How do I reply to comments from admin panel on a tablet PC?

Question

For certain reasons I prefer to reply to readers' comments from the admin panel (edit-comments.php). It's not a problem with a mouse. When I place the cursor over a comment, the comment management links pop-up, including the reply option. It's shown below, albeit with the Russian UI.

The Reply link opens the reply form right below the comment.

It doesn't work that way for me on a tablet PC. I can place a finger on the comment and the links appear, but when I try to press any link they all disappear.

FWIW, I have an HP tablet and use IE10 (metro/desktop) on Windows 8, and have no desire to change the browser.

Basically, there are two questions:

1. Is there an obvious option I'm missing that enables me to accomplish the goal?
2. If not, how can I modify WP behavior to display these links permanently?

Thanks for your attention to my questions :)

Answer 1

For IPad and iPhone there is an app called Touch Punch that makes the admin screens more tablet friendly. Maybe there is something similar to resolve your issue?

Answer 2

I don't know if there's an option you're missing, but this can be used as a workaround:

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: Show Quick Actions for Devices
 */

foreach( array( 'edit.php', 'edit-comments.php' ) as $page )
    add_action( "admin_head-$page", 'hide_row_action_wpse_112889', 100 );

function hide_row_action_wpse_112889() 
{
    if( !wp_is_mobile() )
        return;

    echo '<style type="text/css">.row-actions {visibility:initial;}</style>';
}

The function wp_is_mobile can be replaced with another detection method.

At the end, this may be more effective than having to "hover" (not) and then selecting the action.

List of files where row_actions shows up:

Answer 3

Here's the answer to my question #2

how can I modify WP behavior to display these links permanently?

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: Always Show Quick Actions
 */

add_action( "admin_head", 'hide_row_action_wpse_112889');

function hide_row_action_wpse_112889() 
{
    echo '<style type="text/css">.row-actions {visibility:visible !important;}</style>';
}
?>

It does the trick, and the plugin can be quickly disabled if these links start getting on your nerves :)