Rules for Posting code

  • Thread starter Thread starter Andy B
  • Start date Start date
A

Andy B

Before I do a no no on a newsgroup, I need to ask a question: What is the
max number of lines of code you can/should post here before it gets too
long?
 
Before I do a no no on a newsgroup, I need to ask a question: What is the
max number of lines of code you can/should post here before it gets too
long?
Click to expand...

In my opinion if you are posting a question you should limit it the
the fewest lines of code that demonstrate the problem. Often times you
can pull out the extraneous actions and show only the ones that are
causing the problem. What you need to remember is that most people
here are not going to copy and paste your code into Visual Studio and
manually run through and try to find the problem. Most of us will
probably just read the code and offer what feedback we can. With that
said you want to keep it as simple as possible so when we browse
through the code we can mentally track what is going on. In my
opinion, I wouldn't recommend posting a question with code that has
more than 20 lines and a Cyclomatic Complexity (holy cow, was that a
college word I just used?) more than 6 or 7. Anything more and it'll
be hard to find what the problem is just by looking at the code.

However when it comes to posting a code sample in response to a
question the rules change. As far as I'm concerned if you are posting
code to help someone you should not skimp on what you provide. It
doesn't need to be a full fledged working sample tailored just for the
poster, I usually just post the pieces that are needed to get the
poster back on track, but I leave the "standard" bits and replace them
with comments on what needs to go there.

One other thing I learned long ago is to put your code in
distinguishing blocks to separate them from the rest of the code. The
model I follow (which was inspired by Herfried Wagner) is to put code
snippets in blocks like so:

/////////////////
Public Sub foo()
'// Do something cool
End Sub
/////////////////

Anyways, I'm not sure I answered your exact question, but its really
just a judgment call on your end. The worst thing that can happen is
that your post will be ignored because it will be too much work to
read through a huge code sample. That's probably the most important
thing to realize, the longer and more complex your post, the lesser
chance it will be answered.

Thanks,

Seth Rowe [MVP]
 
Andy said:
Before I do a no no on a newsgroup, I need to ask a question: What is the
max number of lines of code you can/should post here before it gets too
long?
Click to expand...

Just focus on a /specific/ problem or idea in a single thread and then,
basically:

"Start at the Beginning, go on until the End, and then stop".

Regards,
Phill W.
 
Ok. Kind of answers the question. At least I know better how to try and deal
with things on that now...

I asked because I am having a problem with an asp.net wizard control and
some code to run one of the WizardSteps. I have to determine if I can, where
the particular problem(s) are at and then figure out how to copy the code
out and put it here. It's hard in this example, because the 10 or so lines
of code that might be the problem depends on the result of 40 other lines of
code. Is it uncommon to create a dummy application and try to reproduce the
code giving the problem with simpler code and post that dummy code if it
causes the same issues?
 
Ok. Kind of answers the question. At least I know better how to try and deal
with things on that now...

I asked because I am having a problem with an asp.net wizard control and
some code to run one of the WizardSteps. I have to determine if I can, where
the particular problem(s) are at and then figure out how to copy the code
out and put it here. It's hard in this example, because the 10 or so lines
of code that might be the problem depends on the result of 40 other lines of
code. Is it uncommon to create a dummy application and try to reproduce the
code giving the problem with simpler code and post that dummy code if it
causes the same issues?
Click to expand...

Jon Skeet's article would probably describe what you should do better
than I could do it:

http://www.yoda.arachsys.com/csharp/complete.html

Also be sure to post your question to the ASP.NET newsgroup - you are
much more likely to receive an answer there than in this group if you
are asking about an ASP.NET control.

Thanks,

Seth Rowe [MVP]
 
Seth-

snip
Also be sure to post your question to the ASP.NET newsgroup - you are
much more likely to receive an answer there than in this group if you
are asking about an ASP.NET control.
Click to expand...
snip

You are right in this, however there is no ASP.NET newsgroup. (As you don't
mean the Spanish or French one).

There are FrameWork.AspNet newsgroups in more languages including English,
the right places to ask about ASP.Net controls.

However, I am curious why you wrote this message as I could not find the
about ASP.Net controls in the messages from Andy.

By the way, I thougth that the by Herfried's used convention was

\\\
Code as I do it mostly as well,
///

I don't know why, but as Herfried asks this I do it, I thougth that it has
to do with his little hamser.

-Cor
 
You are right in this, however there is no ASP.NET newsgroup. (As you don't
mean the Spanish or French one).

There are FrameWork.AspNet newsgroups in more languages including English,
the right places to ask about ASP.Net controls.
Click to expand...

This is the newsgroup I was talking about
(microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.aspnet):

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.aspnet/topics?lnk=li&safe=on
However, I am curious why you wrote this message as I could not find the
about ASP.Net controls in the messages from Andy.
Click to expand...

Second sentence:

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vb/msg/8513d2813d77e643

"I asked because I am having a problem with an asp.net wizard control"
By the way, I thougth that the by Herfried's used convention was
Click to expand...

Yeah it is, I put that mine was inspired by his, I prefer the repeated
forward slashes over his style.
I don't know why, but as Herfried asks this I do it, I thougth that it has
to do with his little hamser.
Click to expand...

What's a hamser?

Thanks,

Seth Rowe [MVP]
 
Seth,

snip
What's a hamser?
Click to expand...
It was a typo, it should have been hamster, I thought it has in English,
German and Dutch the same name, but is too the name of an newsreader that
Herfried uses/used.

:-)

Cor
 
It was a typo, it should have been hamster, I thought it has in English,
German and Dutch the same name, but is too the name of an newsreader that
Herfried uses/used.
Click to expand...

That makes soooo much more sense now!

:-)

Thanks,

Seth Rowe [MVP]
 
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