LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
I'd prefer Publisher (what's in a name...)
I'd prefer Publisher (what's in a name...)
LoL, such hostility towards the ol'trustworthy pen and paper. If not that, how about the mechanical typewriters? I still have one although it is electric and it only works when if darn well feels like it. Hmm, if not that then perhaps stone tablets and a chisel?
If you're happy with someone's help, click that little star at the bottom left of their post to give them Reps.
---Keep on Coding in the Free World---
I think this is turning into a really bad thread ...
Trevor Shuttleworth - Retired Excel/VBA Consultant
I dream of a better world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned
'Being unapologetic means never having to say you're sorry' John Cooper Clarke
"May the fleas of a thousand camels infest the crotch of the person who screws up your day and may their arms be too short to scratch..."
Use code tags when posting your VBA code: [code] Your code here [/code]
Remember, saying thanks only takes a second or two. Click the little star to give some Rep if you think an answer deserves it.
Thanks, Dom. I actually laughed out loud on that one, especially the third post.
Life is about perseverance. Remember: today's mighty oak tree is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
If you like a post, please rate it with the scales icon (top right).
If you feel really indebted, please consider a donation to charity, such as Feed the Children or Habitat for Humanity.
I think he's totally lost! His previous post refered to the on before that. I told him to post in the original post.
Hope that helps.
RoyUK
--------
For Excel Tips & Solutions, free examples and tutorials why not check out my web site
Free DataBaseForm example
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...html?p=2739281
Do you guys allow offering paid for advice?
This is a free forum.... nobody should be asking for payment... a willing moderator might take care of him...
Where there is a will there are many ways.
If you are happy with the results, please add to the contributor's reputation by clicking the reputation icon (star icon) below left corner
Please also mark the thread as Solved once it is solved. Check the FAQ's to see how.
The rules don't explicitly bar him from doing that, although I'm inclined to have a word with him anyway - PM on the way.
I hoped I might shame him into stopping that approach, hence my post here
Clearly that didn't work......
Last edited by daddylonglegs; 03-21-2012 at 12:08 PM.
Audere est facere
I'd noticed him touting for business and sent him a pm earlier saying I didn't think it was really in the spirit of the forum.
Dom
He seems pretty keen.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...g-up-data.html
It wouldn't be so bad if the advice he was giving was all correct but from what I can see it isn't.
Anyway he has incurred my displeasure.
Dom
He's been a member here for a whole week - in my view at this point he should be demonstrating what he can do not boasting about what he might do if you paid him.......
I sent him this:
Hello Dennis,
Welcome to excelforum - nice to have you on board
I've noticed that you are explicitly asking for payment in return for answering questions. That's against the spirit and ethos of this forum so please desist.
There are many contributors here giving their time and expertise for free - perhaps you would like to join them?
regards, daddylonglegs
Polite as always, DLL. One would have thought that he'd pick up on your previous hint or that he'd get the idea that everyone else was willing to give free solutions and so he was wasting his time trying to earn a buck. Oh well.
Send him to Ozgrid.. he can get paymnent over there.
I've gone through all his posts and deleted the ones asking for payment. If his post is referenced further down in the thread I've simply removed the "but not for free" bit.
If he wants to charge for services he can start his own forum.
I've had an exchange of messages with him now being as polite as I can but still not sure he gets it. He seems to think I'm trying to stop him doing his job.
Hopefully Paul and DLL's interjection will enlighten him.
Dom
If I could be bothered I'd ban him!
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...html?p=2739292
Private solutions.
How to put new folk off ... and waste a lot of effort:
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...-function.html
I agree. But thems the rules and if it makes certain moderators (both past and present) feel a little more important I doubt anything will changeOriginally Posted by TMShucks
@Firefly: oh, I know, understand and agree ... just a comment. Resistance is futile
It makes more work for the moderator concerned.
I agree with Roy on this. I don't think you can appreciate how much work it is to moderate a forum that has the traffic of new people like this site. Mayhap some moderators may feel 'important' but for the most part I believe a moderator would rather not give people a hard time regarding following rules.
I think it depends on the moderator concerned and how enthusiastically they enforce the rules. There are certain moderators who are very enthusiastic about rule enforcement, and others who are less so. Having been a newbie once, I know which style I prefer.Mayhap some moderators may feel 'important' but for the most part I believe a moderator would rather not give people a hard time regarding following rules.
I'm with Firefly on this one - I think that using canned responses, quoting the forum rules, comes across as both unfriendly and unhelpful.
I appreciate that the mods on here do have a lot of work to do, and we do have a lot of newbies who get off on the wrong foot with regard to rules 1 and 3, but I still think we could do more than just quoting forum rules back at them.
... and locking them out until they grovel in a PM, and infracting other members who try to help regardless ...
Sounds like there's a story there, Bob. Have I missed something?
I was under the impression this was standard practice on this forum.
There has been discussion about this in the moderators forum for some time - some moderators, including myself, would prefer a more relaxed approach to the enforcement of rules (especially for new posters) but the concensus most recently was for a more robust enforcement regime - I'm not sure if that might change in the light of the "retirement" of some moderators, I hope it will.
I'm also a moderator at MrExcel (with a different username) - if any of you also post there you will perhaps notice a more "light-touch" approach - we prefer to try to assist new posters there, rather than scare them off!
The first one's to be canned should be the 'technical' team, because of not complying to any rule of a decent functioning forum (conciseness, politeness, clearness of communication, not double posting 'issues', etc.)
I've never really understood why a forum needs rigid enforcement (fair enough keeping posts polite) but why it matters whether code tags have been used or a (highly subjective) thread title is satisfactory or not seems a make-work situation to me. Worse, in many cases I suspect the mods simply enjoy flexing their 'muscles' as it were.
No, I can see the reasons for the rules - I certainly agree with the code tags one; although I wouldn't enforce it for a single line of code (which I have seen done).
With thread titles I think the given reason is that it helps people searching for answers, although the number of threads we have with titles that are variations on, "Need help with VLOOKUP" must make that argument redundant. In truth I think it just makes life easier for regular forum contributors as (a) it helps them decide which threads match their skills and (b) it's easier to remember which thread is which if they're not all called "Macro help needed".
Unfortunately, this forum is far too heavy handed in its moderation, and has been for as long as I can recall. I do not think it actually improves matters, and can have an adverse effect if it drives new posters away. And the practice of infracting people who respond when a moderator has 'opined' is absolute nonsense in my view (and yes, I have been, twice).
As for Mr Excel DLL, yes it is generally more relaxed, but there are instances there where the moderating team can over-react and get carried away with their own self-importance (which as a moderator you undoubtedly know of such occasions).
Heavy handed? Surely not.
This thread was obviously well deserving of the infraction that has been dished out. Great work.
I don't think I've ever seen one of the proper moderators behave in this way, so why the hell is somebody who was made a mod to magically improve technical support doing so?
Andrew-R,
I am new to moderating and am totally open to suggestions for improvement. If you feel i have committed a mistake, i am open to reversing the action.
The reason for the warning is because the user already has 38 posts in their name, and by now should know the forum rules. Am i wrong in thinking so?
If I have helped, Don't forget to add to my reputation (click on the star below the post)
Don't forget to mark threads as "Solved" (Thread Tools->Mark thread as Solved)
Use code tags when posting your VBA code: [code] Your code here [/code]
I can certainly think of one.
Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head
Arlette,
I've got a message on my home page from you, from the month you joined the forum, asking, "How do i post an infraction if i see that someone has violated the rules?"
It's good to see you've found the answer to your question.
I guess it's a tricky one to manage but (in my opinion) those forums that do best (and, personally, keep me coming back time and again) are those where moderation is conducted with a light touch.
Why has arlu's name turned green? Can I turn my name red?
If someone helped give them rep using the star button.
If you have received a satisfactory solution please mark the thread solved. If not Fotis will come for you at night :P
She's a moderator - their names are green; admins in black; plebs in blue.
Ah the topic of Moderation. It is an argument that will continue for the ages. They are just like police. If everyone knew/obeyed the rules we wouldn't need them. I doubt any of us can say we are perfect. I know I can't.
We can all think of Moderators who have abused their power, maybe on occasion, maybe all the time. Sometimes they are just having a bad day, sometimes they just needed spanked as a child. Just like the police if they see an infraction they have the option of doing something about it. That doesn't mean they "have to", or have to issue the "max penalty". There is a big difference between willful disobedience and disobedience.
Example of my idea of "Good Moderation":
In one of my posts (not puting code tags on purpose in this post), I had the following: "Me.FieldName or Me!FieldName" was explaining dot vs bang. Instead of jumping my balls about it. SHG just edited my post. I didn't feel that it needed code tages, it wasn't a big code it was text as an example. That is good moderation in my opinion. Had I received an infraction for that, I wouldn't have been thrilled with sharing information that could help others.
I would be lying if I said I haven't seen some overzealous enforcement here. However, I would not be telling the whole truth if I stopped there, based on the number of posts on this site, the admins/mods do a good job of enforcing the rules in place. If you have an issue with the rules, talk to an Admin, as likely the mod had no say in the rule. (I do realize that is not a catch all)
"I am not a rocket scientist, I am a nuclear engineer." - Split_atom18
If my advice has been helpful to you, then please help me by clicking on the "Star" and adding to my reputation, Thanks!
@Andrew-R - LOL! When you said about a post that deserved an infraction, I thought you had dug up one of my old ones. I visited it with trepidation.
@split-atom18 - but moderators are not police. Police are there to ensure that society continues to function, but IMO if they pull up every lad cycling on the pavement (as an example), especially when serious crimes are ignored as too difficult, then they are not creating a better society, all they are doing is alienating the people whose support they need. In a similar manner, forums need people who ask questions and people who answer them. If they pile in on new posters as they did in Andrew-R's example, they are likely to drive them away, and these are the people that generate their revenue. If they also jump on responders they will either drive them away as they have with a dozen or so lately, or eventually they will infract the ornery ones like me off, and they need responders to draw in the OPs. Don't forget, we don't do this because ExcelForum pays us anything or for any love of ExcelForum, we do it to help people improve their Excel. The last thing we need is to be treated like naughty schoolkids by people who likely are far less skilled than we.
As you say a light touch is far better, and I don't see other forums that deploy such suffering. I moderate on another site, over there I have never warned anyone over titles or code tags, and whilst I have seen others mention it in passing, I haven't seen them issue warnings either. The only infractions I have seen are for spam. When I see missing code tags, I add them, it takes me 5 seconds, as long as it would to mention it.
I agree with everything Bob said.
The old newsgroups were a good place too because they had very little in the way of moderation (other than removing abusive stuff).
@Bob - I agree with you about a lot of what you said. As I said in my post, if it is an issue with the rules, then an Admin/Owner of the site needs to address that. As I am also a moderator of a forum (I don't own). I have to abide by the rules put in place by others(not me), or I won't be a mod long. Like you if it is something like code tags, you just edit it. I would say, less removing spam, I spend more time "moderating" - keeping flamers from driving people off, then I do harassing new people with lame rules. Other then spam removal most time is spent helping people just like others. A soft touch is important.
Code tags & Title are so low on my list of issues. I don't care what the title reads, I read the first post to find out. Code Tags can help keep the thread tidy if there are more then a few lines of code in a single post.
You mentioning changing them. As posted above that is what shg did for me(good moderation). Likely doing that, they see their post has been edited and try and do better next time.
Moderation in moderation
Eh? Eh? See what I did there?
As for just editing a post, I believe that at the very least this should be in conjunction with a written message on the thread. Otherwise the visibility will be gone and people will soon forget about that rule, or even assume someone will come along and clean up after them.
And what is wrong with an infraction? How else can a moderator, who sees dozens and dozens of thread per day, keep track of how many warnings a user has received? Give them a mark on their record so you can see if the user is just misunderstanding or ignorant of the rules or if they are intentionally flouting them. A single infraction is nothing. The fact that everyone doesn't have at least a couple means that the moderators are being fairly light-handed, IMO. If a user winds up with a dozen or so, then maybe it is time for harsher methods. In what way is an infraction causing harm or disservice to the user? It is merely a reminder that the rules have been put in place and the site owners/moderators ask you to please follow them to better enable the purpose of the site.
I received an infraction from RoyUK and said, "Oops. My bad." and promptly continued on with my day. It is nothing to get offended by. It is merely a tool for the moderators to use to keep track of repeat rule offenses. It should be seen as such. It is not a slap in the face. It is not a red A on the forehead. It is not a phone call to your mother. It is not vote off the island.
It is not, in any way, a big deal.
Now about "scaring people away". This site gets oodles and oodles of traffic. The goal of the site is not to be as sticky as possible and get as many active members as possible. One-topic posters are not to be feared or discouraged. It is the nature of a free help service. As a contributor, if a poster gets upset that they are asked to follow the rules, and maybe even receive an infraction and a locked topic, and so they leave or make a stink, why should I then try to continue to help them? So, they leave. Big deal. Both their and my time are better spent somewhere else. There are hundreds of other posts to choose from that I can contribute to, and there are dozens of other help sites they can go to.
The rules, IMO, are not all that complicated or unfair. I can see the reason for them. The effectiveness of the rule can be questioned, sure. Like the titles one. Does it really provide better SEO and "visibility" for the site and allow searcher to find the topic they need? Maybe. This site is very popular, which seems to suggest it just might. But, it could just be a waste of time too. Code tags help make code easier to read. This is indisputable. Should they be put around signle line snippets? Maybe, maybe not. They do help when scanning through a topic for the code, so I could see the point of enforcing it at this level. But, then again, they also make the flow of the paragraph break. Sentences like "I tried to use the Range("A1").Value method" would look silly with a big code box between the words.
So, this brings me back to my first sentence. Moderation in moderation. But who moderates the moderators? The site owners, of course, but I assume that other moderators can police abuses or misunderstandings. If there is a problem with a specific moderator or thread, simply seek the help of another moderator. If the problem persists, then you have a hard choice, but moderators are people too. They are moderating becuase they showed a willingness to contribute and volunteer on the site. Maybe "the power went to their heads", but much more likely they will at least listen to a request to reverse or adjust a moderation. They will also maybe clarify their intentions or reasons for the action. In the end, both parties come away with a better understadning. Showing a willingness to work with the moderator and at least attempt to work within the rules of the site, I am sure, is all that is asked or expected.
Why do you think this?
For testing your Regular Expression patterns, try my Regular Expression Pattern Testing add-in!
