How can code formatting be made more intuitive for newcomers?

We suggest to apply a proper code formatting 10 times per day. Not formatted is nearly unreadable and it is actually not hard to apply it - if you know how.

How can the interface be improved to let newcomers comprehend the formatting style directly and intuitively?

[Fangjun Jiang]

For bring up the good topic.

[Jan]

Bump.

It would save a lot of time for the editors, and increase the quality of a noticable part of the questions, if the code formatting is made easier. Beginners seem to be overstrained by the "{} Code" button and something seems to impede, that they read the formatting instructions.

Answer 1

[Image Analyst]

I'd like to see that too. I post code all the time and I hate it that when the code has a blank line in there (to separate distinct sections of code) that I have to highlight each and every section and click the code icon. What a pain!

[Walter Roberson]

Which part would you like to see "too" ?

When I post code, I just select the entire section of code and click on the code button, rather than doing it paragraph by paragraph.

[Image Analyst]

What I'd like to see too is "code formatting be made more intuitive."

Answer 2

[Walter Roberson]

If "code" mode were made the default, with a way to switch to paragraph mode (that supported character-level markup) then there might be less problem, perhaps.

[Fangjun Jiang]

This is a really good idea! We shall vote for it. I think it might solve the problem. If everything is in code format, it is just like we are reading all the questions and answers in M-editor, right? I don't see any problem with it. In fact, it's good enough for me.

[Jan]

@Walter and Jiang: And what about links and embedded graphics, enumerations and formatted text?! E.g. in the code environment the < and > cannot be used for links.

[Fangjun Jiang]

I can live with copy and paste the hyper-link. Other fancy formatting is rarely used.

[Fangjun Jiang]

Embedded graphics is nice. I remember seeing a few. I have not figured out how to use it my self. If that can be done, why users are still asking how to post figures on other website?

[Jan]

@Jiang: Exactly - *all* formatting is too rarely used, because it seems to be too complicated.

A graphic can be embedded by using << and >> around the link. See my own answer.

Answer 3

[Jan]

What about a more pushy design?

Original:

New - exaggerated:

With a link to a best-of how to ask a good question, get help on homework questions and TUTORIAL: how to ask a question

[Jan]

Or a text description:

"Matlab code has two leading spaces"

"Include links in < and >"

"Include URLs to graphics in << and >>"

"Enumerations start with #"

"Lists start with *"

Answer 4

[Image Analyst]

Walter, here is what you get if you paste in 5 lines of code with the third line of code being a blank line between the 2nd and 4th line of code, and then highlight all 5 lines and click the "code" icon. In the "markup" box my clc is on a separate line below this, while in the Preview box it's on the same line and not formatted as code even though I highlighted all 5 lines and clicked the code icon: clc; close all;

workspace;
clear;

[Walter Roberson]

You need an empty line before the code. Which is the case for all of the paragraph-level markups. Self-consistent, but I for one would not complain if the Code button added an empty line if the previous line was not already empty.

[Image Analyst]

OK that works, as long as you have the blank line first and start right before the first character of the code (unlike using control R and control T in MATLAB to comment/uncomment code where it will act upon the whole line.) Thanks.

Answer 5

[Daniel Shub]

Maybe the question is wrong. I think a better question is why is unformatted code so unreadable? I cannot believe that there isn't a better comprise between the readability of text and the readability of code without any need to apply formatting. Sure this might mean that getting optimal formatting is harder (e.g., you might need to mark all paragraphs as either text or code). I would take this added inconvenience if it means the default (i.e., unformatted) is readable for both code and text.