:

• 1px - you can increase the value to change the border's thickness
• solid - change the border's style to dotted, dashed, inset, outset etc.
• #FFA500 - this is the border's color value, change it with your own color

Background:
The line marked in blue represents the background's style. You can use a plain color or an image. By default there's a combination of both (a white transparent image with a gray plain color).
To change/add:

• a different color: replace the #F1F1F2 value with your own (use this tool to find the hex code of your desired color)
• an image: replace the defaul url http://www.blogblog.com/1kt/transparent/white80.png with that of your image

Font Color:
To change the font's color, replace the #444444 color value in green with your own. (you can use this tool to find the hex code of your desired color)

Font Size:
Modify the value in red by increasing/decreasing the "12" value in order to change the size of text.

Step 4. Now Save your Template.

To customize the entire style of threaded comments, please check my previous tutorial on How to Customize Comment's Background, Font Color and Border in Blogger.

How to Customize Blogger Comments By Adding a Background Color and Border

The comments are an essential part of a blog because in them is reflected the readers' opinions regarding a post or our blog, so it is important to spend a little of our time to make this part looking more presentable, accessible and neat.

To set in order our comments, it is necessary to make each comment easy to identify, therefore to know from where it begins and to where it ends, otherwise it becomes a jumble of letters of which the reader can run away. Here are some ways to make some order by separating each comment.

- Add a Separator To Blogger Comments
- Add a Divider Below Comments in Blogger
- Fully Customize Your Blogger Comments By Changing The Background Color and Border

The first method is the easiest, and is about how to put a border below our comments, this is to separate each blog comment in a simple but effective way.

How to Add a Separator/Border To Blogger Comments

Step 1. To add a simple separator go to Template > Edit HTML and click on the small arrow on the left of <b:skin>...</b:skin>

Step 2. Click anywhere inside the code area and search using CTRL + F keys, for the following piece of code:

]]></b:skin>

Step 3. Paste the following style just above it:

- If we are using threaded comments (with the reply option):

.comment-block {
border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;
}

.comments .continue {
  border-top: 0px solid $(widget.alternate.text.color);
}

- If we are using previous commenting system (with no reply option)

#comments-block .comment-footer {
border-bottom:1px solid #000000;
}

Note: To change the border's color, replace the bolded color value and to change its thickness, increase/decrease the 1 value.

Step 4. Save the Template.

Instead of a simple border, we can also add a divider/image between our comments.

How to Add a Divider (Image) Between Each Comment in Blogger

Step 1. Go to Template > Edit HTML and search (CTRL + F) for the following piece of code:

]]></b:skin>

Screenshot:

Step 2. Paste the following just above it:

- If we are using threaded comments (with the reply option):

.comment-block {
background-image:url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOKG_RjTecepdZNpuEoB1SeuYCmCzeI9rvXqEB_1IzlRXn7NDvZ6lexppAJns8SXrrGCCi25UJjHY0q5N7R_lK2K-Bz48QtXYzHehqEDe-hg2DGlsK2nIZlRlEX3lqimPcx8MFm5MYj8l/s1600/74.gif);
background-repeat:no-repeat;
background-position:center bottom;
padding-bottom:30px;
margin-top: -10px;
}

.comments .continue {
border-top: 0px solid $(widget.alternate.text.color);
}

- If we are using previous commenting system (with no reply function)

#comments-block .comment-footer {
background-image:url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOKG_RjTecepdZNpuEoB1SeuYCmCzeI9rvXqEB_1IzlRXn7NDvZ6lexppAJns8SXrrGCCi25UJjHY0q5N7R_lK2K-Bz48QtXYzHehqEDe-hg2DGlsK2nIZlRlEX3lqimPcx8MFm5MYj8l/s1600/74.gif);
background-repeat:no-repeat;
background-position:center bottom;
height: 50px;
}

Note: The URL that is in blue represents the image that you can change as you like, just remember that at the height must set the height of an image with 30px more, for instance, if the image's height is 50px then the value will be 80px. This is for making sure that the image won't overlap the date of comments. (for threaded comments, increase/decrease the padding 30 value)

Step 3. Save the Template.

But you can still have more styles for each comment, for example adding a background color and a border.

How to Add A Border and A Background Color To Blogger Comments

Step 1. Go to Template > Edit HTML and search for the following piece of code:

]]></b:skin>

Step 2. Paste the following just above it:

- If we are using threaded comments (with the reply option):

.comment-block {
background:#F9F9F9; /* Background Color */
border: 1px solid #f1f1f1; /* Border style */
margin-bottom:20px;
-webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, .4);
-moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, .4);
box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, .4);
-moz-border-radius: 10px;
-webkit-border-radius: 10px;
border-radius: 10px;
}

.comments .comment-thread.inline-thread {
background-color: #FAFAFA; /* Background color behind the replies */
border-left: 4px dotted #E6E6E6; /* Border on the left side of replies */
}

.comment-content {
padding:2px 10px 10px 10px;
color:#444444; /* Font Color in Comments */
}

.datetime a {
font-style:italic;
font-size:9px;
margin-left: 2px;
}

.comments .comments-content .user a{
color:#1982D1; /* Author's name color */
font-size: 12px; /* Author's name size */
padding-left: 10px;
font-weight:bold;
text-decoration:none;
}

.comments .comment .comment-actions a,.comments .comment .continue a{
display:inline-block;
margin:0 0 10px 10px;
padding:0 15px;
color:#B4B4B7;
text-align:center;
text-decoration:none;
background:#F8F8FB;
border:1px solid #C2C2C5;
border-radius:4px;
height:20px;
line-height:20px;
font-weight:normal;
cursor:pointer;
}

.comments .continue {
border-top: 0px solid $(widget.alternate.text.color);
}

.comments .comments-content .icon.blog-author {
background-image: none;
margin-left: -10px;
}

.comments .avatar-image-container{
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
width: 40px;
max-height: 40px;
border: 1px solid #F2F2F2;
padding: 1px;
}

.comments .avatar-image-container img{
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
max-width: 40px;
height: 40px;
}

Step 3. Save the Template.

- If we are using previous commenting system (with no reply function):

Step 1. Search for this line in your template:

<b:loop values='data:post.comments' var='comment'>

Step 2. Then, add the following code just below of it:

<div class='comments-ct'>

Step 3. Look a little further down and you'll see the </b:loop> code and just above it, add this:

</div>

Step 4. Now find this:

]]></b:skin>

Step 5. And just above of it, add this CSS code:

.comments-ct{
background:#F9F9F9; /* Background Color */
border: 1px solid #f1f1f1; /* Bprder Style */
margin-bottom:20px;
-webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, .4);
-moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, .4);
box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, .4);
-moz-border-radius: 10px;
-webkit-border-radius: 10px;
border-radius: 10px;
}

.comment-body {
color:#444444; /* Font Color in Comments */
padding:10px;
}

.comments-ct a {
padding-left: 5px; /* Link color */
color: #4A9BD8;
}

.comment-timestamp a {
font-style:italic;
font-size:9px;
padding-right:10px;
padding-left:10px;
}

(The rounded edges will not work in Internet Explorer with CSS)

In either case, you can change the background color, border, etc.. in parts with annotations in green.

Step 6. Save the Template.

If you need more help, leave a comment below.