For notes on how to use it - see here.
Paul, looking at your posting record most of your posts here seem to be asking for help. Nothing wrong with that, it's what the forum is for, but mostly this thread is people with rather more than 44 posts and who contribute solutions, discussing issues which may determine whether or not they continue to use this forum.
If your opinion is that we're whining then fair enough, but do you really want the pool of Excel experts on this forum to diminish or even, by being so blunt, risk ending up the 'Ignore' lists of a few heavyweights?
FWIW I agree with pretty much everything Whizbang said. Some of the rules may seem a little petty (and I thought so when I first joined) but they have benefits to those who answer the questions and are hardly a trauma to follow once you've read them. I like code tags and as someone who just dips in and out of a few forums throughout the day if I see a post titled 'Please Help' or 'Urgent query' I don't even bother opening the thread.
Oh and Paul, mate, you need to learn a bit of humility and apologise. If I still answered questions here I'd have blocked you.
Dom
The rules are really guidelines & meant to help the forum be a better place. The Forum increased in popularity rapidly after the rules were applied. How they re applied depends on the moderator's interpretation. We have guidelines.
I used to add code tags, etc to help newbies, but noticed that generally the offender couldn't be bothered to say thank you & continued to ignore the rules in their subsequent posts. By issuing a warning we can track these people & they have to read the rules & learn how to make the necessary adjustments
After reading back a few pages, I want to make an ammendment to my post.
Infractions for senior members really are pointless. The purpose of the infraction is to help moderators quickly identify problem members. But senior members (with hundreds or thousands of posts) already have a record and a reputation that the moderator can easily identify. They don't have to, for instance, question who Romperstomper is and whether he knows or understands the rules and is willing to follow them. An infraction would serve no purpose. A friendly reminder via PM or in the thread should be more than enough.
The rule about posting in threads in which a moderator has made a request is merely there to lend teeth to the other rules. Without which it would be silly to say "Please use descriptive titles."
"Well, what are you going to do if I don't?"
"I'll.. Uh... Lock the thread."
"But then I can't change the title."
"Then I'll leave it unlocked, and uh..."
"Oh, nevermind, someone already posted the answer I need. Pfft! to you, moderator!"
So, as you see, this rule is needed to backup the other rules. But how to enforce this rule? Hide the posts with the answers until the thread has been edited. This is being done. For the newer members, maybe give an infraction to show you mean business. But for older members? The hiding of the post should be enough, with maybe a polite reminder. An infraction at this point would serve no purpose because the member has already displayed the type of character that the community needs and wants.
Well here's me practicing what I preach
To my mind this is still the way of doing it, the new user's happy and has made the requested title change and read the forum rules without anybody feeling like they're being told off.
What cheeses me off more than anything is when I try to do something like this in a thread and then a mod posts after me to quote the rules. Rule #7 suggests that 'senior' forum members can ask for thread title changes, so why are the mods requesting them as well?
Sheesh, too many Paul's around here. I think I'll change my name to Inigo Montoya or Zinglebert Bembledack so there's no confusion.
Hi Andrew,
Sometimes I'll respond to a post with a rules request (or warning/infraction) at the same time a senior member like yourself posts a similar request. Almost always in those cases I will delete the senior member's request and leave my own so the OP doesn't see two. If I come across a thread in which a senior member has already made a request, I'll leave it be and hope the OP does so. (You can always use the Report Post button if they don't.)
My thoughts on the subject are that if you or any senior member is going to make such a request, that you also don't provide the immediate assistance to resolve their issue. Making the request and asking them to post a workbook or help them help themself is fine, just not "the formula you need is =....." as that would give them no incentive to follow our rules when posting again.
We certainly appreciate the efforts of the senior members, as they do catch many posts that could use a helping nudge in the right direction when we can't be around to do so ourselves.
Thanks, and have a great day (or evening as it may be)!
I can only think that the mod would lend weight to the request and maybe make it more official? Then again, a double warning would definitely come off as strong and intimidating. Perhaps the mod didn't read the entire thread? Or maybe posted a comment as a way to subscribe to the thread? Or felt would feel uncomfortable enforcing a request from a senior member without posting some sort of message?
I dunno, it does seem overkill.
Don't forget about Englebert Humperdinck!
Hope that helps,
~tigeravatar
Forum Rules: How to use code tags, mark a thread solved, and keep yourself out of trouble
I wouldn't want to disgrace the name Englebert. Plus, I'd really prefer **** Bunwalla, but it might not be appropriate for this forum.
For those of you who haven't followed along until this point.. see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckGmMO0zbJo
Do you really think so? When I was a mod here, I would double up and warn and for the most part, the OP would respond in kind and not feel offended or think we were 'ganging up' on him/her. The only time I have ever had complaints have been from people that couldn't care a less about forum rules and they think there shouldn't be any. Most people (imo) need structure and I appreciated it when I started off here. Because of this structure that I learned from here, I respond to posts and create threads in other forums in the same structured way. It's a good precedence to set!
To those that already have a problem with authority (and certainly most people have shaken a fist or two at the powers that be), back to back warnings could be interpreted as over-kill. But, it would depend on the OP and how the requests were phrased. It is just a matter of finding the line of efficiency and service. Moderators shouldn't have to bend over backwards or wear kid-gloves to appease the OP, though. They already have a time-consuming and often thankless job.
I only said that because I could easily imagine an OP getting upset at the back to back requests with no time allowed to correct the error. That doesn't mean that it should be avoided, though. I have typed out various arguments for and against here in the reply window, but scrapped them all because I really am ambivilent on the matter. I don't think an OP should get bent out of shape about a double-request, but I can see where such a situation could easily blow up. It is up to the moderator as to what side of the line they want to walk; be careful to phrase/handle their warnings so as to reduce the risk of a blow up, or simply state the rule and let the OP decide how they want to handle it.
I will post a warning merely to enforce what members like Andrew have said.
We could stop moderating for a month then see what the Forum looks like - less stress for me.
IMO, being a moderator is like being a referee/umpire. Apart from major infringements, you shouldn't really be aware of them if they are doing a good job.
Also IMO, the infraction messages could sound a little less like Robocop. "Warning, you have infringed rule 1. You have 15 seconds to comply"
Last edited by Vaibhav; 04-09-2012 at 06:50 AM.
That's my main feeling/opinion, too, right there. LOoooooooong boilerplate text looks/sounds off-putting, even if 100% accurate and helpful.
I tend to take the soft approach.
"try this.....blah blah"....
Oh, and as per forum rules, can you EDIT your post above and add code tags above like I've done here, it's helpful and required. Take a look at the forum rules (link above)... lots of useful tips/helps in there."
_________________
Microsoft MVP 2010 - Excel
Visit: Jerry Beaucaire's Excel Files & Macros
If you've been given good help, use theicon below to give reputation feedback, it is appreciated.
Always put your code between code tags. [CODE] your code here [/CODE]
?None of us is as good as all of us? - Ray Kroc
?Actually, I *am* a rocket scientist.? - JB (little ones count!)
I've just checked some posts from yesterday that i moderated with messages. All of which were ignored by the OPs.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...45#post2754345
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-new-...75#post2754275
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-prog...50#post2754650
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-work...72#post2754272
In addition I received an extremely abusive PM from a now ex-member for pointing out to him that he had ignored the Forum Rules completely with his 3 posts.
