Thanks. Based on that information I was able to find the deleted thread/messages in my folder and obviously your links took me to the threads in question.

It appears to me that the entire thread (not just your message) was first deleted because it started with someone begging for code and, with the exception of your very useful reply, degenerated into a flamefest. So we had a "gimme code" thread followed by bickering. The entire thread was deleted. Unfortunately, your message went with it.

The next day it appears the same person started a second thread since the previous one had disappeared. Again the request was made for code with no evidence that he had made any effort to solve the problem himself. Those participating in the thread seemed to mostly be trying to get the person to discuss what he had already done so that they could be sure they weren't just doing his homework for him. Then you posted the code to the new thread and it appears it was deleted twice--not because you posted code but because you were just giving him the answer that everyone generally wanted him to figure out on his own.

This type of situation is tough to deal with. I personally don't think deleting your excellent posts was the best approach but on the other hand giving a person code when there is no evidence of any effort on his part leads to the possibility of the forum becoming a long string of "gimme this" and "gimme that" requests.

I think everyone here in the forum is eager to help those that have made some legitimate effort to solve their problem first, but quite a few people find "gimme code requests" to be offensive.

Now that we have the karma system a "gimme code" would simply be scored as such and, hopefully, ignored. I would discourage everyone from giving code to a person that is begging for it. It gives the person the answer on a silver platter and he'll have learned nothing in the process. The best approach is for the person to make an effort and if it's not working out he should post a message showing what he's done, the problem he is encountering, what he's tried to solve it, etc. At that point everyone will be more than happy to help him. It's the "gimme code" attitude that offends some people.

In any case, the point here is that your messages weren't deleted because they contained code. But given the context of the discussions the general feeling of the participants at the time was that a little more effort on the part of the person asking the question would have been appropriate before giving him the answer point-blank.

Regards,
Craig Steiner
8052.com Webmaster