A comment section is a set of small conversations. Someone asks where a video was filmed; three people answer; one of them is the creator. If you flatten that into a list, you lose the thread. This guide explains how GlimTok keeps threads intact in the viewer and the export, and how to work with them in a spreadsheet.
One conversation, several records
GlimTok uses two record types. A main comment is posted directly under the video. A reply is posted under a main comment. Both carry a comment_id and a video_id. A reply also carries a parent_comment_id, which points at the main comment it belongs to, and its record_type reads reply.
Because the video_id is on every record, you can combine several videos in one sheet and still tell their conversations apart. Because the parent ID is on every reply, you can rebuild any thread from the rows alone.
A small example
Suppose comment 123 asks where the video was filmed, and reply 456 answers Lisbon. In an export, the row for 456 has record_type reply and parent_comment_id 123. The row for 123 has record_type comment and an empty parent column. Sort by parent ID and then by time, and the thread reads top to bottom.
Keep both IDs as text. They are long numbers, and a spreadsheet that converts them to numbers will round the last digits and quietly break every join.
How replies load in the viewer
The viewer loads main comments first. Each one shows how many replies the source reports. Open a thread to fetch its replies; close it to hide them again. Threads are fetched on demand, one at a time, so a page with a hundred comments does not trigger a hundred requests you did not ask for.
Some sources attach a small sample of replies to a main comment. GlimTok shows the sample, but it does not count the sample as a complete thread. When you open the thread, the full set is fetched and any overlap with the sample is removed.
Include replies deliberately in exports
Main comments only is the export default. It is cheaper, because replies need extra requests, and it answers most questions about what people said. Include replies when the back-and-forth is the point: creator responses, corrections, arguments and follow-up questions live there.
With replies included, your row ceiling covers both record types, and your credit ceiling still applies. A job that stops early can contain main comments whose threads were opened but not finished; the scope report lists them as pending reply threads so you know where the gaps are.
Working with threads in a spreadsheet
To count replies per comment, use COUNTIF on the parent column against each comment ID. To find the creator's replies, filter record_type for reply and the author username for the creator. To find unanswered questions, filter main comments containing a question mark and check which IDs never appear in the parent column.
For a readable transcript, add a column that equals the parent ID when present and the comment ID otherwise, then sort by that column and by time. Every thread lands together, parent first.
What a thread cannot tell you
A thread shows what was retrieved. It does not show replies that were removed, hidden by the creator, filtered or posted after your request. The reported reply count beside a comment is a platform number and can differ from the rows you hold. Treat each thread as a snapshot with a date, and say so when you share it.
Tone and intent are yours to judge. A reply can be a joke, a correction or a question, and no column in the export decides which. If you are coding comments for research, add your own column and keep the original text untouched so a colleague can check your reading against the source.
Sorting and searching threads in the viewer
In the comment viewer, sort applies to main comments. Replies stay under their parent whatever order you choose. Sort by likes to find the comments that carried the conversation, by time to read it as it happened, or in source order to match what the app shows.
Search filters main comments and any replies you have opened, so open the threads you care about before searching for a phrase inside them. Both controls work only on loaded results, and the page says so beside them. Neither one triggers a new request.
Questions people ask
Are replies included in the viewer by default?
Main comments load first. Each thread opens when you click it and closes again without losing what was loaded.
How do I tell a reply from a comment in a CSV?
Look at record_type, which reads comment or reply, and at parent_comment_id, which is filled only for replies.
Can a reply have its own replies?
TikTok shows nested replies under the same parent thread. GlimTok records them with the top-level comment as the parent, which is what the source reports.
Why does a thread show fewer replies than its count?
The reply count is a platform figure. Removed, filtered and inaccessible replies are counted there and cannot be retrieved by any public source.