So you've joined the channel and you want help. Here are some things you can do to make getting an answer easier.
Don't ask to ask
- If it happens to be an offtopic question you'll find out and we all can move on.
Ask smart questions
This isn't supposed to sound mean. Every day at least one person asks "Why doesn't this work?" without giving other details. We can't mind read. Be as specific as you can without writing a sonnet on your problem. Check out [http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html How To Ask Questions The Smart Way].
Make a test case
A [:TestCase:test case] will show your problem in the least amount of code. This is very helpful to everyone involved. It will save time because the problem will be clearer to see. This is also good practice for becoming a competent programmer. You'll be practicing how to localize errors.
Use consistent style
This will help us be able to read your code quicker. For examples of style see the ChannelUsers and look at their styles. If you haven't settled on a style use a code beautifier like [http://astyle.sourceforge.net/ astyle] before you give us your test case.
Get a book
- Don't rely on information from tutorials to be accurate. We spend a lot of time complaining and re-educating people because of this. There's some good tutorials but an infinite amount of outdated ones. C++ from 1994 (before the standard) is a lot different than C++ now.
Do some research yourself
- If there's something you don't understand do ask. But at least give it a try on your own first. We are not a substitute for your brain.
Don't feel like you deserve an answer
- This is a volunteer effort by a small community. Feeling like you deserve an answer will make some of the good people think you're a waste of time. This is not a help channel, a homework channel or a hand holding channel. We're here to discuss C++ as is written in the ISO standard. It just happens that some of us are willing to answer offtopic questions.