That's the sort of thing we moderators are faced with, so if any of you members feel they can do better then feel free to offer your services to Vai.
Last edited by Vaibhav; 04-09-2012 at 07:13 AM.
Not much to see Roy, threads were probably deleted. I wonder why?????
They were there this morning. I'll check back.
Last edited by Vaibhav; 04-09-2012 at 07:14 AM.
I have been reading this thread with interest, and, English not being my native language, it is probable some subtleties have escaped me.Anyway I would like to add my comment to the debate
Thread titles
To me a good title is important so that when I store the post for future reference I can find it back easily.
Being unable to help a poster with an innovative formula solution NBVC already posted is a pity.
Also, when a poster puts some effort in creating a as descriptive possible title, he might understand his problem better
Code Tags
They definitively make code easier to read
Forum rules
Are they necessary or not ? It seems to me they do help in a certain way. Are they too harsh ? Maybe, maybe not. But in the end, was EF doing well or not? Did many posters leave because they were treated badly? Maybe Roy has some statistics which can enlighten us.
Moderating
" Aye, there's the rub" - Some comments in this thread are more personal attacks than anything else
Worse, in many cases I suspect the mods simply enjoy flexing their 'muscles' as it wereBut those who wrote this keep coming back ? Why is that? If I don't like my baker's bread a go to another one.Unfortunately, this forum is far too heavy handed in its moderation
Or maybe they think that without their answers the forum is lost? "Vanitas, vanitatum , omnia vanitas"? (Vanity of vanities; everything is vanity)
Why are those heavy criticizers not taking things in their own hands and apply as moderators ? ( be it before or after the actual " crisis") ? So they can show how things should be done.
I haven't seen any new mod pop up lately...
I suppose, as one says that " La critique est aisée, l'art est difficile" ( hope I won't be shot down for not using English on this one)
Maybe it is because English is not your first language, but I am confused how anyone could possible read the phrase ... Unfortunately, this forum is far too heavy handed in its moderation ... as a personal attack. It is an objective comment on a forum style, policy.
As for volunteering as a moderator, I am far too busy on multiple forums to take on anymore, and I am also a moderator (with a far lighter touch than here) on another. So you see I do practice what I preach, just not here, I feel I would be wasting my time here continually arguing for a lighter touch with others that I know are not open to such persuasion.
Bob,
This site would undoubtedly benefit from you posting more regularly so it's a shame the moderation on this site deters you from doing that, however, I think you have made your point. As you infer there are forums to suit all tastes.
This board has faced many challenges in recent times, many more serious than some heavy handed moderation, and continues to thrive.
Luke
My Recommended Reading:
Volatility
Sumproduct & Arrays
Pivot Intro
Email from XL - VBA & Outlook VBA
Function Dictionary & Function Translations
Dynamic Named Ranges
I think that this thread, is a very good example of what you discuss
What is your opinion?
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...a-formula.html
Regards
Fotis.
-This is my Greek whisper to Europe.
--Remember, saying thanks only takes a second or two. Click the little star * below, to give some Rep if you think an answer deserves it.
Advanced Excel Techniques: http://excelxor.com/
--KISS(Keep it simple Stupid)
--Bring them back.
---See about Acropolis of Athens.
--Visit Greece.
You might want to watch Don Corleone's speech with the Barzini's in "The Godfather 1"Maybe it is because English is not your first language, but I am confused how anyone could possible read the phrase ... Unfortunately, this forum is far too heavy handed in its moderation ... as a personal attack.
Last edited by Pepe Le Mokko; 04-09-2012 at 06:43 AM.
I agree and I have not said anything since my post of the 4th, but if someone wishes to quote me directly and accuse me of personal attacks when there was nothing of the sort, I reserve the right to respond regardless.
As you know, I have also commented elsewhere that I do not see this site as doing anything but growing, it has enormous potential in the east. I have not abandoned it like some because of recent changes. Although I do not the way the moderating is effected, I do not not see this as particularly different to the way it has been in the past when I have been a responder, and I am able to live with it. Liking and accepting do not have to go hand in hand; I will continue here as I always have done until such time as I give up entirely, or the powers that be decide they do not want me.
Last edited by Bob Phillips; 04-09-2012 at 10:42 AM.
Mine wasn't a personal attack - it was an observation.
I would be worried to think that counts as heavy criticism!
That ain't objective it's subjective since it's your opinion.
Me, I've seen better and worse moderation for my money but I've never seen anywhere lose so many "management" so quickly, so badly and so openly. Near as I can figure from what I read that was 5 Microsoft mvps in a couple of days resigning and that makes me think there was a lot went on backstage that nobody else can know.
No matter what, I reckon there's enough questions being asked and enough people answering for this place to survive even if it ain't what it was for a while. It's pretty obvious things should've been done differently but what's done is done. All I need is a place I can ask and maybe answer some questions in peace - politics don't interest me.
Last edited by JosephP; 04-09-2012 at 07:12 PM.
Dragging this thread back to topic.
Am I wrong to get wound up by this thread?
I've just looked at it & couldn't be bothered to waste my time. He knows best obviously - got Guru in his name so he must be right!
For what it's worth, I agree with you Andrew - formatting code is slow, with 50 pages what can he expect/ Also, I would think that moving focus to another program would reduce the memory available to Excel
Going back a bit
I'd happily change my username to avoid confusion because...
A) my name isn't actually Paul and B) I ain't even in the same city let alone street as you as far as excel is concerned but...
I can't without setting up a new account which would no doubt break the rules and mean either getting moderated against, picking up an infringement or getting a ban. Quite possibly all three.
The worst problem though is I am not intelligent enough to think up a clever name.
Anyway, being half serious I can't really see many people here who would get you confused with anyone else.
If my solution worked (or not) please let me know. If your question is answered then please remember to mark it solved
Computers are like air conditioners. They work fine until you start opening windows. ~Author Unknown
How's this for a first impression - the guy joins today and already shows attitude.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...eferences.html
And another from today. His last line says it all.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-2007...html?p=2772434
HTH
Regards, Jeff
Joining date and level of expertise are unrelated (so are number of posts and expertise).How's this for a first impression - the guy joins today and already shows attitude.
I am well aware of that. I wasn't commenting on his ability. I was pointing out his attitude - akin to someone's first day on the job and disrespects someone who has been there for years.Joining date and level of expertise are unrelated (so are number of posts and expertise).
Such a remark by a self declared 'veteran' to someone who starts his career ( 4th post) in this forum by helping others, not posting questions, can't be considered polite nor nice nor respectful.The INDIRECT() function is volatile and should not be used if it isn't necessary.
Veteranity should oblige to mildness to newcomers.
Especially the phrasing 'should not be' sounds too deprecative in my opinion, implicitly stating 'you gave a wrong advise'.
Better then commenting on another helper's suggestion you'd better illustrate your preferences and especially your arguments. Referring to a website that contains only the shallow argument 'slowness' I do not consider a convincing way of presenting arguments.
It looks like some folks still use very slow computers or forget to update their websites when technical progress on the hardware side is being made.
So if I would want to add an item to this thread "The Bad Threads' I'd post this one:
http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...=1#post2772640
Last edited by snb; 04-27-2012 at 10:50 AM.
So just because you have a fast pc you would use Indirect instead of Index?
