Getting newer people to use code tags

[LB]

What if there was a template for posting a new topic for people with les than 50 posts (like the URL thing) and it would not let you post if your post contained remnents of the original template?

Maybe something simple like:

Write your question here

[code]
Write your code here();
[/code]


And if the post contained "Write your question here" or "Write your code here" then it would not let them post. (I mean exact matches...)

[Computergeek01]

@LB: That's not a bad idea, I actually don't see why we would restrict it though. Why not just prepopulate code tags in the reply box. And if there are no characters between the tags then don't render the box.

[Duthomhas]

All of this requires a lot of work on the side of the administrator with little real benefit.

[LB]

@Computergeek01: In order to prevent them from typing around the "Write your ... here" and typing their post and pasting their code above, below, or in the middle of it.

@Duoas: I suppose the check for the default text is excessive then? Or is copypasting text between texarea tags excessive? (I don't actually know entirely how the cplusplus server works, so it may be :\)

[chrisname]

I think it's also because it would be completely useless (no offence). It'd be far too easy to get around it.

As for the server, all I know is that I suspect it uses a lot of CGI and I assume C++ is involved somewhere (just because it's C++.com).

[LB]

chrisname wrote:

It'd be far too easy to get around it.

The idea is not to make it fool-proof; the idea is to prevent users from accidentally ignoring it the first time they try to make a new topic.

[zb0S216C]

How about a 30-60 second video that shows up when a users registers? The video could demonstrate how to use the commonly used features, such as code tags. Maybe the video will prevent the user from proceeding until the video has finished? However, who's to say that the user will actually watch the video?

_Wazzak

[LB]

Considering Duoas shot down my idea for being too much effort, I'm scared to read what he'd say to your idea :\

[BHX]

Think he was jabbing at your choice of words ("this issue is an issue").

Well it doesn't matter what the choice of words are as anyway I said it with other words still would have meant the same thing. "This problem has always been an issue..." "This issue has always been a problem..." "This situation has always been a problem..." It has existed for years and will continue to be a pet peeve to those who care while the others will read it and move on with their lives.

[firedraco]

I'd tell you to link them to: http://cplusplus.com/articles/z13hAqkS/

But they'd just ignore it. :P

[Alrededor]

It seems to me one problem is that even if a new poster reads the Welcome -- Read before posting! post at the top of the Beginners Forum there is no mention of code tags in that post. Perhaps adding a short section on using code tags with a link to the article on using tags would help. There may be new posters who don't know what code tags are even though they have been conscientious enough to read through the Read before posting! post.

[LB]

I also think some people don't use forums often enough to know what BBCode is or how to use it, examples include:

[code][/code]
int main()
{
//
}
[code][/code]

or

[code]
int main()
{
//
}
[code]

[BHX]

If the user doesn't care enough to highlight the boxes off to the right of the reply box where it says "Format:" then chances are anything you can think of doing will do nothing toward making them use it.
//Just a simple click gets you the tags to use

Just a simple click gets you the tags to use

Just a simple click gets you the tags to use

Just a simple click gets you the tags to use

Just a simple click gets you the tags to use

Just a simple click gets you the tags to use

Just a simple click gets you the tags to use

Just a simple click gets you the tags to use

Just a simple click gets you the tags to use

Just a simple click gets you the tags to use

Just_{a simple click gets you the tags to use}

Just^{a simple click gets you the tags to use}

So if they can't take the second it takes to click a button nothing is going to get them to use them.

[LB]

If we could just make the code button stand out more (such as changing it from <> to Insert Code Snippet, and perhaps having a multiline dialog if possible for them to paste their code into)

[S G H]

Maybe changing the icon into a "C++" icon, like this one i just made? (P.S., I simply edited the already-existing icon, it's indexed already, so it's ready-to-change) http://localhostr.com/file/QrCrCG2/text_code.png
EDIT: I don't like much the dialog idea.

[Duthomhas]

Having been at this for years... I do have an observation or two...

Newbies who post code fragments without proper tags are not benefitted much by making it more difficult to post. How often do you see:

title=URGENT won't compile!

HLP PLZ!

#include<iostream.H>
void main( argc, argv){
int name;

cout<<"What iz u tag?";
readline(name);;
while (name!="luzor"){

cout<<"oops! 1uz0r go away";
}

cout<<"sup dawg!<<endl<<endl;

system("PAUSE");
system("cls");

return 0;
}

The compier all up in my OJ.

After the obligatory "Please use [code] tags, the user might manage to give you this:

title=URGENT won't compile!

HLP PLZ!

#include<iostream.H>
void main( argc, argv){
int name;

   cout<<"What iz u tag?";
readline(name);;
while (name!="luzor"){

      cout<<"oops! 1uz0r go away";
      }

  cout<<"sup dawg!<<endl<<endl;

system("PAUSE");
system("cls");

  return 0;
  } 

The compier all up in my OJ.

Or even this:

title=URGENT won't compile!

HLP PLZ!

#include<iostream.H>
void main( argc, argv){
int name;

cout<<"What iz u tag?";
readline(name);;
while (name!="luzor"){

cout<<"oops! 1uz0r go away";
}

cout<<"sup dawg!<<endl<<endl;

system("PAUSE");
system("cls");

return 0;
} 

The compier all up in my OJ.

Part of foruming is edumacating people to write clear code and express their ideas clearly. Getting too worked up over code tags is really, I think, wasting time.

If twicker is going to put time into it, the best option would be just to make an auto-formatter that applies when the post has no [code] tags in it.

[MrHutch]

Haha. I feel like you had to put in a real effort to write some horrendous code there.

[S G H]

I just noticed he/you missed a ' " '... Lol.
Now i know what he/you meant.

[LB]

It certainly makes the problem more apparant when you see that the syntax highlighting gets inverted after line 12.

[BHX]

Problem is that with an auto-formatter you would have to look for keywords in the code #include, void/int/double/char/etc. The problem is that I've seen some that post custom_function(){ //do something} so with an auto-formatter it would not find that because some programmers do function (); so you can't reliably auto-format it (I'm referring to spaces between the end of the function name and start of the parameter list).

[REVISION]
Sorry if this makes no sense, I'm having dinner and talking to son.