Forum Answer Types

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How do you help people while answering questions within the forum

Poll ended at Sat Mar 27, 2004 10:36 am

Tell them to go to a web site manual
1
10%
Tell them to go to a web site manual and look up 'xyz'
0
No votes
Write a demo code explaining the solution methodology but not supplying all the code
9
90%
Write the complete code for them
0
No votes
Other please write below...
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 10

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CoderGoblin
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Forum Answer Types

Post by CoderGoblin »

Just a quick question as to what people can expect from answers on these forums...
malcolmboston
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Post by malcolmboston »

if the code is simple and short i will usually just write it out for them and try to further divulge on the situations it should be used and its associated functions

if the code is simple but long i usually use a psudeo / php hybrid, and divulge more so than b4

if teh script is complex and i dont really understand it, i will try and narrow down any possible errors and examine formatting and then leave it to one of the better coders on the forums, however i show greater personal interest and learn from these topics

my $0.02
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patrikG
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Post by patrikG »

RTFM ;)
malcolmboston
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Post by malcolmboston »

lolololol :lol:
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tim
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Post by tim »

malcolmboston wrote:if the code is simple and short i will usually just write it out for them and try to further divulge on the situations it should be used and its associated functions

if the code is simple but long i usually use a psudeo / php hybrid, and divulge more so than b4

if teh script is complex and i dont really understand it, i will try and narrow down any possible errors and examine formatting and then leave it to one of the better coders on the forums, however i show greater personal interest and learn from these topics

my $0.02
I second thee
Draco_03
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Post by Draco_03 »

Yeah just telling them "go there" can be helpful.. but it's rarely is.. cuz usually it's noobie (like me) who don't understand the way it is written in the manual..

so having an exemple.. is much better.. especially if you explain it to the m :D
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JayBird
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Post by JayBird »

GUIDELINES FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS
It's always good to remember that it's not just how you ask a question that is important - how you answer a question should be thought out too.
  1. Don't just post RTFM - try and give a link to the section of the manual that is relevant.
  2. Read the question carefully, if you don't understand what's being asked, say so.
  3. Read the other answers in the thread, don't just read the first and last posts - you could be missing a lot inbetween if you do and it could make the help you give irrelevant. It may also be frustrating for those already involved in the thread to see that you've ignored their input.
  4. Try and help people help themselves, if someone has posted an link to the relevant area of the manual (or a tutorial or other example page) don't just post a cut-and-paste code snippet, yes you know the answer but give the poster a chance to try and sort it themselves.
  5. Respect other posters - if you are elaborating or disagreeing with what's been said be constructive.
  6. Explain your answer - don't just post a bunch of code with no clue as to what it fixes/replaces.
  7. Remember that just because you always do something one way does not mean it is the right way, neither is someone else's code immediately wrong because you don't recognise the functions they're using - use the manual to make sure you know what you're talking about.
  8. register_globals is off by default, unless you're helping those with older PHP versions (4.0.6 or below) please use the superglobal arrays when dealing with user input.
  9. Check your code - if you can just run it to check for parse errors.
  10. Telling someone to turn down their error reporting is not a valid solution.
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patrikG
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Post by patrikG »

!

<-- 1000th post :)
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tim
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Post by tim »

congrats patrick

1000 beauts
Draco_03
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Post by Draco_03 »

!


1000th post too.!!!
ah damn..so..just 190 :/
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uberpolak
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Post by uberpolak »

I tell them to turn down their error reporting.
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Bill H
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Post by Bill H »

patrikG says "RTFM" but he lies.
He is one of the most helpful posters on the board.
Not that he doesn't sometimes (frequently) refer people to the manual, but....
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no_memories
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Post by no_memories »

Giving a little insight into what they are asking is always helpful> Many people do not have a clue to what they are asking about, otherwise why would they be asking?. A little code and some explanation is always a good way to do things. Simple comments mean nothing in most cases.
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