HINT: Getting Better, Faster Answers to Your Questions
__________________________________________________DO YOUR HALF (RTFM):If you haven抰 gone through the basic trails of the Java Tutorial (like Your First Cup of Java, Getting Started or Learning the Java Language), do that before posting your question ?they cover many of the basic issues as well as providing you with the terminology to explain problems you may encounter later and the terminology that others will be using to explain the solution.
In other words, a reply should not have to include step by step instructions on things such writing, saving and compiling a Java sourcefile.
Go through those lessons and learn the basic procedures such as calling javac.exe or java.exe from the command line.You might even consider obtaining (and reading, of course) one of the various books on the Java language.This might as well prevent you from asking questions such as "How do I center my popup in Internet Explorer" since this is a JavaScript-related question which has nothing to do with Java.First, BEFORE YOU EVEN POST YOUR QUESTION, at LEAST peruse the list of messages to see if someone else has posted a question similar to yours. Sometimes the subject titles are not terribly descriptive (see next item), but check 抏m out anyway ?the more people that have to deal with non-descriptive subject titles, the more likely we are to reach a "critical mass" where everybody develops the good habit of using descriptive subject titles. Then, particularly if you are in a hurry ?like, if you were thinking of using any of the words "Urgent", "ASAP", or "Now!" in your subject title, use the site抯 Search feature to find previous questions and answers about your topic. There抯 a LOT-O-STUFF in there. There are very few questions you can ask that haven抰 been asked before (I can see it now; this could very well spawn a contest to see who can come up with the most original question, Java-oriented, of course). By using the Search feature, you might find the answer you seek immediately, without even having to formulate your message, much less having to return for the replies.
________________________________________________________________USE DESCRIPTIVE SUBJECT TITLES:Do you use phrases in subject titles like the following: 牋牋"Help!"牋牋"Please Help!"牋牋"Problem"牋牋"Java Problem"牋牋"Can someone help me?"牋牋"URGENT!"...and then find they mysteriously go unanswered, or minimally answered? One thing you can do to increase the likelihood that your questions will be answered is to provide some key to the topic of your question in the subject line, i.e.: 牋牋"Help with Focus Event on JComboBox please"牋牋"Problem loading *.jpg from Jar file"牋牋"Icon of JInternalFrame not showing"牋牋"My chair keeps collapsing"牋牋"My dog peed on my keyboard and now it sticks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"The reason this works better (with the notable exception of the last two items, above), is that many people who are knowledgeable enough to help are also, coincidentally, working for a living and so often breeze through the posts doing a quick scan for a post where they can be of immediate assistance and/or that they are uniquely qualified to answer. By NOT including a topic-specific subject, you are making it necessary for them to read the whole message to divine the topic, which they are less likely to do. Eventually, it will get to the point where posts with non-descriptive subject lines will simply go unanswered. A more humorous look at subject lines: 牋?b>"Java" ?
牋牋牋Yeah, like we thought you came here looking to order a pizza on-line.牋?b>"HELP!" ?
牋牋牋Er, uh, should we call 911?牋?b>"URGENT!" ?
牋牋牋Gee, everybody else is content to get an answer anytime in the next decade or so.牋?b>"Problem" ?
牋牋牋It抯 all in your head ?see a therapist.牋?b>"ASAP" ?
牋牋牋As soon as all issues with REAL deadlines are out of the way ?basically, the bottom of the pile.
________________________________________________________________YOUR HOMEWORK REMAINS YOUR HOMEWORK: If you post some sort of school exercise such as
"Urgent! I need to code a program that will sort an array using bubble sort algorithm. Please post sourcecode ASAP!!!"
then you're probably at the wrong place. If you start coding but run into problems (last two values remain unsorted or IndexOutOfBoundsException or whatever) then come back, provide the relevant code snippets (See HOW TO POST YOUR QUERY down below) and people will surely help you. But simply throwing in the tasks that YOU have to do and waiting for someone to post the code that does what YOU were required to do is a very bad way in my opinion.
________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________DO YOUR HALF (RTFM):If you haven抰 gone through the basic trails of the Java Tutorial (like Your First Cup of Java, Getting Started or Learning the Java Language), do that before posting your question ?they cover many of the basic issues as well as providing you with the terminology to explain problems you may encounter later and the terminology that others will be using to explain the solution.
In other words, a reply should not have to include step by step instructions on things such writing, saving and compiling a Java sourcefile.
