Welcome to the Cookbook

When looking for help on the IRC channel or the google group, there are a few things you can do to make answers come quicker and easier. Here's a simple checklist to run through when preparing to get help:

• Did you search first (everywhere listed on where to get help has a search page)? Your answer may be only a google away.
• Did you check with a nightly or the latest branch code to see if the problem has already been fixed?
• Did you see an error message - have you read the line of code with the error? What was it trying to do? Can you fix it yourself?
• Did you check the tickets to see if it's a known problem?
• Checked your server logs?

If you've made it to the end of the list without finding a solution - here are some suggestions to turn you into an answer magnet:

• First and foremost: remember to mention what version you are using.
• Think what information is necessary to understand your problem and include or reference it.
• Don't use invented examples, use real names and real code - unless you have a good reason not to.
• If you want to link to the core code use the source browser to point at the interesting line of code.
• To show your own code, use the bin
• If the problem can be seen on a publicly accessible page - link to it

By following the guidelines outlined here, you stand a good chance of getting an answer to your question.

If you ask your question and the first response is step one, check you didn't miss anything obvious in your earlier research. If the information you find doesn't seem relevant or is outdated - ask for clarification: The person giving you the link may know something you don't, the oposite may be true too :).