Finding information & using the forum's information resources 1

[Stretchwickster]

Hi,

Many people seem to join this forum to have their questions answered by an expert of the forum (after all that is the main purpose of this whole site!). What concerns me is the lack of initiative used by some posters (i.e. people who post!) who, rather than conducting a quick search for the problem they have, ask questions which have been previously answered (sometimes in numerous sites) on the internet.

I'd like to make a few suggestions when seeking answers to those burning questions ;-):

1) Use the Delphi help - it is a reasonably helpful resource
For example, if you want to find out how to use comboboxes then type "TComboBox" in the Delphi help index and navigate to the appropriate pages then use the "Using..." and "Example" links (which exist for most help items) at the top of the help page to give you more information. If you need more information than the Delphi help provides then check out

http://www.delphibasics.co.uk/

which has some very good examples.

2) If you're unsuccessful in step 1 then go to

http://www.google.com

and search for the keywords of your question. For example, if you wanted information on emailing using Delphi you would type "Delphi email" on a similar search. I always prefix any search with "Delphi" and type as many relevant keywords as I know e.g. to be more specific about emailing I could search using these keywords "Delphi sending email MAPI" (without the quotes). N.B. if you are searching for two words which should appear next to each other then enclose the search phrase in quotes. Google often provides you with good links that you can quickly check before posting on tek-tips

3) Use the "Keyword Search" facility in this forum, being as specific as possible and ensuring you select the appropriate search criteria.

4) If you think the question you have would be a common one then check the "FAQs" section of this forum. Be sure to rate the FAQs on the helpfulness as it provides welcome feedback to the authors. Also send your comments/amendments to the author using the link at the bottom of the FAQ. It's surprising how few people have rated the FAQs considering there are almost 5000 members of this forum, many of whom are active members.

5) If unsuccessful after a brief try of all of the above steps, then post a question to this forum with a meaningful and specific subject. Due to the wealth of knowledge and experience that the members of this forum provide, it is very likely that your question will be answered quickly and comprehensively.

Don't spend too long on step 2 - be wise in where and how you find information!



Clive

http://www.kucu.co.uk

Ex nihilo, nihil fit (Out of nothing, nothing comes)

 

[TonHu]

Hear, hear!

And now a trick to keep this message top-most ;-)

Thanks Clive!

/TonHu

 

[sggaunt]

Hi Clive
I agree with most of what you say,
just a couple of points to add.

I tried to use the 'Advanced search' to try to find the original post about 'InnoSetup' and it failed I think it is limited to some time period, the last 6 mths perhaps?.

A lot of the other forums on the Web seem to be only interested in pushing the boundrys of thier subjects, casual posters with 'easy' questions don't get answers, so newcomers will search around for a forum where they usually do and that is TekTips.

Although there are thousands of people registered with the forum, I doubt if there are more than 20 or so who contribute on a regular basis, Go to the 'top experts full list' and sort it by date.

I have noticed that many expert members
'Wild Will', 'darktempler'& 'Tealwren' to name three, have dropped out, perhaps for the reasons in your post. It's important that those of us who stick with it, keep answering the easy questions or TekTips might become another Elitist Forum.

But broadly speaking you are right we have had a lot of repeat posts recently.

Steve.

 

[svanels]

There are a lot of colaborators, but only the ones that receive a star would be included on the experts list.
But Clive you are right, a lot of repeating questions are made and our FAQ forum deserves more attention. Steve I also think that the queries are period limited (imagine the data there is available on Tek-Tips!!!).

Keep up the good work guys.

Regards

Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[Stretchwickster]

Steve (sggaunt),

>>I tried to use the 'Advanced search' to try to find the original post about 'InnoSetup' and it failed I think it is limited to some time period, the last 6 mths perhaps?.
I tried doing exactly the same and it returned 3 related posts. Make sure you've checked "Any Date" under the "When" section.


Clive

http://www.kucu.co.uk

Ex nihilo, nihil fit (Out of nothing, nothing comes)

 

[TonHu]

And I may have used 'Inno Setup' the those posts s-)

HTH
TonHu

 

[sggaunt]

No honestly the search does not return the Feb 2002 posts on Inno, however spelt and with any date checked!.
Steve.

 

[EricDraven]

I seem to recall a while back I was trawling through the delphi boards trying to find info on DLL's because the search facility had been down for over a week while it was being updated.

Perhaps they lost some of the older posts while doing this?

Arte Et Labore

 

[Stretchwickster]

I've contacted management to enquire about this.

Clive

http://www.kucu.co.uk

Ex nihilo, nihil fit (Out of nothing, nothing comes)

 

[Stretchwickster]

Dave Murphy (CEO Tecumseh Group) replied with this information: "Over the next couple months we will be working on the search routine. Right now the thread only go back 12 months."


Clive

http://www.kucu.co.uk

Ex nihilo, nihil fit (Out of nothing, nothing comes)