Search Results

We already have defaults for how to take input, so just use those. This includes reading from a file, STDIN, function input, etc. …

Write a function I propose this as the default for code golf questions that as for a function rather than a full program. I'm sorry if this all seems overly pedantic, but I've seen every single one o …

I'm for standardizing defaults in general, but I think we're not at that point for decision problem output. …

Arbitrarily overriding the defaults The default code formats, input/output methods, and other defaults are a product of community thought and discussion. … Only override the defaults when they don't serve their purpose because of some specific feature of your challenge, and even then think if you can make the challenge accommodate instead. …

Do X without Y This isn't always bad, but it's been a particular trap for beginners, so be careful. In the past, there were popular questions about doing a simple task but with the obvious method ba …

Patching out approaches On your challenge, someone posts a solution that's cheap and not at all what you intended. You have the option to change the rules, but do so very carefully as there's many pit …

Allowing standard loopholes in general Don't say "Standard loopholes are allowed". They ban silly things like making up a language where the solution is a single character or just printing the string …

Using old challenges as a model Just because an old challenge did something doesn't mean yours should too. Many old challenges wouldn't pass muster nowadays. Don't be surprised if your challenge is d …

Assuming you've addressed sandbox feedback When your challenge is in the sandbox and someone suggests a change or clarification, make sure your edit actually addresses their point. Too often the same …

Popularity Contests Popularity contests, while allowed, are heavily disfavored by site culture. You're likely better off reworking your challenge to use an objective winning criterion that isn't vote …

Tacked-on fixes If you clarify or modify your challenge after posting, don't just tack on a note to the end or to a list of bullet points. Edit in the change. It's confusing when the body of the ch …

Cumbersome I/O formats Generally, allow flexible input and output formats. People want to write code to do your task of, say, composing permutations, not reading/writing numbers in a particular semic …

Narrow references Beware of challenge topics that tickle your fancy, but others won't appreciate. An in-joke among friends A reference to a movie you like A task from actual code you wrote A small …

Bonuses in code golf Digital Trauma wrote an answer about this, but I have harsher views on bonuses, so I'm posting to let people vote separately. Bonuses in code golf say things like "-30% of you …

Chameleon challenges Chameleon challenges look like they're about one thing but are really about another. In doing the challenge, most of the effort is spent on something peripheral. Fix this by bein …