How To Seek Help On Stack Overflow ?

Stack Overflow is an online platform where programmers ask code-related questions and peers are available to suggest answers. You can ask questions about programming languages such as SQL and R (which you will learn about in Course 7), data tools, and much more. Follow the steps below to get started on Stack Overflow.

Sign up for an account

To sign up for Stack Overflow:

1. Click on the Sign up button in the upper right corner

2. Follow the on-screen prompts to enter your desired login information.

3. Click the Sign up button.

Explore Stack Overflow

From the home page, click the dropdown in the upper left corner and click Questions.

The Questions page provides different categories of questions for you to choose. Some examples include the “Newest” and “Active” categories. Read some of the questions under the different categories.

Tags will help you find questions. On the left pane, click on Tags.

On the Tags page, type in a tag name and then press Enter or Return. Next, you can click on a tag to view questions that have that particular tag.

Use the Search bar at the top of the web page to search for keywords and questions. If you would like to view only questions that have a certain tag, include the tag name in brackets with your search. For example, if you want to only find questions that have the tag “SQL,” then type [SQL] in the search field, along with your keywords or question. See the example below.

To learn more about searching, read these instructions about how to search. For a quick guide on syntax structures, check out this list of search types and search syntax.

Write your own question

When asking a question on Stack Overflow, keep it specific. Don’t use Stack Overflow to ask questions with opinion-based answers. 

For example, “Which SQL function can I use to add two numbers together?” is an appropriate question. “Which SQL function is your favorite?” is not.

It is a best practice to search the Stack Overflow website for your question in case someone has already asked it. This reduces redundant questions on the site and saves you the time it would take to wait for an answer.

Write clear and concise questions in complete sentences. Then people are more likely to understand what you ask and give you helpful answers.

To begin asking a question, click the blue Ask Question button on this page.

The form for asking a question has three sections: Title, Body, and Tags.

• Title: This is where you ask your question.

• Body: Summarize your problem and include expected and actual results. Include any error codes. If you think that inserting code into the Body section will help, press Ctrl+K (Windows) or Cmd+K (Mac OS) on your keyboard. Then type your code. 

• Tags: Tags include specific keywords, like program names. They help other people find your question. You can add up to five tags. Check out this list of existing tags for examples of what tags to use. 

Note: Stack Overflow is a public forum. Do not post any confidential company information or code that could impact the company you work for or yourself. When in doubt, first ask your manager whether you may post your question and code excerpt on Stack Overflow.