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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8"> <meta name="robots" content="index,nofollow"> <title>Answers/AskingForHelp - Launchpad Help</title> <script type="text/javascript" src="/moin_static198/common/js/common.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript">  </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" charset="utf-8" media="all" href="/moin_static198/lp20/css/common.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" charset="utf-8" media="screen" href="/moin_static198/lp20/css/screen.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" charset="utf-8" media="print" href="/moin_static198/lp20/css/print.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" charset="utf-8" media="projection" href="/moin_static198/lp20/css/projection.css">   <link rel="alternate" title="Launchpad Help: Answers/AskingForHelp" href="/Answers/AskingForHelp?diffs=1&show_att=1&action=rss_rc&unique=0&page=Answers%2FAskingForHelp&ddiffs=1" type="application/rss+xml"> <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-12833497-4']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 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First off, visit the Answers page for the project or distribution you're using. <span class="anchor" id="line-9"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-10"></span><p class="line867"><strong>Example:</strong> if you want help with the NULL project, you'd visit <a class="https" href="https://answers.launchpad.net/null">https://answers.launchpad.net/null</a> <span class="anchor" id="line-11"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-12"></span><p class="line862">Follow the <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Ask a question</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt> link and choose the language with which you're most comfortable. <span class="anchor" id="line-13"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-14"></span><p class="line867"><img alt="{i}" height="16" src="/moin_static198/lp20/img/icon-info.png" title="{i}" width="16" /> <strong>Tip:</strong> to improve your chances of getting an answer, choose a language that is marked with an asterisk. These languages have support volunteers whom Launchpad will notify of your question. <span class="anchor" id="line-15"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-16"></span><p class="line874">Next, type a summary the problem you're having. If you've ever reported a bug using Launchpad, you'll find the following steps quite familiar. <span class="anchor" id="line-17"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-18"></span><p class="line874">Let's say you're having trouble getting Exaile to minimise to the system notifications area of your Gnome panel (the systray). You enter the question: <span class="anchor" id="line-19"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-20"></span><ul><li style="list-style-type:none"><p class="line891"><em>How do I minimise Exaile to the systray?</em> <span class="anchor" id="line-21"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-22"></span></li></ul><p class="line874">Launchpad will now search for existing questions that look similar. If it finds any, it will show you them. <span class="anchor" id="line-23"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-24"></span><p class="line874">If Launchpad doesn't find any similar questions, or those it finds are unhelpful to you, you can write a more detailed description of your problem and submit your question. <span class="anchor" id="line-25"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-26"></span><p class="line867"> <h2 id="What_happens_next.3F">What happens next?</h2> <span class="anchor" id="line-27"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-28"></span><p class="line874">Once you've added your question, Launchpad emails anyone who's volunteered to be an answer contact for your language. They can then ask you for more information or offer an answer. Launchpad will then email you whenever your question changes, such as when someone suggests an answer. <span class="anchor" id="line-29"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-30"></span><p class="line874">Based on your actions and theirs, Launchpad will change the question's status, to help other people to see what action, if any, they should take. <span class="anchor" id="line-31"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-32"></span><p class="line867"> <h3 id="Question_statuses">Question statuses</h3> <span class="anchor" id="line-33"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-34"></span><p class="line874">Each question can have one of six statuses: <span class="anchor" id="line-35"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-36"></span><ul><li><p class="line891"><strong>Open:</strong> this question needs an answer, either because it is new or because a previous answer didn't completely solve the problem. <span class="anchor" id="line-37"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>Needs information</strong>. <span class="anchor" id="line-38"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>Answered:</strong> someone has answered the question but the original reporter hasn't yet said whether or not it solved their problem. <span class="anchor" id="line-39"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>Solved:</strong> one of the answers to the question has solved the original reporter's problem. <span class="anchor" id="line-40"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>Expired:</strong> Launchpad automatically expired this question because it stayed in the <strong>Open</strong> or <strong>Needs information</strong> state, without activity, for more than two weeks. Questions linked to bugs or assigned to a person cannot be expired. <span class="anchor" id="line-41"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>Invalid</strong>. Only an answer contact may set this state <span class="anchor" id="line-42"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-43"></span></li></ul><p class="line867"> <h3 id="Actions_that_change_a_question.27s_status">Actions that change a question's status</h3> <span class="anchor" id="line-44"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-45"></span><ul><li><p class="line891"><strong>Someone, other than the reporter, has asked for more information</strong>. When the question's status is <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Open</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>, this will change it to <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Needs information</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>. <span class="anchor" id="line-46"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>The reporter provides more information on the problem</strong>. When the status of the question is <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Needs information</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>, this will change it back to <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Open</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>. <span class="anchor" id="line-47"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>Someone answers a question</strong>. When the status of the question is <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Open</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt> or <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Needs information</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>, this will change it to <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Answered</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>. <span class="anchor" id="line-48"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>The original reporter tells Launchpad they have found a solution</strong>. The status moves to <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Solved</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>. <span class="anchor" id="line-49"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>The reporter confirms an answer given by another user</strong>. The status moves to <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Solved</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>. <span class="anchor" id="line-50"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>After receiving an answer, the reporter replies that the problem still occurs</strong>. This reverts status to <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Open</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>. <span class="anchor" id="line-51"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>Two weeks have passed without a change to the question</strong>. If the question is in the <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Open</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt> or <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Needs information</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt> state, Launchpad's robot - the Launchpad Janitor - will automatically mark the question as <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Expired</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>. <span class="anchor" id="line-52"></span></li><li><p class="line891"><strong>An answer contact or administrator rejects a question which contains spam or is a duplicate</strong>. This changes the status to <tt class="backtick"></tt><tt class="backtick">Invalid</tt><tt class="backtick"></tt>. <span class="anchor" id="line-53"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-54"></span></li></ul><p class="line867"> <h1 id="Next_step">Next step</h1> <span class="anchor" id="line-55"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-56"></span><p class="line862">If you're already familiar with a piece of software, and want to help other people use it, you can <a href="/Answers/OfferingHelp">offer support</a> using Launchpad. <span class="anchor" id="line-57"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-58"></span><div><table style="&quot; width: 100%; &quot;"><tbody><tr> <td><p class="line862"> <small><a href="/Answers">< Answers overview</a> </small> </td> <td style="&quot; text-align: right; &quot;"><p class="line862"> <small><a href="/Answers/OfferingHelp">Offering help ></a> </small> </td> </tr> </tbody></table></div><span class="anchor" id="line-59"></span><span class="anchor" id="bottom"></span></div><p id="pageinfo" class="info" lang="en" dir="ltr">Answers/AskingForHelp (last edited 2010-12-05 05:52:57 by <span title="??? @ pool-71-178-243-22.washdc.fios.verizon.net[71.178.243.22]">pool-71-178-243-22</span>)</p> <div id="pagebottom"></div> </div> <div id="footer"> <p class="menu"> <a href="https://help.launchpad.net/Legal">Terms of use</a> | <a href="https://launchpad.net/feedback">Help improve Launchpad</a> | <a href="https://launchpad.net/faq">FAQ</a> | <a href="/RecentChanges">Recent Changes</a></p> <p> <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/uk/"> <span xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text" property="dc:title" rel="dc:type">Launchpad Help</span> by <a xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" href="https://canonical.com/" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL">Canonical Ltd</a> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/uk/">Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 UK: England & Wales License</a>. <img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0;vertical-align:middle;" src="https://licensebuttons.net/l/by/2.0/uk/80x15.png" /></a> </p> <p>© 2004-2019 <a href="https://canonical.com/" target="_blank">Canonical Limited.</a></p> </div> </body> </html>