Go through those lessons and learn the basic procedures such as calling javac.exe or java.exe from the command line.You might even consider obtaining (and reading, of course) one of the various books on the Java language.This might as well prevent you from asking questions such as "How do I center my popup in Internet Explorer" since this is a JavaScript-related question which has nothing to do with Java.First, BEFORE YOU EVEN POST YOUR QUESTION, at LEAST peruse the list of messages to see if someone else has posted a question similar to yours. Sometimes the subject titles are not terribly descriptive (see next item), but check 抏m out anyway ?the more people that have to deal with non-descriptive subject titles, the more likely we are to reach a "critical mass" where everybody develops the good habit of using descriptive subject titles. Then, particularly if you are in a hurry ?like, if you were thinking of using any of the words "Urgent", "ASAP", or "Now!" in your subject title, use the site抯 Search feature to find previous questions and answers about your topic. There抯 a LOT-O-STUFF in there. There are very few questions you can ask that haven抰 been asked before (I can see it now; this could very well spawn a contest to see who can come up with the most original question, Java-oriented, of course). By using the Search feature, you might find the answer you seek immediately, without even having to formulate your message, much less having to return for the replies.
________________________________________________________________USE DESCRIPTIVE SUBJECT TITLES:Do you use phrases in subject titles like the following: 牋牋"Help!"牋牋"Please Help!"牋牋"Problem"牋牋"Java Problem"牋牋"Can someone help me?"牋牋"URGENT!"...and then find they mysteriously go unanswered, or minimally answered? One thing you can do to increase the likelihood that your questions will be answered is to provide some key to the topic of your question in the subject line, i.e.: 牋牋"Help with Focus Event on JComboBox please"牋牋"Problem loading *.jpg from Jar file"牋牋"Icon of JInternalFrame not showing"牋牋"My chair keeps collapsing"牋牋"My dog peed on my keyboard and now it sticks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"The reason this works better (with the notable exception of the last two items, above), is that many people who are knowledgeable enough to help are also, coincidentally, working for a living and so often breeze through the posts doing a quick scan for a post where they can be of immediate assistance and/or that they are uniquely qualified to answer. By NOT including a topic-specific subject, you are making it necessary for them to read the whole message to divine the topic, which they are less likely to do. Eventually, it will get to the point where posts with non-descriptive subject lines will simply go unanswered. A more humorous look at subject lines: 牋?b>"Java" ?
牋牋牋Yeah, like we thought you came here looking to order a pizza on-line.牋?b>"HELP!" ?
牋牋牋Er, uh, should we call 911?牋?b>"URGENT!" ?
牋牋牋Gee, everybody else is content to get an answer anytime in the next decade or so.牋?b>"Problem" ?
牋牋牋It抯 all in your head ?see a therapist.牋?b>"ASAP" ?
牋牋牋As soon as all issues with REAL deadlines are out of the way ?basically, the bottom of the pile.
________________________________________________________________YOUR HOMEWORK REMAINS YOUR HOMEWORK: If you post some sort of school exercise such as
"Urgent! I need to code a program that will sort an array using bubble sort algorithm. Please post sourcecode ASAP!!!"
then you're probably at the wrong place. If you start coding but run into problems (last two values remain unsorted or IndexOutOfBoundsException or whatever) then come back, provide the relevant code snippets (See HOW TO POST YOUR QUERY down below) and people will surely help you. But simply throwing in the tasks that YOU have to do and waiting for someone to post the code that does what YOU were required to do is a very bad way in my opinion.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________BE POLITE:And let抯 not forget (sometimes not-so) common courtesy. The people that provide answers here are doing so voluntarily ?they are not getting paid to solve your problem, so demands of immediate response are inappropriate. And even if respondents were unable to help, but particularly if they DID, it doesn抰 hurt to thank them ?honest, it doesn抰; try it. It抯 good manners and it makes the person or people who helped you feel good and gives them incentive to help you out the next time. And you can bet your sweet bippy that if you treat people who tried to help you DISCOURTEOUSLY, you will not receive help from them again ?they抣l remember.
________________________________________________________________USE THE FORUM; DON扵 REQUEST PRIVATE REPLIES:Requesting emailing responses or ICQ responses (or any responses other than replies to the forum) are inappropriate. That抯 an extra step for someone who is already going out of his/her way to help you. When posting a new topic, you can elect to have the replies to your message thread emailed to you automatically by checking the box ed "Watch this topic" You can change the email notification in general if you use the settings option in that small 'control panel' on the right after you're signed in. Or you can delete watches on a per thread basis using the Watches option.Though there are certain times when a thread strays off topic and should be taken to private email, maintaining public message exchange via the forum is encouraged ?for the "greater good." A note of caution: Some of the people who graciously volunteer their time, here, to answer your questions ALSO do the same ?for a living ?on a private basis. It is not fair to expect them to give away, for free, a service for which they normally charge. Though they may offer to help you privately for free, if you initiate request for private consultation, you should not be surprised if they expect to be paid for services rendered (though most will at least inform you up front that private consultation invokes a fee). At least, don抰 be surprised if it comes up in the conversation.
