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CoursesWeb Forum guidelines for good questions

People post here because something does not work and they want to understand why. These guidelines keep the forum useful to read and fair to the people who answer for free. By posting you agree to follow them.

Put code in code blocks

Code pasted as plain text loses its spacing, its quotes and sometimes its meaning. Wrap code in a fenced block, with three backticks above and below, and name the language after the opening fence, such as js, php, css, html or sql. Do not post screenshots of code or error text, because nobody can copy from them. Keep the sample small.

Give the exact error

Copy the error message word for word from the browser console, the terminal or the PHP error log. Include the line number and file name. "It does not work" gives nobody anything to act on. Also say what you expected to happen and what happened instead, and name your setup: browser, PHP or Node version, and any framework.

No secrets or credentials

A forum thread is public and stays searchable. Before you post, remove:

  • Passwords and database logins, including the ones in a connection string.
  • API keys, tokens and secrets, including keys for AI services and payment tools.
  • Real user data, such as emails or names from a database.

Replace each with a placeholder like YOUR_API_KEY or db_user. If a secret reaches a public post, assume it is exposed and change it with the service that issued it. Then ask the moderators to remove the post. See the contact page.

Show your attempt

Show what you tried and what happened each time. People are glad to help someone who has made an effort. Posting an assignment or a task with no attempt, and asking for the finished solution, is homework dumping and may be removed. You can still ask about homework: show your code and ask about the concept, not for the answer.

AI generated answers must be checked and labelled

AI assistants are useful and often wrong in confident ways: they invent functions, mix up versions and skip security. If you use one, follow these rules.

  • If you post AI help, say so. Write "AI generated" or name the tool, so readers know how to treat it.
  • Test it first. Run the code. Do not post a snippet you have not run.
  • Check it against the docs. Link the MDN page, the PHP manual or the Node.js documentation that supports the claim. If you ask about AI written code, include the prompt, the tool and the exact error.

Credit your sources

When an answer draws on a tutorial, a documentation page or someone else's code, link it. If you copy code you did not write, say where it came from and check the licence allows it.

No spam or self promotion

Do not post advertising, referral or affiliate links or the same question in several sections. A link to your own project is fine when it directly answers the question and you say it is yours. Posts that exist to promote something are removed.

Be kind to beginners

Everyone here began without knowing what a selector was. Do not mock a question, say it is obvious or answer only with "just google it". If a question is missing something, ask for it politely, for example "can you paste the exact error?". No harassment, hate or threats, and no posting someone else's private information.

Choose the right section

Post in the section that fits. The twelve sections are:

How accepted answers work

In the question and answer sections, the person who asked can mark one reply as the accepted answer. The question is then marked solved. Mark an answer only when it fixed your problem, and say what worked if the fix was different. Members can also vote replies up.

How moderators handle reports

The moderators are Teodora Vance and Callum Iwu. Report a problem by email to hello@coursesweb.net with the post address. Moderators can hide or remove a post, lock a thread, pin a thread, remove exposed credentials or personal details, and ban an account. Removal of exposed secrets and personal data comes first.

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