FWIW Cutter I agree. Whoever they are would have wound me up with a comment like that. You don't join a forum and start chucking comments like that around.
Hope everything else is rosy in EF world.
Dom
Fortunately scottyboy hasn't bothered posting again. For what it's worth I think he was entirely in the wrong & if he ever uses that tone again i would ban him. He actually offered no backup for his assertions about the best formula.
SNB, Cutter was not disrespectful with his suggestions & posted a link to back him up. I know Charlie Williams has long been an expert in these matters.
now that may be the funniest thing I have ever seen - snb giving advice on courtesy...
@Domski and @RoyUK
Thanks for seeing the posts I made as I intended them. I have re-read my first response to scottyboy several times and can't see how it could be interpreted the way snb sees it. snb's post has me even more wound up than scottyboy's.
To be honest, I agree with snb. Every individual has egos, and by posting a comment to challenge a individual's solution, it is like doubting his ability, in which, to that individual, can be seen as rude.
We Americans, are very proud animals. We don't like to be wrong.
With Excel there's generally more than one solution.
Cutter has posts to back up his ability, referenced a renowned web site to back him up. Scottyboy has 4 posts & his own assertions of ability.
What more is there to say?
Doesn't mean they are always right though!We Americans, are very proud animals. We don't like to be wrong.
I didn't say we are always right. I am just saying we don't like to be proving wrong that's all. It's the American culture and I am not that proud of it.
This has to count as a bad thread! LoL Bump B!t%&3$!
I'm sure you meant to exclude Texans from that broad brush, Roy ...
Entia non sunt multiplicanda sine necessitate
@Mordred: made me laugh. Possibly just local terminology and not meant to offend. I keep telling my wife that "miserable tosser" is *not* a term of affection but ...
Perhaps, if he'd said, "come on you miserable tossers ..." it would be less open to (mis-)interpretation
@ RS
Hear, hear!!!now that may be the funniest thing I have ever seen - snb giving advice on courtesy...
To remind me
Almost any response to a thread by Sub snb () could be placed in this category.Such a remark by a self declared 'veteran' to someone who starts his career ( 4th post) in this forum by helping others, not posting questions, can't be considered polite nor nice nor respectful.
Veteranity should oblige to mildness to newcomers.
Especially the phrasing 'should not be' sounds too deprecative in my opinion, implicitly stating 'you gave a wrong advise'.
Better then commenting on another helper's suggestion you'd better illustrate your preferences and especially your arguments. Referring to a website that contains only the shallow argument 'slowness' I do not consider a convincing way of presenting arguments.
It looks like some folks still use very slow computers or forget to update their websites when technical progress on the hardware side is being made.
So if I would want to add an item to this thread "The Bad Threads' I'd post this one: .....
@ snb Do you want me to highlight the words you have so carefully chosen?
SHG, you are of course always right!
Note I didn't say that Americans are always wrong
>> now that may be the funniest thing I have ever seen - snb giving advice on courtesy...
@snb, also, please, with all due respect, but I think there is a difference between yours and Charles Williams' work.
Once your approach and technique and advice is available in an article published by Microsoft, I'll take heed. But from what I've seen so far, most of your code confuses the heck out of the OPs, does not do anything to clarify issues, runs against any best coding practice and most of the time does not do the job.
Boy oh boy, there sure seems to be a vendetta against snb here doesn't there. Personally, I cannot see what was wrong with what he said, and all of the responses just seem to be posted just because the posters have a thing against him (snb). That is just childish and pointless. Whilst I personally think that his responses are usually well wide of the OP's requirement because they are clever-clever rather than clear and maintainable code, they often have some nice tricks that make them worth investigating if you have the VBA skills to understand them; the OP may not benefit, but others may get a trick they can use later. As it happens, I am in agreement with what he said, the response was a tad arrogant, and not necessary. Whilst I personally try too avoid INDIRECT like the plague (as I do with Gotos, shortcut referencing, implicit properties and many others), used judiciously they can have their place. Anyone who takes a never-never attitude to them should do the same with SUMPRODUCT, array formulae, and so on; they too can be done other ways which are invariably more efficient.
I think I agree with everybody. (group hug)
Just a quick comment about simple vs. complex code. I think that even though snb's coding practices are above the understanding level of vba novices, he adds solutions that are important to study. Over time, I have picked up tricks from here and there. We shouldn't be telling advanced coders to simplify the code so that a person with no experince with vba can understand it. A more moderate step would be to politely ask them to add comments so the less vba-ttelegent ones can try to understand the reasoning. I am sure some OP have no idea in the world I am doing, and I try to provide comments, but also declare that sometimes I don't or assume that the OP understands.
Last edited by abousetta; 04-28-2012 at 10:33 AM.
Please consider:
Thanking those who helped you. Click the star icon in the lower left part of the contributor's post and add Reputation.
Cleaning up when you're done. Mark your thread [SOLVED] if you received your answer.
Nice diatribe, Bob. Shame it missed the point completely. I was making reference to snb's attitude, not his coding style. If you can't see the irony in him lecturing others about courtesy, I'd say you haven't been paying attention. Or perhaps you just have a different perspective.
Off the top of my head I can't remember why I think this, but I didn't think snb was a "him" at all.
I once read a book that, since we are directed to both men and women, used him for the first half of the book and her for the second half.
Well that is very odd Rory, when I made my comment I wasn't even aware that you had waded in, and looking back I cannot see it still (but perhaps it was another of your many aliases, maybe kakapoo, in which case that was definitely criticising his coding style. Or I may not be looking hard enough). I am only really aware of this guy from other forums, maybe he is not courteous, but in my view he was right in what he said here. But yes, I guess we do have a different perspective, we have known that for a long time.
Rory's post is #686
same one as my last post. seems you're not doing badly on that front these days
no, that's not memaybe kakapoo
on that at least we do agreeBut yes, I guess we do have a different perspective, we have known that for a long time.
Back to bad threads. Well, OK, this one isn't too bad, but it seems be pointlessly-using-Select-in-VBA day ... http://www.excelforum.com/excel-prog...t-1-macro.html
Just all around bad
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...rt-myself.html
ChemistB
My 2?
substitute commas with semi-colons if your region settings requires
Don't forget to mark threads as "Solved" (Edit First post>Advanced>Change Prefix)
If I helped, Don't forget to add to my reputation (click on the little star at bottom of this post)
Forum Rules: How to use code tags, mark a thread solved, and keep yourself out of trouble
I didn't see the problem with the OP's question and samples. The moderator on that thread should have been a bit more helpful instead of helping to "shoo off" the OP.
I'm afraid that's an example of people all too readily jumping on the "didn't follow board rules" bandwagon backed up by appalling moderation.
The shadow of Ozgrid is cast long over Excelforum...
I do not think it was inappropriate to ask for a sample workbook or further deatails. It was very unclear as to what the structure of the data was. Tom1977 was very polite in his two requests. Russell's comment was, perhaps, a little much, but a person with even a little amount of experience in online forums would have been able to check his post count and title and realized his post was not request from on high. Perhaps a little brusque, but not unexpected or even unusual in the world of online forums.
