Etiquette for posting comments

Generally speaking, comments should be helpful feedback and the following are not exhaustive lists.

Can include

• asking for question clarification. Examples: "what was the output of line X?", "can you include the stack trace?", "can you provide a reference for the second paragraph?"
• explaining why a different question might actually be what the poster is looking for
• explaining how the poster can find a solution (e.g. what search terms to try)
• explaining why the question is in violation of site rules
• explaining other reasons why the question is poorly received (receiving downvotes or got closed) and what to do to improve it
• +1 or thank you notes, if they also provide a little bit of information. Example: +1. This also worked with version X of the framework Y.

Should be avoided

• lengthy digressive discussions (should be moved to a separate question)
• +1 or -1 with no explanation
• snarky comments. Example: "Codidact is not your personal assistant". Such comments can be easily replaced with clearer ones. Example: "Have you searched for X?". If the question shows no effort or it is very poor, you can downvote - or flag for closure or removal.
• references to overall author activity in the community. If you feel a user's activity is an issue, please use flagging instead of comments.
• providing full answers in the comments (they should be added as answers) lengthy digressive discussions (should be moved to a separate question)