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Re^2: newbies, <code> tags and recognizing perl
by my_nihilist (Sexton) on Mar 21, 2008 at 11:54 UTC
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I agree w/ BrowserUK; the "snippets" section is almost like this. Even better would be to just include text that you might actually want to erase (and, hence, pay attention to) in the create box, eg:
Use this space to ask your question. You can delete this text.
Place actual perl code inside the <code> tags below.
<code>
CODE GOES HERE
</code>
See below for more formatting tips.
I think almost anyone asking a legitimate question will be able to deal with this PLUS:
it's PROACTIVE!
it's easier. | [reply] |
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Did you really intend your post to be such a mixture of unclosed tags, mixed font-weight and -style, etc? And if so, please clarify how is it supposed to differ from BrowserUk's above.
Whether or not the appearance of your post reflects inadequate previewing or not, it's quite plausible (to me, anyway) that many posters eliminate the "Preview" button when creating a node, or treat it as so many treat an "accept this license" box during software installs; that is, as something to click through as quickly (and carelessly) as possible.
Sorry if this sounds snarky (and I'm not trying to suggest that you're among those who simply haven't read the docs), but many of the formatting problems here are created by those who haven't understood them.
We can't cure the former, except by gentle guidance and by making the markup docs easier to follow, which might also automagically address the latter.
Puff: Please see Markup in the Monastery for one attempt at enhancing the guidance.
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hmmm...i used <pre> tags to preserve the <code> in what appears to be in <code>...i had presumed that the caveat against this was in place because download is a product of <code> and not <pre>; but if you say my last post looked screwed up to you then either:
- you are borderline illiterate
- our browsers (me=linux/mozilla) are producing different output and i should never have used <pre>
As for my post being a re-iteration of BrowserUK's post, i agree -- vote for BrowserUk!
Regarding the preview button: I use it to death, but w/r/t a newbie poster i think the "in textarea" statement would be even more "intuitive" (if we can attribute intuition to newbies and knowlege to the practiced)
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Re^2: newbies, <code> tags and recognizing perl
by amarquis (Curate) on Mar 21, 2008 at 13:26 UTC
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I'm undecided as to whether or not this is a good idea, but it is certainly the best way to increase the number of new monks that use code tags. Messages will not work, task-driven people generally ignore text that isn't needed for completing their task (even if you make it giant and blinking!).
The only way to stop a user is to force them into a decision, like this solution which makes them remove default values.
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It is a good suggestion, but I can't help thinking that we'd see a sudden rash of
Help! My code doesn't work! Please tell me how to fix it even though my extended rambling insistence that it doesn't work never once specifies (or even alludes to) what I'm trying to accomplish or the way in which it doesn't work, much less provides any code or other hints for reproducing my results. How do I fix it?
Your question here
#Perl code goes here
I'm not quite sure whether I think that would be an improvement or not. | [reply]
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Only enable the create button when the node doesn't contain the boilerplate?
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That is a possibility, but the best bit about the suggestion is that it costs almost nothing to try, and if it doesn't help, it can be reverted just as easily.
Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.
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Re^2: newbies, <code> tags and recognizing perl
by ikegami (Patriarch) on Feb 19, 2009 at 16:56 UTC
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The </p> is not required.
<code></code> should be used for data and output as well.
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