🦥 How To Ask Better Programming Questions

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Baby sloths are born with everything

Baby sloths are born with their eyes open, their claws sharp, and their teeth fully formed. They don’t really have a development period.

The Art of Asking Better Programming Questions

One day you’ll have to ask a question about programming, and when that day happens you’re going to waste time because you don’t know how to ask it.

Let me save you the embarrassment and help you create better questions.

You can also use these when asking AI questions.

The XY Problem: What Not To Do

❌ "How do I detect if a user has stopped typing?"

✅ "I'm implementing a search that should only call the API when the user finishes typing. This is my current code: "

Always explain your end goal - you might be solving the wrong problem!

The Perfect Question Formula

1. Context First

❌"My code isn't working. Help!"

 ✅"I'm building a Python web scraper that needs to handle pagination. Currently using BeautifulSoup. The first page works, but it breaks on page 2. Here's my code: … "

2. Show Your Work

❌"I can't get my sorting to work. What's the best way to sort?"

✅ "I'm trying to sort a list of dates, here’s what I’ve tried:

dates = ['2024-01-01', '2023-12-31'] 
sorted_dates = sorted(dates)

It’s not working as expected:

#Expected
['2023-12-31', '2024-01-01']
#Actual
['2024-01-01', '2023-12-31']

3. Include Error Messages

❌ "I'm getting some weird error about None or null or something"

✅ I’m getting the following error

TypeError: 'NoneType' object is not subscriptable at line 23: data['users']

Where to Ask Questions

1. Stack Overflow

   • Tag properly

   • Use code formatting

   • Include minimal reproducible example

2. GitHub Issues

   • Search closed issues first

   • Follow issue templates

   • Include package versions

3. Discord/Slack

   • Use code blocks

   • Right channel/thread

   • Be patient

4. ChatGPT of course

Question Checklist

• Did you search for existing answers?

• Did you Include environment details?

• Did you Add relevant code?

• Did you described expected vs actual?

• Did you format properly?

• Did you proofread for clarity?

Red Flags in Your Question

❌ "Can anyone help?"

❌ "URGENT!!!"

❌ "It's not working"

❌ "Here's 300 lines of code"

❌ "Fix this for me"

Writing Good Question Titles

❌ "JavaScript help needed"

❌ "URGENT: Code not working!!!"

✅ "TypeError when accessing nested JSON in Express middleware"

Real-World Examples

Before:

Help! Code not working! var x = [1,2,3] need to make bigger

After:

I need to append elements to array in JavaScript I have an array:

const x = [1,2,3] 
// I tried
x.add(4)
//But I keep getting this error
// x.add is not a function
//Expected output: x should now be [1,2,3,4]

Environment: JavaScript (Node v16)

Additional tips

1. Screenshot errors if they're visual

2. Recreate the error

3. Update your question with solutions you've tried

4. Answer your own question if you solve it!

Remember

• Every great developer started as a beginner

• Clear questions save everyone's time

• Good questions build your reputation

• Teaching others reinforces your knowledge

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*A message from our sponsor.

Thank you to everyone who submitted 😃 

RelyingEarth87, Viidka, JamesHarryT, pyGuy152, sonvalle, agentNinjaK, dropbearII, ravener, GiantMango, pavan-15-hub, and last one:

Invert Colors

Create a function that inverts the rgb values of a given list

Examples

color_invert([255, 255, 255])
output = [0, 0, 0]
# [255, 255, 255] is the color white.
# The opposite is [0, 0, 0], which is black.

color_invert([0, 0, 0])
output = [255, 255, 255]

color_invert([165, 170, 221]
output = [90, 85, 34]

Notes

• Must return a list.

• 255 is the max value of a single color channel.

How To Submit Answers

Reply with

• A link to your solution (github, twitter, personal blog, portfolio, replit, etc)

• or if you’re on the web version leave a comment!

That’s all from me!

Have a great week, be safe, make good choices, and have fun coding.

If I made a mistake or you have any questions, feel free to comment below or reply to the email!

See you all next week.