We all run into problems in our daily interaction with digital devices, like when operating software, working on a coding project, etc. However, some issues tend to persist more than others, leading to frustration and lost productivity.
To provide keen insights to users, many online resources have emerged, with Stack Overflow and GitHub becoming the top-leading communities for troubleshooting guidelines.
Having said that, we do have a problem. Since such platforms have a plethora of users sharing their thoughts, simultaneously, it is not long enough when the thread grows unnecessarily long, leaving the person confused about the next steps.
This is why we came up with this post in which we’ll help you make a comprehensive troubleshooting guide by gathering insights from Stack Overflow and GitHub posts. This way, you will resolve all the problems with convenience without wasting too much time.
Introducing the Two Platforms
Before we move on to the guide, we wanted to distinguish clearly between the two platforms we’re talking about in today’s post.
Stack Overflow is a crowdsourced knowledge website where people, regardless of their age, background, or expertise, can join in to troubleshoot issues.
Whereas GitHub is mostly famous as a developer-driven platform where repositories are pulled or analyzed by users to help them with complex projects.
Both platforms utilize a thread system, allowing users to ask questions and receive multiple answers continuously until the admin closes the post.
Steps to Create a Troubleshooting Guide from Stack Overflow and GitHub
After learning the basics for the said platforms, let’s see how you can create a troubleshooting guide by gathering insights from both sites.
1. Define the Scope
First things first, define what you want to solve through the troubleshooting guide. Think about the issues you’re currently facing like runtime errors, performance bugs, etc. Then, learn about your audience’s knowledge level to tailor complexities accordingly.
In addition to this, we recommend determining the framework in which you are likely to resolve the problem. For instance, a C# compile error might occur in many scenarios, but the specific error CS0246 only occurs in Unity Engine.
Once you define the framework, it’s time to follow the next steps as you’ve established the foundation for your research.
2. Gather Insights from Stack Overflow
To properly gather insights from Stack Overflow, it is necessary to search with relevant tags and keywords.
In continuity with our previous example, to troubleshoot our issue, we would search with the following method: “CS0246.”
The reason we searched with quotation marks is because, according to the community guidelines, this scrapes the results for a specific phrase or term like “flat tire.”
Anyhow, after arriving at the relevant posts or threads, copy the content of all replies and save it to word-processing software like MS Word, Notepad, etc., for further editing. We’ll let you know the purpose of this step in a bit.
3. Get Data from GitHub
Now, it is time to search for answers on GitHub. Unlike Stack Overflow, the technique to gather insights from GitHub is a bit different.
The general search query template is:
‘[error message] OR [technology] is:issue is:open.’
Continuing our example from above, we would search in the following manner to find the relevant posts on GitHub.
“CS0246 OR “namespace name ‘MonoBehaviour’ could not be found” is:issue is:open Unity”
After searching for the relevant content in the ‘Discussions’ pane, figure out the answers that are worthwhile by looking at their upvotes.
Then, copy the best responses to the given problem and save the content to a document for further editing.
4. Summarize the Common Findings
Finally, it is time to do the big reveal: ‘what are we going to do with the copied replies and answers from both Stack Overflow and GitHub?’
Long answer short: we will summarize the responses using an online tool to arrive at solutions faster without beating around the bush too much.
A tool that we think has potential in this regard is the AI Summarizer. We tested it with a variety of content before making the decision to show its demonstration.
To start, paste all the copied answers (that we’ve asked you to save in a word-processing software) into the tool’s interface and press the ‘Summarize’ button.
Doing so will provide you with a shorter, more boiled-down response to an error like “slow rendering in React” or something along those lines.
As evident, the output content has the troubleshooting insights from both Stack Overflow and GitHub summarized in one place. But this isn’t where our troubles end.
5. Humanize and Document the Solutions
Unfortunately, since the summarizing tool functions primarily on AI algorithms, it tends to push flags of AI detection in content. This is bad news for your troubleshooting guide, as it won’t be able to see the light of day with this reputation.
However, there’s still a solution left: the AI Humanizer. We found it on the same platform as the summarizer, and it works perfectly well to add human elements to an otherwise robotic and monotonous troubleshooting guide.
For this demonstration, we worked with the ‘Light’ mode of humanization, as we believe that it was enough for our current task. However, you’re free to explore the ‘Advanced’ mode as well.
Just to be sure, we checked the humanized content containing insights from Stack Overflow and GitHub through renowned AI detectors like ZeroGPT.
Alas, the output content we have is 0% AI and much easier to read. This means that it can be made into an engaging troubleshooting guide where people can resolve their issues with convenience.
Final Words
Creating effective troubleshooting guides involves leveraging community insights from platforms like Stack Overflow and GitHub.
By defining the scope of the problem, gathering relevant data, summarizing findings with AI tools, and humanizing the content, users can craft concise and user-friendly guides.
This method not only saves time but also ensures clarity in resolving common issues that you encounter with software or while surfing the internet (in general.)
Jawwad Ul Gohar is a tech enthusiast with a passion for problem-solving and innovation. He is likes exploring AI-driven tools and their impact on troubleshooting processes. When he’s not coding, he loves sharing insights on technology to help others navigate the digital world.
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