Help999's response was overly defensive, indicating to me that perhaps he has received a flaming or two for posts on other forums. To me it was the equivelant of two people bumping into each other on the street and one saying gruffly, "Hey, watch where your going" and the other saying, "Oh my god! I am so sorry!" and then running away in terror. Russell made up for the tone of his first post by linking to a thread with a possible solution. And Alrette's post was in no way offensive, unless you think he/she posted it in derision or something, but that is entirely in the head of the reader. The text itself was not offensive.
Altogether, I feel this was a successful thread. An answer was posted with only a little fuss over clarity. So, the OP ran away in terror when two people asked for more information and clarity. Boo-hoo.
The quotation of the rules was not even from the rules section, but from the suggestions on how to get an answer to your query. That suggestion is phrased rather nicely, if you ask me. It in no way says that you are required to post a sample workbook, merely that you are more likely to get the answer you need if you provide enough information for people to understand the problem. NBVC understood the problem, but he is, by many accounts, a genius.
I think I will just stop commenting on these types of threads... they only lead to these long winded he said/she said or I'm right/you're wrong blasts!
NBVC makes a good point - sooner or later somebody will post a link to a post in this thread back into this thread, as an example of a bad thread, at which point the whole forum will undergo a massive #DIV/0! and disappear up its own =ASIN
probably best.
You were quite right though. Russell's comment was unnecessary and unhelpful and not really surprising that the OP reacted the way he/she did. then of course a moderator comes along and puts the boot in while he/she is down without saying anything to anyone else. really successful thread if the aim is to put people off.
For the record, I try to be much nicer than that to people at OzGrid.
Clearly this is a bad thread as after 48 pages we do not appear to have reached a solution!
Stirring up debate is fun - especially when the opposing views are held so strongly by both sides.
Oops - I mentioned another forum. Do I need to sit in the corner for a while and think about what I've done?
And use a riding crop to self-flagellate one's back for the next 5 hours too
Bad romperstomper....Bad! They're going to rub your nose in it if you don't watch out! Now be good or else you'll get the hose again!
Ouch!
If you're ready for a laugh:
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-prog...-as-above.html
Can you say: "Ooooops"
I don't think Mr. Leong understands what "won't work" meant...
..ooooh, Snap! What are the chances?
Hahaha! This is the way of it for many students in this field. LoL Paul, he definitely did not understand what the prof said about not working. Bwahahahaha!
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...a-formula.html
I have no idea how to do it either ...
LOL shg. I think I have that spreadsheet; it has a bunch of formulas on different pages and when I input values, other values are spit out.
@shg, I got a workbook out of him but sales analysis isn't my forte so hopefully you or someone else can help out.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...e-matches.html
The OP reported post 8 with this reason- Very rude, I'm quite new to the forum and didn't expect people on here to be this rude!
Don't think I was rude, though. If they are unable to present their requirements, after repeated explanations of what is needed to help us understand the issue, well, tough. What a great idea to paste an Excel table into a Word doc and post that instead of the Excel file.
I tend to agree - which part is rude?
Direct and to the point isn't the same as rude......
I agree. Methinks the OP must be a flower! He would faint at this recent response on another forum ... I find your predilection to have multiple values in a single cell to be ridiculous. The work required to manage that testifies to the ridiculousness, so I for one will be avoiding any further questions where the data is thus formed.
I didn't find any post in that thread to be rude. npamcpp's response was justified by the Word document imo.
I have to cast the vote of dissent here. I just opened up the OP's attachments and they didn't generate this behavior at all: "...my computer goes into overdrive and calculates for two minutes before settling down again. There's something seriously wrong with your file." I found both attachments (don't know which one is referred to here) and both opened normally with no calculation upon opening.
Posting a Word file is not a heinous crime if you do it to illustrate format after having posted two Excel files first. I've seen worse.
I found only one part of npamcpp's posts rude, which was, "Why do you make it so hard for us to help you? Tuning out. I'm not in the mood for 20 questions." It would have been easier to just stop posting. The OP was responding earnestly to requests for clarification.
And if you're not ready to ask a slew of questions to drive down to an OP's true problem then you will be eternally frustrated on this forum. That is the nature of the Excel question. A good portion of the posters don't even really understand what they're even trying to do themselves and require a bit of interviewing to help them. I have found it rare that a question is asked clearly, completely, unambiguously, and with a good example workbook posted, all in post #1.
Jeff
| | |·| |·| |·| |·| | |:| | |·| |·|
Read the rules
Use code tags to [code]enclose your code![/code]
Of course you make very valid points 6string and I agree with most everything. However, I still don't see rudness in making a point about tuning out and I've seen ruder from some more veteran posters here. Also, you can't take the human element of being tired, or frustrated, or whatever out of the equation and sometimes a fuse can be shorter for those reasons.
It is not, but that is not what is being discussed, and so is irrelevant. The guy who responded didn't think it was a good idea, and whether you agree with him or not, his response was not rude.
I think what everyone is missing here is that it doesn't matter what Bob, 6string, me or npamcpp (who is, by far, more veteran here than most members) think. If the person to whom the post is aimed considers it rude then the person who wrote the post did not handle it in a professional manner. Npam's posts could have been worded far better so as not to insult ANYONE (or not written at all - which probably would have been best in this case).
And of course there are worse examples of rudeness on the internet - it's full of people that don't exercise their ability to communicate well. That doesn't excuse any and every instance.
The person asking the question wasn't out to get insulted, or to insult anyone's intelligence. That, unfortunately, is how they now feel. Perhaps Rule 6 should be adjusted to include "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." If you get tired of questions from those less-knowledgeable of Excel or forum protocol, just don't reply. Save the time and help someone else (or not).
I am sorry, and with all respect, but that is a ridiculous statement. It is just pure PC, an approach which creates as many problems as it attempts to solve. Some people will be offended no matter what is said, or how it is said. How can npamcpp or any of the rest of us know in advance what will offend anyone and everyone if we make perfectly reasonable statements as npamcpp did; the only safe course then is to say nothing, which is pandering to intolerance.
You can't fathom the day people have had up to the moment they actually SAY something rude. It's still rude.
BUT... you can't fathom the day people have had up to the moment they go off with a hair-trigger on something someone says that is marginally firm, at worst. In that case, it's not been spoken rude but the OP is offended anyway.
In case #2, it's the Op's issue. We're spending way too much time on something that will never change.
My rule - "Don't let others make their stress into yours. Let it go. If they were being rude, you've taken the high road, and if they were not, you've avoided being a problem to others."
Here, just as IRL, it is possible to express the very same thought in one way that preserves everyone's dignity and in a different way that short-circuits communication and leaves bad feelings.
Although you can't really make it a rule, I think the standard of behavior should be, "Don't type anything in a post that you wouldn't say to a person in the same room." I would not look a person in the eye and say, "I'm tuning you out" unless they were deliberately trying to annoy me, but maybe some other folks would. I have experienced frustrating threads before and my response was more like, "I'm sorry, I've given it my best effort but I don't think there's anything I can do to help." You need not avoid every possible sensitivity but there's nothing wrong with having good manners.
We are free consultants after all, and I guess sometimes it's okay to be rude if the poster is rude (that's just me haha.....). But in this case, I feel the OP was sincere and didn't do anything wrong. His complain was justified -I am a people person if you can't tell by now.
I strongly agree with 6StringJazzer and somewhat agree with Paul, but I think sometimes we need to take a consideration not every user is an advanced Excel user. I wouldn't be surprised if I was still a novice Excel user, I probably would ended up posting a MS Word attachment as well. Just saying. We are not perfect.
