###[Q] Spam
Excessive promotion of a specific product/resource may be perceived by the community as **spam**. Take a look at the [help], specially [What kind of behavior is expected of users?](/help/behavior)'s last section: _Avoid overt self-promotion_. You might also be interested in [How to not be a spammer](/help/promotion) and [How do I advertise on $SITENAME$?](/help/advertising).

###[Q] Vandalism
Please don't make more work for other people by vandalizing your posts. By posting on the Stack Exchange network, you've granted a non-revocable right, under the [CC BY-SA 4.0 license](//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), for Stack Exchange to distribute that content (i.e. regardless of your future choices). By Stack Exchange policy, the non-vandalized version of the post is the one which is distributed. Thus, any vandalism will be reverted. If you want to know more about deleting a post please see: [How does deleting work?](//meta.stackexchange.com/q/5221)

###[Q] Ask good!
Please see the [ask] help page and [The perfect question](//codeblog.jonskeet.uk/2010/08/29/writing-the-perfect-question/) blog post by Jon Skeet.

###[Q] Many formatting issues
Take a moment to read through the [editing help](/editing-help) in the help center. Formatting on $SITENAME$ is different than on other sites. The better your post looks, the easier it is for others to read and understand it.

###[Q] Wrong tags
The tags you have been using are not appropriate for this question. Please take the [tour], review [what are tags and how should I use them?](/help/tagging) and [edit] your post. Remember to at least read the mouseover on the tags you are using when asking a question.

###[Q] Ask OP to edit question instead of adding info in comments
Please [edit] your post to include any additional information you have to your question. Avoid adding this in the comments, as they are harder to read and can be deleted easier. The edit button for your post is just below the post's tags.

###[Q] Data/Code as image
Please add code and data as text ([using code formatting](/editing-help#code)), not images. Images: A) don't allow us to copy-&-paste the code/errors/data for testing; B) don't permit searching based on the code/error/data contents; and [many more reasons](//meta.stackoverflow.com/a/285557). Images should only be used, in addition to text in code format, if having the image adds something significant that is not conveyed by just the text code/error/data.

###[Q] Code improperly edited by non-OP user (Restore code first)
@code-editor Edits to others' code may invalidate questions and answers. Please read [When should I make edits to code?](//meta.stackoverflow.com/q/260245).

###[Q] "It doesn't work" with no exception/error details
Can you elaborate on how your code "doesn't work"? What were you expecting, and what actually happened? If you got an exception/error, post the line it occurred on and the exception/error details which can be done with a [mre]. Please [edit] your question to add these details into it or we may not be able to help.

###[Q] Too many ways to solve the problem
There are too many ways to approach this problem. The answers would just turn into a straw-poll for which one people liked. The best thing is to do some research on the topic yourself, find two or three, _analyze_ them, determine if they work for you or not, and _try them out_. Come to us when you have a specific question about something you have attempted to do.

###[Q] "Need to make program" but no question
All that has been posted is a program description, but that doesn't tell us what _problem_ you're having. What have you tried, and what troubles did you encounter? Please [edit] your post to include a [valid question](/help/how-to-ask) that we can answer. Reminder: make sure you know what is [on-topic](/help/on-topic); asking us to write the program for you, opinions, and external links are off-topic.

###[Q] Need to make changes to existing (missing) code
We won't know how to make the changes to your existing code base without seeing your original code. Please post a [mre], and fully explain what needs to be modified.

###[Q] Wall of code
You seem to have posted more code than what would be reasonable for your issue. Please read [ask] and how to make a [mre]; providing a MRE helps users answer your question and future users relate to your issue.

###[Q] "Where do I start?" question
Questions that ask "where do I start?" are typically too broad and are not a good fit for this site. People have their own method for approaching the problem and because of this there cannot be a _correct_ answer. Give a good read over [Where to Start](//softwareengineering.meta.stackexchange.com/a/6367) and [edit] your post.

###[Q] More than one question asked
It is preferred if you can post separate questions instead of combining your questions into one. That way, it helps the people answering your question and also others hunting for at least one of your questions.

###[Q] Asking for code translation
$SITENAME$ is a Q&A site, not a code translation service. Try to translate the code yourself first, then come to us when you are stuck, making sure to show us what you have tried and create a [mre].

