Is there a library article on how to ask a good question in this (and other CSC) forums?

[ScottBass]

I've searched the library but couldn't find such an article.

Forum Admins:  when a new user creates a profile, can you either paste such text into a reply, or at least send a link to said article?

[ScottBass]

Well I found this:

https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Support-Communities/How-to-ask-a-good-question-and-receive-a-fast...

It came up as the 1st tip as I typed in this post's subject.  Weird that the same subject entered in the search text entry box doesn't get this hit?

However, that post needs more detail, like using the Insert SAS Code icon for SAS code so it can be cut-and-pasted into SAS, using the have (source) and want (target) dataset paradigm, etc.

[ChrisNZ]

> However, that post needs more detail, like using the Insert SAS Code icon for SAS code so it can be cut-and-pasted into SAS, using the have (source) and want (target) dataset paradigm, etc.

And pasting the posted code back into SAS to run it once and ensure it wasn't broken in the copy'and'paste process.

The links in @Kurt_Bremser 's footnote signature are also useful.

One might want the handful of such recommendations to be check boxes in the "Ask a new question" page, and all of them to have to be checked by the user (have you really read this?) before the "Post this question" button is ungreyed.

[Kurt_Bremser]

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@ChrisNZ wrote:

And pasting the posted code back into SAS to run it once and ensure it wasn't broken in the copy'and'paste process.

Really like that. I often find that "have" code does not work because some editor along the way replaced blanks with tabs, or similar.

[ScottBass]

@Kurt_Bremser 

Ok, sorry for the ignorant question, but asking will make me less ignorant. 

How do I add URL's to my forum signature? 

Perhaps I can just add or replace your signature to mine (it's good)  🙂  With full attribution of course 😉

[ChrisNZ]

@ScottBass  Just add HTML code there. Mine looks like this

[Kurt_Bremser]

I'll try to post the signature code here:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<A href="https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Communities-Library/Maxims-of-Maximally-Efficient-SAS-Programmers/ta-p/352068" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Maxims of Maximally Efficient SAS Programmers</A>

<A href="https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Communities-Library/How-to-create-a-data-step-version-of-your-data-AKA-generate/ta-p/258712" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">How to convert datasets to data steps</A>

<A href="https://gist.githubusercontent.com/statgeek/bcc55940dd825a13b9c8ca40a904cba9/raw/865d2cf18f5150b8e887218dde0fc3951d0ff15b/data2datastep.sas" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The macro for direct download</A>

<A href="https://communities.sas.com/t5/help/faqpage/faq-category-id/posting#posting" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">How to post code</A>

Please vote for <A href="https://communities.sas.com/t5/SASware-Ballot-Ideas/Enhancements-to-INFILE-FILE-to-handle-delimited-file-variations/idi-p/435977" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Enhancements to INFILE/FILE to handle delimited file variations</A>

[Kurt_Bremser]

There's one bad thing I have noticed with the forum interface: in the mobile version, the necessary buttons for posting special text are simply not there.

The communities should open on all devices in full mode, and the mobile mode should only be provided as a backstop. Or the mobile mode needs to provide the same posting methods.

At the moment I am using full mode on my tablet, just for clarification, and I even use it on my cellphone.

[PaigeMiller]

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@Kurt_Bremser wrote:

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@ChrisNZ wrote:

And pasting the posted code back into SAS to run it once and ensure it wasn't broken in the copy'and'paste process.

Really like that. I often find that "have" code does not work because some editor along the way replaced blanks with tabs, or similar.

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Or non-curly quotes replaced with curly quotes. 

[ChrisNZ]

Another note to add/enforce is on the "Create a new Post" page is:

No MS Office files. Images can be posted in the post, logs can be posted as text, etc.

[PaigeMiller]

@ScottBass I like your thought process and your suggestions, but I am also very skeptical that they will make the slightest bit of difference. Why? I have been involved in the SAS Communities since October of 1582, and in many other on-line forums providing user-to-user technical support on other products. I have seen similar efforts throughout the years, and unfortunately, they don't make any difference at all ... new people don't know how to ask questions, but they think they do, and so they don't read the advice and then those of us in the forums (like @Kurt_Bremser and @ChrisNZ and myself and many many others) have to jump in and enforce some sort of basic standards by asking nicely and pleading and insisting (sometimes repeatedly) for the questioner to comply with accepted standards and ask clear questions and provide the data/code in a usable form, and so on and so forth. 

Nevertheless, I hope it works this time. You have my support. 

[ChrisNZ]

I share @PaigeMiller 's skepticism, but options are limited to ensure progress on this front, for the benefit of poster and helpers alike.

Hence my suggestion that the handful of recommendations be check boxes in the "Ask a new question" page.

Once all the boxes are checked by the user, the "Post this question" button is ungreyed. 

[PaigeMiller]

How many people read license agreements before they check the box that says "I agree"? The check box won't force people to actually read and follow the advice given.

[ChrisNZ]

How many people read license agreements before they check the box that says "I agree"? The check box won't force people to actually read and follow the advice given.

Agreed, but then 

1. Options are limited

2. There is no harm doing it (except maybe looking a bit bureaucratic)

3. The validation text to read is a one-liner, so not in the EULA legalistic non-sense territory

4. Even if only one recommendation is followed because of this last validation -like use {i} -, it's still a win

5. There can be no valid "I didn't know I had to post my code this way" reply

Another option is that repliers (not the right word apparently-answerers?-) are stricter and stop trying to second-guess the data and the intent, and only provide solutions when efforts have been made by posters to help themselves.

[PaigeMiller]

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@ChrisNZ wrote:

How many people read license agreements before they check the box that says "I agree"? The check box won't force people to actually read and follow the advice given.

Agreed, but then 

1. Options are limited

2. There is no harm doing it (except maybe looking a bit bureaucratic)

3. The validation text to read is a one-liner, so not in the EULA legalistic non-sense territory

4. Even if only one recommendation is followed because of this last validation -like use {i} -, it's still a win

5. There can be no valid "I didn't know I had to post my code this way" reply

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All good points. I'm not opposed to the effort of trying this, I'm just extremely skeptical.

Another option is that repliers (not the right word apparently-answerers?-) are stricter and stop trying to second-guess the data and the intent, and only provide solutions when efforts have been made by posters to help themselves.

Which would make the SAS Communities more unfriendly to newbies. Which is probably not a direction to go in.