Smart? Questions?

Asking smart questions is an important skill to have in the field of computer science. It is important to be able to ask questions that are clear and concise, and provide enough information for the person answering the question to be able to help you.

A smart question follows the following principles,

• Doing your research before asking a question
• Choose the forum you ask your question in carefully
• Use meaningful, descriptive, and specific titles
• Using clear language to describe the problem
• Be precise and informative about the problem
• Do not beg
• Describe the problem’s symptoms in chronological order
• Describe the overall goal, not just the step you are stuck on
• Do not be open-ended

Good Question🔗

I'm trying to use NetworkX to read a Shapefile and use the function write_shp() to generate the Shapefiles that will contain the nodes and edges, but when I try to run the code it gives me the following error:

Traceback (most recent call last):   File
"C:/Users/Felipe/PycharmProjects/untitled/asdf.py", line 4, in
<module>
    nx.write_shp(redVial, "shapefiles")   File "C:\Python34\lib\site-packages\networkx\readwrite\nx_shp.py", line
192, in write_shp
    for key, data in e[2].iteritems(): AttributeError: 'dict' object has no attribute 'iteritems'

I'm using Python 3.4 and installed NetworkX via pip install. Before this error it had already given me another one that said "xrange does not exist" or something like that, so I looked it up and just changed xrange to range in the nx_shp.py file, which seemed to solve it. From what I've read it could be related to the Python version (Python2 vs Python3).

This question deserves praise for its effectiveness due to several specific details provided by the user. Firstly, the user’s problem description is exceptionally clear and concise, offering a precise overview of the issue. Secondly, they include the error message and traceback, which are vital pieces of information for diagnosing and resolving the problem accurately. Additionally, the user goes the extra mile by sharing their Python version and detailing the steps they’ve already taken to troubleshoot, showcasing their proactive approach to problem-solving. Moreover, their inclusion of the actual code being used adds further clarity and specificity, enabling the community to offer targeted and precise solutions.

There are also quite a few responses with many up-votes, which is a good sign that the question is well-written and the community is engaged. The responses are also very detailed and provide a lot of information and solutions to the problem. This also promoted discussion and learning within the community. One of the comments even provided some history about Python 2 and how that has affected the implementation of the solution in Python 3.

Bad Question🔗

words = ['me','me']
def nth_char(words):
    newArray = []
    for i in words:
        x = words.index(i)
        newArray.append(x)
    return newArray

instead of [0,1] I get [0,0], why??? is there any other easier way of doing this? I am new in programming so any help if welcome

This is an example of a bad question. First of all, the solution to the problem can be easily found on the web. A Google search would explain how to use the index() function in python. And that the for loop in python does not have indices.

Secondly, the title and description of the problem is not clear. It is uncertain what the user is trying to do and no context is provided. One user even commented on the problem “What exactly is this function supposed to do?”. The use of language is also not clear nor concise, and they barely provide information about the problem. There is no goal listed just the output. The user also asks for an easier way to do this, which is not a good question to ask since it is very open-ended and subjective.

The only answer to this question was a reply to the answer with the code to the solution. There was no learning nor discussion in this thread, and the user did not learn anything from this question except for just getting the answer.

Conclusion

Asking smart questions is an important skill to have in the field of computer science. It is important to be able to ask questions that are clear and concise, and provide enough information for the person answering the question to be able to help you. By asking smart questions, you can get the help you need faster and more efficiently. It also allows you to learn more about the problem and the solution, and you can even help others by asking smart questions.

It is also important to focus on the flip side as well. Answering questions is also an important skill to have. There is also a smart way to answer questions and give back to the community. When interacting with individuals facing problem-related stress, it’s essential to exercise gentleness and understanding, as such stress can sometimes lead them to appear rude or unintelligent, even when that’s not the case. It’s advisable to reply privately to a first-time offender to avoid public humiliation, recognizing that honest mistakes can occur, especially among newcomers who may not be familiar with accessing resources like archives or FAQs. Maintaining humility and honesty is crucial; offering incorrect information with an authoritative tone is more harmful than silence. Refrain from misleading or joking about potentially destructive procedures, as they might be misinterpreted as instructions. Instead, ask probing questions to garner more information and potentially educate both the inquirer and yourself. While suggesting consulting documentation is preferable to simply chastising laziness, strive to provide valuable, relevant answers rather than offering convoluted workarounds. Address the actual query comprehensively, particularly if the questioner has already tried numerous approaches. Encourage learning within the community by considering how documentation and FAQs could be improved based on the questions you encounter and, if applicable, provide a well-researched response that showcases your problem-solving skills, setting an example for others to follow.