---
title: Quarra Task Comment Timestamping Feature
type: article
created: '2026-04-05'
updated: '2026-04-05'
source_docs:
- raw/2026-04-03-salesforce-call-quarraasymmetric-135253854.md
tags:
- salesforce
- quarra
- tasks
- comments
- workflow
layer: 2
client_source: null
industry_context: null
transferable: true
---

# Quarra Task Comment Timestamping Feature

## Overview

Task comments in Quarra's Salesforce org automatically prepend a timestamp and the commenting user's name whenever a comment is saved. This provides a lightweight audit trail within the freeform comments field on Task records.

The feature was implemented via a custom Apex solution. Getting the cursor to default to the top of the text field was not achievable through Apex, which led to the specific manual workflow described below.

## How It Works

When a user saves a comment on a Task record, Salesforce automatically inserts a timestamp and username at the point of entry. Because the standard Salesforce cursor behavior places the insertion point at the **bottom** of a text field, users must follow a specific workflow to keep comments in reverse-chronological order (newest at top).

## Correct Workflow

1. Open the Task record.
2. Click the **Edit** button at the top of the record (not the inline pencil icon).
3. Navigate to the **Comments** field.
4. Manually place the cursor at the **top** of the existing text and add a new line.
5. Type the new comment.
6. Save — the timestamp and username are automatically prepended.

> **Why use Edit instead of the pencil icon?** Both methods trigger the timestamp, but the pencil icon opens an inline editor where the cursor defaults to the bottom of the field. Using the top-level **Edit** button makes it easier to manually navigate to the top before typing.

## Related Permissions Issue

As of the 2026-04-03 call, users were encountering an "insufficient permission" error when attempting to comment on Tasks they owned. Mark Hope is investigating a fix to allow all users to add comments while preventing editing or deletion of other users' comments. See [[wiki/meetings/2026-04-03-salesforce-call-quarra-asymmetric]] for details.

## Related

- [[wiki/knowledge/salesforce/quarra-permission-sets]] — Profile and permission set structure for Quarra's Salesforce org
- [[wiki/clients/quarra/_index]] — Quarra client overview