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I've had one moderator tell me that my thread was a duplicate and I should use a linked thread. (This was a few days ago, and to be fair, he did change his mind and unlock it again.) The linked thread was not exactly a duplicate (although there was an overlap) and contained suggested answers which did not actually work. I posted to say that the suggested plugins didn't work as they said, and the post was deleted and I was told not to post in someone else's thread and I should start my own.

Today, having found a thread which was very similar to my new question, but seemed to be for a different program, and was a couple of years old, and it had a moderator comment that the answer was low quality and needed more info to be useful, I remembered what that mod had said and started one of my own for the question.

A very helpful chap explained about python code, posted a code (which he said came from that other thread although it looks completely different to me) and then helped me troubleshoot the syntax errors until I got it working.

He also said that my thread was a duplicate and I could have got the answer from the other one. (I really couldn't. Even now I can't see how the code he gave me resembles the original.)

So - If a thread is months or years old and doesn't have a clear answer (or any answer) can I post in it or not? I did post in one (from 2016) yesterday to ask if someone could explain the answer and I have no idea if anyone has even seen that. Does posting in an old thread bump it up?

If I can't post in an old thread, why can't I make a new thread for the same question? If I CAN post in an old thread, why would my comment be deleted with an instruction to ask my own question? The moderator actons seem to contradict each other.

I'm not complaining about the mod actions. I just want to avoid future problems and I can't do that if I don't know why the actions were taken.

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    Could you please edit your question to include a link to the thread you reference?
    – Aaron Mod
    Jan 19, 2018 at 22:44
  • 2
    I can't add an answer until you've added the links to the different questions you're referring to, however in response to your If I CAN post in an old thread, why would my comment be deleted with an instruction to ask my own question? - I imagine it is because you added your "comment" as an answer to the question, and not just as a comment. If you aren't answering the question, please don't add additional comment or request for more/new information in the space reserved for answers.
    – Midavalo Mod
    Jan 20, 2018 at 1:19
  • @Aaron PJ seems to refer to gis.stackexchange.com/questions/268447/…
    – underdark Mod
    Jan 20, 2018 at 14:47
  • It may at first appear to be a small thing but I think a lot about how SE sites work becomes clearer once the distinction between a Q&A site (which has questions and answers) and a discussion forum of threads is appreciated.
    – PolyGeo Mod
    Jan 20, 2018 at 20:48
  • But the discussion was part of the answering. His original answer was unclear and needed clarifying, due to the fact that I didn't even know what PyQGIS was or what a Python console was. Without that discussion, the answer was not an answer. Are you saying that if the answer doesn't contain all the required info, or doesn't work, then I can't ask for more info? Or at least, I can for a bit, but if it continues to not work, that's just tough? I can understand removing chitchat, but why is a discussion which explains the solution seen as a problem? It's illogical.
    – PJ Lightning
    Jan 20, 2018 at 22:44
  • When a question or any of its answers are not clear then comments can be used to seek clarifications that may improve them. On Main neither questions or answers should include discussion. This is what makes focused Q&A so much more efficient for getting clear answers to clear questions than any discussion forum can deliver.
    – PolyGeo Mod
    Jan 20, 2018 at 23:31
  • "I didn't even know what PyQGIS was or what a Python console was" is something that I would recommend researching as two separate questions i.e. "What is PyQGIS?" and "What is the Python console of QGIS?" I think you would find the answers to those two questions in QGIS/PyQGIS documentation.
    – PolyGeo Mod
    Jan 21, 2018 at 1:00
  • "Are you saying that if the answer doesn't contain all the required info, or doesn't work, then I can't ask for more info?" If you seek a clarification to an answer then you can make a comment on it (needs rep of 50, unless the original question is your own).
    – PolyGeo Mod
    Jan 21, 2018 at 1:01
  • "Or at least, I can for a bit, but if it continues to not work, that's just tough?" - seeking clarifications should be more like short/sharp mini-questions and not discussions - perhaps this is what gives you that perception.
    – PolyGeo Mod
    Jan 21, 2018 at 2:02
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    "why is a discussion which explains the solution seen as a problem?" - The Stack Exchange model of focused Q&A was born out of and adopted because of the frustrations involved in finding answers quickly on discussion forums. Rather than dig through back and forths between various people with a problem and those trying to help them via a forum, by coming to GIS SE we hope you will be able to see your question asked previously and get an instant answer. If not, then the purpose of a new Q&A is to create one which will enable that for the next person with the same question.
    – PolyGeo Mod
    Jan 21, 2018 at 2:11

1 Answer 1

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Without links to the particular Q&As that have led to your confusion it is not possible to give specific advice.

If a thread is months or years old and doesn't have a clear answer (or any answer) can I post in it or not?

It may at first appear to be a small thing but I think a lot about how SE sites work becomes clearer once the distinction between a Q&A site (which has questions and answers) and a discussion forum of threads is appreciated.

Your options for improving the answers on an old question are described at:

Options when question is duplicate of one with no/inadequate/old answers?

To learn about the guidelines for using GIS SE, it is strongly recommended that you take its Tour which leads into more detailed descriptions in its Help Center and particular GIS Meta Q&As like Asking good Questions for GIS Stack Exchange?

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