[Tutor] Need Help with Source Code [please tell us what you want us to look at]

[Danny Yoo]

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004, christopher lavezza wrote:

> could someone take the attachments and run the source code in python and
> see where I made the mistakes.  I am trying to get the source code into
> an telephone database using python.


[Long rant ahead; my apologies!]


Hi Chris,

Again, please try to explain why you think the program is broken.  It is
not helpful enough to say "It's broken." and ask us to do a global search
throughout the program.


What problems do you want us to look at?  Are you getting a particular
error?  Is there a problem with syntax?  Or does the program behave in a
way that you don't expect?  These are the kinds of things we need to know
before we dig through code: otherwise, there's no motivating reason that
drives our search.


In previous correspondence on the Tutor list, folks have asked for more
specific information to your questions.  If you look at:

    http://mail.python.org/pipermail/tutor/2004-June/029902.html
    http://mail.python.org/pipermail/tutor/2004-June/029899.html
    http://mail.python.org/pipermail/tutor/2004-August/031241.html

all responses have a particular pattern.  Each asks the equivalent of:
"Show us an error message."  That's not just because we like seeing error
messages, but because it's a crucial part of the problem-solving process.


Please try not to treat us like a magical black box that takes in buggy
code and churns out unbuggy code.  It's very demotivating for me
personally; it reminds me too much of what's worst about school and the
question->answer mentality that goes with it.

We would rather collaborate together with you.



The guide, "How To Ask Questions the Smart Way":

    http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

explains, in more detail, ways to improve your questions so that people
will be happy to answer them.


Good luck to you.