FAQ Advice updated: specific advice on graph attachments (.png is good; others not)

[Nick Cox]

This should be posted in "Using the forum" but it seems that few members follow that forum, so I will stretch a point by flagging here an update to the FAQ.

First know that we do have FAQ Advice, the distillation of 21+ years of Statalist experience, most of it fairly productive.

There is a link already on this page. But here is another http://www.statalist.org/forums/help

Reminder: You are asked to read the FAQ Advice before posting please. Even if you only lurk here, and never post, but just find Statalist interesting, useful or bizarre, we are happy that you watch Statalist and you might also find the FAQ Advice interesting, useful or bizarre.

The Update consists of a revision to the end of Section 12. We decided that we just weren't being clear enough about what really helps you get your questions answered (and about what really doesn't help much, as crucial in practice). Here is the revised wording.

Stata graphs or other images should be posted as .png file attachments (start with the Clipboard icon).
Please do not post .gph files, as they can't be read without flipping back and forth between Stata and the forum software, thus making your posts much more difficult to follow.
Please do not post any files as photos (using the Camera icon). The main point of the Camera icon on Statalist is just to allow a personal photo on your profile if you wish.
In particular, please do not post screenshots. Many members will not be able to read them at all; they usually can't be read easily; and they do not allow copy and paste of data or code, which is highly desirable to allow experienced members to make precise suggestions for your questions.

That's three negatives and a positive, but the rest of the FAQ tries hard to be constructive and specific.

Thanks to Alan Riley of StataCorp for implementation, to Clyde Schechter for endorsement, and to various grizzly grumblies on the forum who show directly or indirectly that it's not just me.

[Roman Mostazir]

Many thanks Nick. Useful indeed at least for me as this is the forum I mostly follow. By the way, it would have been better to get a suggestion that which size is recommended for uploading given we get options for "thumbnail/small/medium/large/fullsize". I find "large" is too large in my 27" screen but how it is to others when a "large" size is uploaded?

However, on this occasion, I just thought it to be a good opportunity to test couple of *.pngs and flag a different problem while I use the forum which is bugging me for quite a while. Here are two *.png files attached (medium size selected). In the first one, I am a lurker (not logged in into my Statalist account). In the 2nd one, I am logged into my Statalist account. The difference is, in the first one (when not logged in) I can see the post numbers for every reply for a thread, whereas in the 2nd one, when I am logged in, the post number disappears. It gives me hard time to follow and refer to a particular reply. Any idea why is this happening ? This is happening irrespective of whether I am using Firefox or Safari.

[Nick Cox]

Roman: Thanks for your contribution.

In general, suggestions on size are tricky, as no size can be optimal for all, but personally I am mindful of those following the forum on smart phones, tablets and smaller monitors and tend to make my graphs big.

I can't answer your specific questions well. What you present are screenshots, which are specifically advised against; in this case I don't understand the interest in presenting images of previous posts since they are directly accessible using URLs, and I confirm that only the heading Statalist is easily readable on the rather old PC I am using at this moment. As I fear that I don't see what you are driving at, I will leave the question to others.

[Roman Mostazir]

I can't answer your specific questions well. What you present are screenshots, which are specifically advised against;

Good point Nick, apology for my misunderstanding. I thought any kind of *.png is allowed regardless be a screenshot or not. But literally any screenshot is discredited.

in this case I don't understand the interest in presenting images of previous posts since they are directly accessible using URLs, and I confirm that only the heading Statalist is easily readable on the rather old PC I am using at this moment. As I fear that I don't see what you are driving at, I will leave the question to others.

Sorry that you can't see it in your computer, but I can assure you it is not at all related to referring to an old post which I could easily do with a URL. The problem relates to two situations when i) I am not logged in and ii) I am logged in. In the first situation (I am not logged in) I can see the post/reply numbers for a thread whereas when I am logged in I cannot see the post numbers. Therefore it gets difficult, say I am in conversation in a thread, to refer to a particular reply that has already been made either by me or by someone (we often do it). Seeing the post numbers when I am not logged in does not help because I cannot reply/refer to the comment as I am not logged in.

This problem, in turn, also flags the necessity of providing screenshots to describe two situations visually for better understanding which cannot be done with a URL. Therefore, if not screenshots, what are your suggestions in situation like this when someone really needs to describe something which visually will be delineated better but cannot be done by a URL or a Stata_graph.png?

Knowing part of my questions are not for you to answer, yet it will be good to know if you or others see the post numbers when you are replying to a thread. If you see the post numbers, in that case, perhaps, it is only me/my computer/browser that is causing the trouble. Otherwise, I would assume it is the forum software that has gone through a change that disallows you to see the chronological numbers of the post-replies.


Regards,

[Nick Cox]

Roman: Thanks very much for the clarification

As often said here, and this is why the FAQ has been tweaked, screenshots are strongly discouraged because

1. regardless of whether the OP can see clearly what they want to convey, they are often unreadable by other members

2. even when they are readable, working with them may oblige members to move back and forth between the screenshot and the text of a post, which is at best awkward; at worst it may make questions just too difficult for people to want even to try to answer them

3. they do not allow copy and paste in any case.

No poster should be motivated to use attachments that discourage or prohibit others from answering their question!

Specifically you report that you can't see post numbers when you are logged in but can otherwise. I have not experienced this. I would contact the forum administrators to discuss that problem. They would wish to know about your browser and operating system, I imagine.

The three main issues of images in the past have been

to show data (we request listings using CODE delimiters)

to show code (ditto)

to show Stata graphs (we suggest saving graphs as .png and adding them as attachments).

At the moment I can think of two main reasons for other kinds of images:

to show mathematics (we recommend LaTeX, which is supported, but a .pdf attachment would I think be widely regarded as acceptable)

to show graphs from other software or from publications (if no .png is available, I'd also recommend .pdf here)

If you have other situations in mind, please be highly specific about what they are.





Footnote: As already documented, use of Word and Excel file formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx) is deprecated, because

1. many members just don't have such software (we aren't all attached to Windows and MS Office)

2. obliging the other members to open those programs to see your problem is at best awkward and at worst inconsiderate

3. many members have zero-risk policies on not opening such files from third parties

4. there are better ways to show the information.