###[Q] Non English question
Please write your question in English, as [$SITENAME$ is an English only site.](//meta.stackexchange.com/q/13676). There are other versions of Stack Overflow in [Português](//pt.stackoverflow.com), [Español](//es.stackoverflow.com), [русский](//ru.stackoverflow.com), and [日本語](//ja.stackoverflow.com).

###[Q] Software Rec. question
Unfortunately, questions asking us to recommend or find a book, tool, software library, tutorial or other off-site resource are off-topic here. However, you may find better luck [SoftwareRecs.SE](//softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/tour). Remember to read [their question requirements](//softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic) as they are more strict than this site!

###[Q] CodeReview question
It seems that your code currently works, and you are looking to improve it. Generally these questions are too opinionated for this site, but you might find better luck at [CodeReview.SE](//codereview.stackexchange.com/tour). Remember to read [their requirements](//codereview.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic) as they are a bit more strict than this site.

###[Q] Homework question without effort
Questions asking for homework help must include a summary of the work you've done so far to solve the problem, and a description of the difficulty you are having solving it. Please read [How to ask homework questions](//meta.stackoverflow.com/q/334822) and [edit] your post.

###[Q] Demanding urgency of volunteers
Please read [Under what circumstances may I add “urgent” or other similar phrases to my question, in order to obtain faster answers?](//meta.stackoverflow.com/q/326569) - the summary is that this is not an ideal way to address volunteers, and is probably counterproductive to obtaining answers. Please refrain from adding this to your questions.

###[Q] Possible suicide Intl
It sounds like you're going through a hard time. I'd really like to help you, but unfortunately, we're not well equipped to do so here. Your best option is probably to call [a suicide hotline](//suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html). People are on call there to talk to people struggling with the same kind of issues you are, regardless of location. If calling is not good, you can [chat with them live online](//suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/). It might not help, but what’s the harm?

###[Q] Possible suicide US
It sounds like you’re going through a really hard time. I'd really like to help you, but unfortunately, we're not well-equipped to do so here. Your best option is probably to call the [National Suicide Prevention Lifeline](//suicidepreventionlifeline.org/). People are on call there to talk to people struggling with the same kind of issues you are, regardless of location. US: +1-800-273-8255. If calling is not good, they can [chat with you live online](//suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/). It might not help, but what’s the harm?

###[Q] Can someone help? not an actual question
Questions that ask "please help me" tend to be looking for highly localized guidance, or in some cases, ongoing or private assistance, which is not suited to our Q&A format. It is also rather vague, and is better replaced with a more specific question. Please read [Why is "Can someone help me?" not an actual question?](//meta.stackoverflow.com/q/284236).

###[Q] Gender assumptions of readers
Please try to avoid gender assumptions about software engineers, as it can be unwelcoming. We tend to trim greetings and salutations anyway.

###[Q] Too chatty for technical writing
Note that we prefer a technical style of writing here. We gently discourage greetings, hope-you-can-helps, thanks, advance thanks, notes of appreciation, regards, kind regards, signatures, please-can-you-helps, chatty material and abbreviated txtspk, pleading, how long you've been stuck, voting advice, meta commentary, etc. Just explain your problem, and show what you've tried, what you expected, and what actually happened.

###[Q] Give me a regex that does X
Questions that ask ["Give me a regex that does X"](//meta.stackoverflow.com/q/285733) with no attempt are off topic on Stack Overflow.

###[Q] Parsing html with regex
[Please don't try to parse HTML with regex. Use an HTML parser instead.](//stackoverflow.com/a/1732454)

###[Q] (Generic) SQL Injection - author using string to build command
Do not use string concatenation to create an SQL command. Use parameterized statements. See [why it's a bad idea and how to fix it](//bobby-tables.com).

###[Q] Show your code, not tell
Rather than _describing_ your code, it would be better to _show_ your code with a [mre].

###[Q] External Repo
Questions that require reviewing content on a website or other external sources are off-topic here. When a link becomes obsolete, the question is no longer useful to future readers. We are trying to build a lasting repository of useful question/answer pairs here. Please review [Something in my web site or project doesn't work. Can I just paste a link to it?](https://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/254428/) for more information.

###[Q] Revise Title
Please [edit] the title of your question to be descriptive, unambiguous, and specific to what you are asking. For more guidance, see [How do I write a good title?](https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/10647)