"Common" questions thread/board/whatever

[GregFreeman]

I have been seeing so many repeat questions lately that really are very common. How to update control values programmatically and how to pass data between parallel loops to name the two I see most.

I have a suggestion that we create a common questions thread that is put together with links to common forum questions. This can be a sticky, or maybe force it to come up at the beginning of every search no matter the key words put in. I'm obviously open to other suggestions and I'm posting this because there would need to be other things resolved (can all members post to the thread or just NI staff so we avoid follow up questions? Which links to common question responses would be added to the thread? How do we determine the BEST answers? etc.) However, I think it would be a nice place to point users to, rather than to have to go dig up an old thread and point the users to it ourselves, when it's really what they should have looked for in the first place. We could just post a link to the "common questions thread"  

This would save ben from posting his AE nugget link (which he probably has memorized) every day, or people repeatedly posting "try a producer-consumer queued state machine - see NI template that is included with LabVIEW"...and the list goes on.

Any comments on how to implement this, or why it's just a bad idea in general?

Message Edited by for(imstuck) on 06-03-2010 10:15 AM

[smercurio_fc]

This has come up many times before. As you noted, there are many issues regarding this, which is why it never got off the ground. Who decides what goes in? Where is it kept? Who decides what links to provide? What if the link pointed to doesn't really provide an answer? What if someone's idea of an answer isn't the same as another.

There is actually a LabVIEW FAQ, but it is not maintained, and is woefully outdated.

[JÞB]

Macros- use'em love'em or keep typing the same thing over and over.

Tags.  Keep a cloud handy and post the link!

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for(imstuck) wrote:

I have been seeing so many repeat questions lately that really are very common. How to update control values programmatically and how to pass data between parallel loops to name the two I see most.

I have a suggestion that we create a common questions thread that is put together with links to common forum questions. This can be a sticky, or maybe force it to come up at the beginning of every search no matter the key words put in. I'm obviously open to other suggestions and I'm posting this because there would need to be other things resolved (can all members post to the thread or just NI staff so we avoid follow up questions? Which links to common question responses would be added to the thread? How do we determine the BEST answers? etc.) However, I think it would be a nice place to point users to, rather than to have to go dig up an old thread and point the users to it ourselves, when it's really what they should have looked for in the first place. We could just post a link to the "common questions thread"  

This would save ben from posting his AE nugget link (which he probably has memorized) every day, or people repeatedly posting "try a producer-consumer queued state machine - see NI template that is included with LabVIEW"...and the list goes on.

Any comments on how to implement this, or why it's just a bad idea in general?

Message Edited by for(imstuck) on 06-03-2010 10:15 AM

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two alternate solutions that make for user specific frequent answers.  

[RayFarmer]

Why do people feel that their question hasn't been answered after performing the search and have to post what appears to be a commonly answered question.

Take for(imstuck) example "...update control values programmatically ", I put this into the search and came up with two scearch results at over 90/% (which was the same post) and the rest of the results (% value) dropped off rather rapidly. looking at the top search item, if I was a newbie, I would probably post my question anyway because it didn't really cover my situation or I not using a combi box or I would realy like someone to help with my posted VI or ....

So maybe the question should be "Is the search engine doing its job properly".

regards

Ray Farmer

[Ben]

My schedule dos not permit yet another commitment but if someone was willing to lead this effort, we could implmement a Forum FAQ in the Community.

The leader would allow only the frequent flyers to edit articles.

Non-memebers could not eidt but they could comment. The article could be refreshed as new info comes to light.

Ben

[Ben]

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Ray Farmer wrote:

Why do people feel that their question hasn't been answered after performing the search and have to post what appears to be a commonly answered question.

Take for(imstuck) example "...update control values programmatically ", I put this into the search and came up with two scearch results at over 90/% (which was the same post) and the rest of the results (% value) dropped off rather rapidly. looking at the top search item, if I was a newbie, I would probably post my question anyway because it didn't really cover my situation or I not using a combi box or I would realy like someone to help with my posted VI or ....

So maybe the question should be "Is the search engine doing its job properly".

regards

Ray Farmer

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The serahes can be improved by US !

Tags are included in the serach. If someone asks about a "niad pulse converter" without mentioning it by name, the search engine could have trouble. But if we know about the thread where a conversation took place, we can add tags to that thread with words that appeared in their original Q. The next time some asks, the tags will show in their search.

TAGS have the potential of codifying YOUR expertise in such a way  that a novice can stand on your foundation.

Ben

[JackDunaway]

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Ben wrote:

The serahes can be improved by US !

Tags are included in the serach. If someone asks about a "niad pulse converter" without mentioning it by name, the search engine could have trouble. But if we know about the thread where a conversation took place, we can add tags to that thread with words that appeared in their original Q. The next time some asks, the tags will show in their search.

TAGS have the potential of codifying YOUR expertise in such a way  that a novice can stand on your foundation.

Ben

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Ben, good plug for tagging - there's one problem though. You're by far the most diligent tagger, but most of your tags are hyphenated or underscored on the compound words. For instance, if I search for "Converting array to cluster", I'm guessing the search engine would not return the result that you have tagged "ConvertingArray-to-Cluster". Or am I wrong here - does the search engine throw out the hyphens and underscores?

[JÞB]

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JackDunaway wrote:

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Ben wrote:

The serahes can be improved by US !

Tags are included in the serach. If someone asks about a "niad pulse converter" without mentioning it by name, the search engine could have trouble. But if we know about the thread where a conversation took place, we can add tags to that thread with words that appeared in their original Q. The next time some asks, the tags will show in their search.

TAGS have the potential of codifying YOUR expertise in such a way  that a novice can stand on your foundation.

Ben

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Ben, good plug for tagging - there's one problem though. You're by far the most diligent tagger, but most of your tags are hyphenated or underscored on the compound words. For instance, if I search for "Converting array to cluster", I'm guessing the search engine would not return the result that you have tagged "ConvertingArray-to-Cluster". Or am I wrong here - does the search engine throw out the hyphens and underscores?

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A Quick search from my Forum_Tips tag yielded this  and I quote"

Ben wrote

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The search engine is smart enough to ignore underscores. So by constructing tags using an underscore between key words let you create a connection between them.

All tags (a text string delimited by spaces before and after) are counted and a connection made when they are included for the same post.

So by constructing hierachial names and grouping them in a sinlge post you create structure that if repeated, will create your own outline.

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I have to Say, I'm liking tags more and more ! !

 

Message Edited by Jeff Bohrer on 06-08-2010 05:10 PM

[JackDunaway]

Thanks, Bohrer, for pointing out I should be slower to criticize the methodologies of a Knight! Knowing underscores are ignored is helpful, albeit obscure. The leaders in search - Google and Yahoo - both returned exactly zero results for the search term "labview_tips_and_tricks". It's really a neat trick, but seriously, who would have guessed about underscores? From the Help on Tagging? Sike.

[RayFarmer]

Jack,

No it doesn't, it just comes up this this thread.

So Tagging is not the answer.

Regards

Ray "not really into Tagging" Farmer