. However, it's getting very tiring going through the same question day after day. Here are some tips to get your questions answered quickly and with the least amount of frustration:
1) See that button at the top right of the page named 'search'? Use it!
2) Read the FAQ! The link can be found to the left of the search button.
3) Do not post 200 lines of code and ask, "Why won't this work?" No one wants to read through 200 lines to find a missing semicolon at the end. Describe your problem!
4) Before resorting to #3, double check your code. This applies especially to compile errors, since if you can't find missing semicolon or something similar based on the compiler errors something is seriously wrong. In fact, don't post any compile errors unless you have copied and pasted the source you are learning from and that doesn't work either.
5) If it's a problem getting DirectX or OpenGL to initialize, check your tutorial first! There are soooo many posts about this. *points to #1* Double and triple check to make sure you have all your parameters right and they match what your resource (online tutorial, book, msdn, etc.) does. If it still fails then start a new project and copy & paste the code from the tutorial. If it still doesn't work after that it's probably some freaky driver problem so skip to #7.
6) Learn to use the debugger. It can be a godsend in finding crashes and often leads you to things like array indices out of bounds.
7) If you have followed the above steps and still can't find the problem, then now is the appropriate time to post. Be sure to describe your problem well, where it fails and how, and only post as much code as needed. Don't bump your post until it goes off the page. It can take several hours (sometimes days) for someone who knows the answer to find it.
Helpful resources before resorting to posting:
1) http://www.google.com -- use it!
2) http://www.msdn.com -- confusing at times, but use it!
3) http://www.cplusplus.com -- good reference for C and C++
4) http://www.google.com -- again: use it, love it!
5) http://www.gametutorials.com -- gets a little hard to follow in the more advanced tutorials, but pretty good
To the moderators: Can we start cracking down on posts described in #3? With all the same questions being asked over and over it's hard for the more advanced ones to be found.
[edit] Added resource #5.
[edited by - Raloth on August 15, 2003 6:13:41 PM]
newbie guide: getting your question answered
Author
I understand that everyone has questions every once in a while. I have them quite frequently myself . However, it's getting very tiring going through the same question day after day. Here are some tips to get your questions answered quickly and with the least amount of frustration:
1) See that button at the top right of the page named 'search'? Use it!
2) Read the FAQ! The link can be found to the left of the search button.
3) Do not post 200 lines of code and ask, "Why won't this work?" No one wants to read through 200 lines to find a missing semicolon at the end. Describe your problem!
4) Before resorting to #3, double check your code. This applies especially to compile errors, since if you can't find missing semicolon or something similar based on the compiler errors something is seriously wrong. In fact, don't post any compile errors unless you have copied and pasted the source you are learning from and that doesn't work either.
5) If it's a problem getting DirectX or OpenGL to initialize, check your tutorial first! There are soooo many posts about this. *points to #1* Double and triple check to make sure you have all your parameters right and they match what your resource (online tutorial, book, msdn, etc.) does. If it still fails then start a new project and copy & paste the code from the tutorial. If it still doesn't work after that it's probably some freaky driver problem so skip to #7.
6) Learn to use the debugger. It can be a godsend in finding crashes and often leads you to things like array indices out of bounds.
7) If you have followed the above steps and still can't find the problem, then now is the appropriate time to post. Be sure to describe your problem well, where it fails and how, and only post as much code as needed. Don't bump your post until it goes off the page. It can take several hours (sometimes days) for someone who knows the answer to find it.
Helpful resources before resorting to posting:
1) http://www.google.com -- use it!
2) http://www.msdn.com -- confusing at times, but use it!
3) http://www.cplusplus.com -- good reference for C and C++
4) http://www.google.com -- again: use it, love it!
5) http://www.gametutorials.com -- gets a little hard to follow in the more advanced tutorials, but pretty good
To the moderators: Can we start cracking down on posts described in #3? With all the same questions being asked over and over it's hard for the more advanced ones to be found.
[edit] Added resource #5.
[edited by - Raloth on August 15, 2003 6:13:41 PM]
. However, it's getting very tiring going through the same question day after day. Here are some tips to get your questions answered quickly and with the least amount of frustration:
1) See that button at the top right of the page named 'search'? Use it!
2) Read the FAQ! The link can be found to the left of the search button.
3) Do not post 200 lines of code and ask, "Why won't this work?" No one wants to read through 200 lines to find a missing semicolon at the end. Describe your problem!
4) Before resorting to #3, double check your code. This applies especially to compile errors, since if you can't find missing semicolon or something similar based on the compiler errors something is seriously wrong. In fact, don't post any compile errors unless you have copied and pasted the source you are learning from and that doesn't work either.
5) If it's a problem getting DirectX or OpenGL to initialize, check your tutorial first! There are soooo many posts about this. *points to #1* Double and triple check to make sure you have all your parameters right and they match what your resource (online tutorial, book, msdn, etc.) does. If it still fails then start a new project and copy & paste the code from the tutorial. If it still doesn't work after that it's probably some freaky driver problem so skip to #7.