________________________________________________________________WHERE TO POST YOUR QUERY:How do you know whether to put your post in the New to Java Technology section or the Java Programming or Advanced Language Topics section?
A good measure is, if you have never answered or been able to answer anyone else抯 questions, your post probably belongs in the New to Java Technology section. Your post probably belongs in the New to Java Technology section if: 牋?b>贩?/b> your question is about using any of the tools of the JDK (java.exe, javac.exe). 牋?b>贩?/b> your question is about setting the CLASSPATH on your machine. 牋?b>贩?/b> you write your first 'Hello world' and encounter a ClassNotFoundException.牋?b>贩?/b> you get program errors, crashes, or the installation of the JDK fails. 牋?b>贩?/b> you have to wear Post-It notes, with a big "L" and "R" on the toes of your shoes.On the other hand if you have problems with the GUI you're creating then you'd better post your question in one of the GUI Building forums.
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The more information you provide about your particular problem or situation, the easier it is for us to help. 牋?PROVIDE SOURCECODE: If you run into problems with your code it's not a bad idea to post the relevant class / or code fragment with your initial post and not on demand from someone who wants to help you since this will delay the whole process of people trying to solve the problem with you. But if you post sourcecode please use the formatting option that is provided in this forum (include it in [code燷[/code]) so that the code formatting remains the same. Reading hundreds of lines of pasted source code with lots of for-loops and nested if conditions without any indentation is awful.牋?BE THOROUGH:Avoid abbreviations and "chat-room" acronyms, as they obscure rather than clarify. The words here are free; you don抰 have to pay for them by the number of characters you type so be thorough. Put forth the effort. Though those shortcuts may save you time typing, which may be appropriate in a real-time scenario like a chat-room, they are inappropriate for a technical forum and make it harder for people to read and discern the meaning of your questions. Do you really want to make it harder for people to help you? After all, if you really DON扵 want an answer, it抯 a whole lot easier to obliterate any meaning from your message if you just shift your fingers one position to the left on your keyboard and touch type. rgR Qtm bivist xB EWs RGUBF TIY RTOW, 牋?BE ACCURATE: Check your message for typographical and grammatical errors. And, if you include any URLs in your post, check them in the preview before you hit the post button. Click on them; make sure they work.
________________________________________________________________WHEN TO REPLY:When someone answers your question and you need to respond, whether to thank them for the reply (as I mentioned before, not a bad idea ?it抯 good manners and it makes the person or people who helped you feel good and gives them incentive to help you out the next time), or to get further clarification, use the Reply button ?don抰 start a new thread to continue conversation from an existing thread UNLESS it抯 because the conversation has drifted so far off topic that you need a 10x telescope to see the original question.
________________________________________________________________WHEN TO USE THE POST NEW TOPIC LINK:If you need to ask a question that is NOT related to the topic of the thread you are reading, use the Post New Topic link; don抰 post your question inside someone else抯, for two reasons. Your question is less likely to be noticed, since you cannot state the topic in a subject title, and it can detrimentally divert the energy of the particular thread in dealing with the original topic.
________________________________________________________________MULTIPLE POSTS ?JUST DON扵:Don抰 post the same message multiple times. Don抰 post the same message multiple times. Don抰 post the same message multiple times. Get it? Posting the same message multiple times just makes the message list longer (so less of it can be seen at a time), and more work for everybody if people reply to different copies, not to mention more work for yourself, if you have to read all copies to see all the replies. It is not necessary to post a new topic if your intent is to bring a prior problem to the top of the list. Just post a new reply to the prior message and it will sort to the top based on the date of the most recently posted reply.
________________________________________________________________THOU SHALT NOT CROSS-POST (CROSS-DRESSING; OK):In almost ALL cases (you抣l note I抦 excepting this message ?it抯 not a question), it is inappropriate to "cross-post," that is, hedge your bet by posting the same question in multiple sections. It will annoy the people that read multiple sections, which is most of the people who provide help, anyway. Pick your section, post your question, and then don抰 forget to come back for the replies ?all the replies in the world will do no good if you don抰 read them.
________________________________________________________________So there you have it; more than you ever wanted to know about effective posting on the Java Technology Forums. The basic question to keep in mind is:揥hat is likely to happen if you make it hard (or unpleasant) for people to help you??/b>Feel free to respond to this message with additions and comments, I expect this document will metamorphose into something really useful. :)
"Change is inevitable, unless you happen to be standing at the token box on the bus."