10.2.6 What information should I include when posting to the mailing list?

Posts like "I can't get PHP up and running! Help me! What is wrong?" are of absolutely no use to anyone. If you're having problems getting PHP up and running you must include what operating system you are running on, what version of PHP you're trying to set up, how you got it (pre-compiled, CVS, RPMs and so on), what you have done so far, where you got stuck and the exact error message.

This goes for any other problem as well. You have to include information on what you have done, where you got stuck, what you're trying to do and, if applicable, exact error messages. If you're having problems with your source code you need to include the part of the code that isn't working. Do not include more code than necessary though! It makes the post hard to read and a lot of people might just skip it all together because of this. If you're unsure about how much information to include in the mail it's better that you include to much than to little.

Another important thing to remember is to summarize your problem on the subject line. A subject like "HELP MEEEE!!!" or "What is the problem here?" will be ignored by the majority of the readers.

And lastly, you're encouraged to read the paper on How To Ask Questions The Smart Way as this will be a great help for everyone, especially yourself.