At the risk of being rude, is it not time a line was drawn under this? This thread was, I understood, to highlight "bad threads" ... though, I'm not sure that isn't a bit insulting to the users whose posts have been highlighted. It's not a private party, after all, is it? This debate seems to have moved off topic.
Perhaps someone should start another thread where those with time to spare/waste can bore the back legs off ... oh no, I probably shouldn't say that, should I?
FWIW IMO the original debate was a 50/50 in that the response was maybe a little sharp and the OP was maybe a little sensitive. Both positions being understandable. But then an electronic forum is not the best medium for expressing one's feelings ... just as words and phrases in emails can be over-analysed and misinterpreted.
Kind regards, TMS
Another one for the wall of shame. I was even fortunate enough to a negative rep.
The OP posted a question... cross-posted it... reposted with a new title... and again cross-posted it...
Don't you just love some of the newbies and the attitude from the gutters that they come with.
@abou ..don't forget about rule 7..
maybe it should be revised with "RESPECT and Don't ignore requests by Administrators, Moderators, or senior members of the forum."
I think people forget the word "THANK YOU!!!!" Do you still know it???
There is a little star ( ADD REPUTATION ) below those person who helped you. Click it to say your "PRIVATE APPRECIATION TO THEIR EFFORT ON THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS "
Regards,
Vladimir
@vLady
This implies that they actually read the forum rules.
Resulted in a ban though!
What was the ignorant comment that got your undies in a knot Abousetta?
who says I wear under garments
The OP PM'd me and pretty much said to stay out of it. Even when I tried to explain how things are done, she would not listen. The worst thing is that the second cross-post was done while JapanDave was actually working on a solution for her and tweaking it according to her responses.
You're Canadian aren't you? Not only do you wear under garments but you have to wear long-johns as well!who says I wear under garments
I retired my long-johns a few winters ago... I came to realize that -15 C wasn't really that bad
-15 isn't bad, it's the -30 to -40 range with a windchill tacked on that may require long-johns!
I would like to offer this as a "not bad thread"
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-prog...ow-insert.html
Last edited by blane245; 05-27-2012 at 05:26 PM. Reason: fat finger
Bob
Click my star if my answer helped you. Mark the thread as [SOLVED] if it has been.
I'd say that that one is moving along nicely. Not bad indeed.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...eally-bad.html
Google Translate didn't help -- it auto-detected English.
Well that's pretty clear! The answer is Halley's Comet!
We have rules out the wazoo. Too bad we don't have one called "User names to avoid"
What is wrong in having a username called "excelsupportforum" ?
Well, not wrong, really. Just kind of weird. It's the name of the forum where we're posting. It would be like creating your Facebook page using the name Facebook.
-Not sure that this applies to this thread
but, if i request a FM to close a thread because lack of OP response, is that too rude?
I mean i can wait 36 hrs, but if the OP doesn't respond in that time, would it be PC incorrect to ask for a "close" thread?
LOL.. I truly don't care, except for the fact i got all these "carefully" constructed answers to OP's next questions..
.even left myself room in equations to answer his "obvious" next "questions"..
such as.."how do I extend to more columns" or " and if i want to extend to several optional fields.."
A picture may be worth a thousand words, BUT, a sample Workbook is worth a thousand screenshots!
-Add a File - click advanced (next to quick post), scroll to manage attachments, click, select add files, click select files, select file, click upload, when file shows up at bottom left, click done (bottom right), click submit
-To mark thread Solved- go top of thread,click Thread Tools,click Mark as Solved
If you received helpful response, please remember to hit the * of that post
Well in my opinion, I would not ask for the thread to be closed. I, just like many others, we understand all the time and effort members put forward in answering questions and when the OP does not come back for closure it stinks, but somehow we must just move on.
Don't know if that will help, but just my 2-cents worth.
It feels bad, yes, and it can be frustrating. But, the OP is a real person with a real life and possibly lots going on. Could be busy at home, at work. S/he, or a family member, could be ill.
So, don't get ahead of yourself, or the OP. Just bide your time and answer other people's questions. And, if s/he does come back with no apology or explanation, wait an equivalent amount of time before following up
Regards, TMS
True, and I do understand that; just wish they would understand that of us as well...i check for responses when i get up, and when i get home from workas well, I don't mean we all do, or that we all are on here all day, but the occasional feedback of "it helped" or " it sucked" would definitely help
Guess i'm just venting a bit, Sorry All
Probably something we have all done before
Thanks
LOL...just got dinged for "Too short a Message"...guess it's just one of them days!
ok, not sure if this is a valid idea or not, BUT what about a sticky thread stating that we are all freely volunteering our help, no pay, no kickbacks, etc..., just users helping users?or a notice...seems to me a lot of the "frictions come up because people think we are PAID (^&#$^@*&$) to help them...
-Edit- imeant a notice in each forum, and if you ARE getting paid, KTFQ about it
Last edited by dredwolf; 11-04-2012 at 11:26 PM.
Well you can make all the "sticky's" in the world, but if OPs don't read them, then what are they for?
We have a list of forum rules, but hazard to guess how many times a day they are broken (and I don't think they are broken because OPs read them but just don't care).
true, and I think I Broke several, did not get reprimanded about it, but at least there would be something to refer them to if started getting to...ummm..."pushy".. about no response within 10 mins-30 mins-1 hr-..first question i asked, think i waited 5 hrs to bump, then a moderator told me that that may not be best way to get an answer...but i did also ask for an opinion on minimum bump time as well ..
-EDIT- Moderator probably took pity on me because I asked about Minimum "Bump" time'
Last edited by dredwolf; 11-04-2012 at 11:47 PM.
@ dreadwolf:
Not much one can do as jeffreybrown & all pointed out but it’s irritating.
Still you could do a final posting after a number of days telling the OP that due to lack of feed back you are now canceling you subscription to this thread.
Alf
Yeah i agree with Alf. That makes sense.
I can't take anymore.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-form...ent-dates.html
CC
If you feel really indebted please consider a donation to charity. My preferred charity is ActionAid but there are plenty of worthy alternatives.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-form...kup-issue.html
Sorry, if cross-posting offended you. But, when my company wants a quick answer (like yesterday), I am forced to seek the most suitable answer.
Now, please do not be sarcastic ... I can also be the same.
Click (*) if you received helpful response.
Regards,
David
"is it possible to use an IF formula to index the header row to the individual rows below and match any columns which contain the lowest score (1) so that it brings back first column to contain a 1 and pastes the header alongside the child's name (1 target at a time until achieved and it finds the next 1 on the row)"
Fairly standard form except that it's from an English teacher
Elegant Simplicity............. Not Always
In the attached worksheet, I want to lookup values from tab 'KW' to the Tab 'Stock'.
For eg. In columns B,C,D & E I want values against the SKU in Column 'A' but it has to reference the header for columns B,C,D & E with the headers in tab 'KW' to give the value for the respective SKU. What formulas can i use to achieve this?
Bless 'em LOL.......... Valiant effort
Apparently this op thinks I'm a jerk. See this thread. I took an hour or so to give this guy some examples about arrays. He/she didn't respond, started a new thread days later and I called him/her out on it and now I'm the jerk. Lol.