6) Learn to use the debugger. It can be a godsend in finding crashes and often leads you to things like array indices out of bounds.
7) If you have followed the above steps and still can't find the problem, then now is the appropriate time to post. Be sure to describe your problem well, where it fails and how, and only post as much code as needed. Don't bump your post until it goes off the page. It can take several hours (sometimes days) for someone who knows the answer to find it.
Helpful resources before resorting to posting:
1) http://www.google.com -- use it!
2) http://www.msdn.com -- confusing at times, but use it!
3) http://www.cplusplus.com -- good reference for C and C++
4) http://www.google.com -- again: use it, love it!
5) http://www.gametutorials.com -- gets a little hard to follow in the more advanced tutorials, but pretty good
To the moderators: Can we start cracking down on posts described in #3? With all the same questions being asked over and over it's hard for the more advanced ones to be found.
[edit] Added resource #5.
[edited by - Raloth on August 15, 2003 6:13:41 PM]
<rant type="irony" tone="sarcastic">
No offense Raloth, but I really don''t believe that those to whom your message is directed are really the ones who will read it. Some people just want answers, and they want them yesterday, and they''re completely ready and willing to go to the very extreme length and excrutiating effort of doing nothing to get them.
If your post convinces at least one person to think before they post, congratulations. As far as I can tell, most n00bs have this mysterious medical condition that renders the words "FAQ" entirely invisible to them and by bizarre chance they buy computers pre-loaded with web-filtering software that prevents them from ever even opening Google.
</rant>
Though I must admit, I agree about the massive chunk of code posts. There are likely only a scant few people out there who genuinely enjoy reading over the NeHe Basecode several hundred times a day to find the mistyped variable name or missing semi-colon in a given copy of it. And I''d be very reluctant to meet those people for fear that it might be contagious.
-Auron
No offense Raloth, but I really don''t believe that those to whom your message is directed are really the ones who will read it. Some people just want answers, and they want them yesterday, and they''re completely ready and willing to go to the very extreme length and excrutiating effort of doing nothing to get them.
If your post convinces at least one person to think before they post, congratulations. As far as I can tell, most n00bs have this mysterious medical condition that renders the words "FAQ" entirely invisible to them and by bizarre chance they buy computers pre-loaded with web-filtering software that prevents them from ever even opening Google.
</rant>
Though I must admit, I agree about the massive chunk of code posts. There are likely only a scant few people out there who genuinely enjoy reading over the NeHe Basecode several hundred times a day to find the mistyped variable name or missing semi-colon in a given copy of it. And I''d be very reluctant to meet those people for fear that it might be contagious.
-Auron
, but I felt I should at least try...
I too commend your efforts.
Though I must admit (directing this to any newbies reading this) it''s amazing how many times I''ve logged in to ask a question, did a search on the forums and found the answer, or at least something to get me moving again.
On personal note, I want to thank all the advanced programmers out there who''ve taken the time to answer my questions over the last few years. It''s really helped me a LOT, and I mean a LOT!
Though I must admit (directing this to any newbies reading this) it''s amazing how many times I''ve logged in to ask a question, did a search on the forums and found the answer, or at least something to get me moving again.
On personal note, I want to thank all the advanced programmers out there who''ve taken the time to answer my questions over the last few years. It''s really helped me a LOT, and I mean a LOT!
quite agree.
Many time i answered the questions here by put the keyword in google and choosed the first result without knowing anything about the question at all.
Many time i answered the questions here by put the keyword in google and choosed the first result without knowing anything about the question at all.
My pet peeve is sorting through all the "why doesn''t this compile?" posts (especially the ones that don''t include the error message!).
If you can''t get your code to compile or link, you are a beginner and your post belongs in the For Beginners forum.
If you can''t get your code to compile or link, you are a beginner and your post belongs in the For Beginners forum.
quote:my compiler
:\Visual C++\Analyzer\Slider.cpp(60) : error C2440: 'initializing' : 'class std::list<class std::list<void (__thiscall Component::*)(float,float),class std::allocator< void (__thiscall Component::*)(float,float)> >,class std::allocator<class std::list<void (__thiscall Component::*)(float,float),class std::allocator<void (__thiscall Component::*)(float,float)> > > >::iterator' kann nicht in 'class std::list<void (__thiscall Component::*)(float,float),class std::allocator<void (__thiscall Component::*)(float,float)> >::iterator' konvertiert werden
[irony]Yep... that may be confusing to a beginner, but a pro doesn't even flinch...[/irony]
Seriously, this is a confusing error message. Not only for beginners. But every time you successfully figure out what a compiler error actually says, you'll learn a bit more.
That said: Learn. Learn to sort problems out yourself. Do not rely on others to be there for you all the time.
Raloth, thumbs up.
[edited by - Wildfire on August 14, 2003 2:15:12 PM]
there is no harm in trying.. yeah, i agree - [reiteration]who wants to read 200 lines and find a misstyped variable?[/reiteration]
This topic is closed to new replies.
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