For the first time since I've become a member here, I've made the decision to block that person from my previous post.
Hi All,
Here's one that I worked on for eight days and was really pleased with the results.
This response practically broke my heart:
I don't know what it is that I am doing wrong I have downloaded the workbook and see where you put the code in workbook module. I saved the workbook into a test folder on my desktop as a macro enabled file and opened it up and it does nothing for me. I have been in through the developer tab into macro security and allowed all actions and added the folder on my desktop to trusted locations. So I am at a loss.
Sounds like you are having no problems with it, maybe we should all move to LA then it will work for us? Oh that's no good cost to much to get all out clients over there!
Don't know what to say.................
If I've helped you, please consider adding to my reputation - just click on the liitle star at the left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Pride has no aftertaste.)
You can't do one thing. XLAdept
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~aka Orrin
Template for a bad thread
Hello!
I need to build a Saturn 5 rocket to launch from my back garden on a mission to Mars but I don't know anything about rockets. Could i ask that you keep the noise down whilst working as i will be in bed and just pop a note under my door when finished. Thanks.
PS I think it was Mars but it may have been Pluto or Venus so if you could make it adaptable that would be good
PPS English is not my native language so JHGFHGD$E and lkjhgfdt and a bit of 86hjfreerv would also be useful.
@ AndyLitch, hmm, you forgot to add that the design should be GoogleDocs, Just to make sure it was COMPLETELY incompatible...lol
LOl dred.
Or the other template which follows along the lines of :- "I've been left drunk in charge of a computer.....................But I want to be a hairdresser really"
What if you are drunk and answering questions... Sometimes I wake up in the morning after a replying to a thread and wonder what the heck I was thinking. LOL
Read the first link in my sig.
Last edited by JapanDave; 04-30-2013 at 08:51 PM.
Be fore warned, I regularly post drunk. So don't take offence (too much) to what I say.
I am the real 'Napster'
The Grid. A digital frontier. I tried to picture clusters of information as they moved through the computer. What did they look like? Ships? motorcycles? Were the circuits like freeways? I kept dreaming of a world I thought I'd never see. And then, one day...
If you receive help please give thanks. Click the * in the bottom left hand corner.
snb's VBA Help Files
Without comments for anyone!
wow, some real arrogant people visit you guys.
Not sure whether I can call this as Bad Thread
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-form...-workbook.html
If your problem is solved, then please mark the thread as SOLVED>>Above your first post>>Thread Tools>>
Mark your thread as Solved
If the suggestion helps you, then Click *below to Add Reputation
I wouldn't. The user asked a question that seemed pretty clear to me, although it could have been written a little better. He wrote a formula with an external reference and it didn't work. Excel prompted him to open a file instead (he called this Explorer but it is actually the File Open dialog). This happens if the file in the formula doesn't exist. Somehow he worked it out by himself. Your answer introduced the notion of SUMPRODUCT which was a left turn from what he was asking.Not sure whether I can call this as Bad Thread
@ Sixthsense - I do believe that that is a non-thread
Well ya should all be grateful for the 21st Century... A few years ago that Mystic fella would've been beating you round the head with a big stick
well all I can say is...it takes all kinds lol
1. Use code tags for VBA. [code] Your Code [/code] (or use the # button)
2. If your question is resolved, mark it SOLVED using the thread tools
3. Click on the star if you think someone helped you
Regards
Ford
Thanks for the replies.
Yeah!! it seems to be little bit of mis-interpretation from my part too...
I don't know if I would call that a "Bad Thread" Sixth, but definitely strange 8)
I've just added someone to my Ignore List (for the first time) for his response in this thread (Post #25):
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-form...-is-found.html
Ungrateful so-and-so !!
Pete
Bloody hell... You're just right Pete...
Glenn
None of us get paid for helping you... we do this for fun. So DON'T FORGET to say "Thank You" to all who have freely given some of their time to help YOU.
Temporary addition of accented to illustrate ongoing problem to the TT: L? fh?ile P?draig sona dhaoibh
Yumpin Yiminy - Who knows......The Shadow Do! My first ignoree
Last edited by xladept; 06-06-2014 at 02:59 PM.
TIP of the DAY - using exclamation points on any sentence, especially extra !! ones, is almost guaranteed to inflame people's emotions. I'd recommend disabling the ! key while on the forum.
"That's not what I meant."
"That's not what I meant!"
"That's not what I meant!!"
Can you feel the emotional difference with each of those?
I'm just saying even though that OP got all huffy, it's easy to spot how we contributed, however slightly. The thread as a whole was quite informative all the way around. I'm not sure I'd put anyone on an ignore list over one grievance. Yeah, I'm positive I wouldn't.
(hat-tip)
Ha ha ha. So entertaining. That was great Paul, um I mean Pete.
Yep - some guys, after helping them for hours, still don't seem to be appreciative do they. Makes for entertaining reading though.
Au contraire M. Beaucaire! The written idiom needs a little bang now and again
Pete really went the extra mile (actually more like a 5K) to explain what was going on, and in no way deserved to be turned on like that.
However, I have to add that communication in emails and message boards is still not an exact science and people often mean things one way, but they are taken another.
As mentioned above, these two come across very different:
The name is Pete, not Paul !!
The name is Pete, not Paul
AlsoThis statement is 100% factual, and nobody can disagree with it. However, the words "vast" and "minute" are loaded in this context and could be interpreted as scolding the person. Also, he did say that was not looking for someone to do that, but rather for "phrase-for-phrase translations (from Excel jargon to simple English commands)"....not all are willing to spend vast amounts of time explaining minute details of a solution.
Another loaded phrase is, "I would like to inform you that". It comes across as condescending (often heard on TV sitcoms), although I am certain that is not how Pete meant it to sound.
Now, on the other hand:
Well, yes. There are so many people like that, we even have an acronym for it: RTFM.
I'm sorry to say that it is just too easy for people to misinterpret something. I go to great pains to use neutral language around here (and other boards, and my emails) to avoid misinterpretation. One time I was in a humorous mood and something I said jokingly was taken the wrong way and resulted in negative rep. I had only meant to joke around, but the OP took it as sarcasm directed at him. I was especially disturbed by the episode because as a Mod, I represent the Forum. My apology was accepted fortunately.
My grandmother taught me that a gentleman is someone who never offends anybody....by accident.
Yeah, but Pete answered the questions - the OP just hadn't the patience to read them!
Depends on the character of each of us.
There's always a different visual themes.
Do not forget that while we are simply members of an online forum (so impersonal),from the other site, we are humans with different characters.
So some hours after i closed that thread(giving an infraction to Op), Jerry(which is a modest man (always wants to see things from the positive side) in his post mentioned 2 things.
1)I don't agree with that.My view on that is that It is personally when someone attack to you....by not taking anything anyone says here personally,
2)This a favourite phrase of Jerry. I can accept it, as an option,but i don't agree with that.....Let's just enjoy it for what it is and keep the drama to a minimum.
When someone choose to don't ignore challenges and attacks that exist and and he chooses to complain about them, certainly is not a drama.Ιt is an attitude and of course this is a natural right of defense against attacks.
Of course this is only my opinion. I do it in my personal live and do it in this forum too, as a part of my life.
Of course i respect any other opinion(even that i don't agree with that).
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Register To Reply
Bookmarks