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It is time we reevaluate the community-related closing reasons (previously called custom closing reasons) that Drupal Answers is using. Right now, we have two custom reasons.

Questions on programming, PHP, SQL, etc. that do not relate directly to Drupal are off-topic here, but can be asked on Stack Overflow.

This question was caused by a problem that can no longer be reproduced, was solved by a cache clear, or was a simple typographical error. While similar questions may be on-topic here, this one was resolved in a manner unlikely to help future readers.

The third reason previously used has been retired because it was being misapplied a lot.

Questions asking to recommend or find a book, tool, module, theme, distribution, tutorial, or other off-site resource are off-topic for Drupal Answers as they tend to attract opinionated answers and spam. Instead, describe the problem and what has been done so far to solve it.

We can have three custom close reasons.

Based on the questions that we are seeing, what would be three good reasons?

Please post one reason per answer with justification, and vote up/down. Based on votes, we can figure out the next steps.

See also Custom off-Topic reasons for Drupal Anwers.

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    I'd definitely like to preserve recommend module, theme, distribution somehow. And also this sentence in the end instead describe the problem and what has been done so far to solve it. I need to think about it a bit. 🤔
    – leymannx
    Commented Jan 17, 2020 at 8:37
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    I'd also like to see that one return @leymannx, but perhaps with different wording that would help people to apply it more correctly. I've also never thought that tend to attract opinionated answers and spam was the right phrasing anyway. I feel like that should be more like tend to attract answers containing only a link, with no explanation in the answer about how the link can be used to solve the problem. I think that better captures what we're objecting to. Bit wordy maybe
    – Clive Mod
    Commented Jan 17, 2020 at 19:18
  • I think that off-topic is too broad and all-encompassing because it ranges from "recommend a module" to "link me to the documentation page (or video)". I've used it as a sort of catch-all to help close low-research/effort questions. However what leymannx mentioned, "instead describe the problem and what has been done so far to solve it" could also be added to the Needs focus or Needs details close questions. If we instead changed "recommend module" to "Needs focus" then this off-topic could soley be about documentation/tutorial link requests.
    – mradcliffe
    Commented Jan 18, 2020 at 17:29
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    @mradcliffe Unfortunately, we can't change the focus/details ones. Those are the standard system ones. Personally, I don't like the way they got reworded from the old unclear/too-broad.
    – mpdonadio Mod
    Commented Jan 18, 2020 at 17:31
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    We should also consider the default closing reasons changed and decide if they already cover our previous custom reasons, or we need custom reasons for very specific questions they keep getting asked.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 19, 2020 at 16:05
  • @Clive With that description, a question asking for a module and adding "give a link to the project page on drupal.org and your opinion about the module" would be fine just because it's not asking just for a link.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 9:12
  • @mradcliffe It's not too broad: It's making examples of link to off-site resources. It should also be used when that is what the question is asking, not when to answer it I give a link to an off-site resource.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 9:40
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    Yeah I'm sure that's not the right text specifically @kiamlaluno, I was more just bringing up that I think the previous text didn't quite capture the intent of the close reason either
    – Clive Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 9:42
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    @Clive I think that saying Questions that are expressly asking for […] could avoid the closing reason is used when the users think the question is asking for module recommendation.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 10:59
  • Yeah I like that @kiamlaluno, makes sense
    – Clive Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 11:16
  • @mpdonadio Me either. Now, the too broad one seems more focused on asking a single question. I guess that the old too broad is now needs more details.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 11:49
  • I edited the question because This question does not appear to be about Drupal within the scope defined in the help center. isn't a closing reason users can select, but a sentence the system shows when users selected two closing reasons.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Feb 16, 2020 at 13:03
  • I'm starting to get used to the absent custom close reasons. Only sometimes I use the "other specify" reason for bug reports or support requests to third-party projects. Sometimes I miss the "can no longer be reproduced" but even this can quickly be typed in "other specify".
    – leymannx
    Commented Apr 7, 2020 at 18:46

7 Answers 7

Reset to default
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I already asked for the bug report close reason in 2018 and really want it to be in the list. But, I think the recommendation close reason is a little bit more important. But you do the voting so here comes a bug report close reason.

This is a bug report or support request to a third-party project hosted on drupal.org or elsewhere and must be reported in its issue queue to track issues in a single place, not here.

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  • Keep in mind we have just 3 custom closing reasons. With the three reasons you listed, it would mean that questions asking to find or recommend off-site resources would be on-topic.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 9:12
  • @kiamlaluno – I know, I know. Just typing up the module recommendation one. I just didn't want to have the bug report one to be unmentioned. Though in the end when weighing up bug report and module recommendation I'd rather have bug reports to be typed manually under "other, specify".
    – leymannx
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 9:19
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Now the problematic one. It has been misapplied a lot. Probably for questions that didn't show minimal effort and should better be flagged as "needs details or clarity" or "needs more focus". Nevertheless questions merely asking to find a module are quite a problem. So I'd throw this one in the ring again.

I'm adding the small word explicitly, explicitly asking to recommend. I've shortened the listing. And I rephrased the explanation in a way implying that the most problematic thing with these questions is that using a search engine and testing modules out is something that should be done by OP themselves.

Questions explicitly asking to recommend, find or compare a module, theme, distribution, or other off-site resource are off-topic for Drupal Answers. Research and testing needs to be done before asking a question. Please describe the problem and what has been done so far to solve it.

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    I had to google the definition of "expressly". IMO would be better if it said Questions explicitly asking to recommend, ...
    – No Sssweat
    Commented Feb 8, 2020 at 6:38
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    @NoSssweat – Ah yeah, that's much better! I'll update the answer.
    – leymannx
    Commented Feb 8, 2020 at 6:45
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Let's keep the second one as-is. This happens quite often and it's also a good close reason for outdated questions.

This question was caused by a problem that can no longer be reproduced, was solved by a cache clear, or was a simple typographical error. While similar questions may be on-topic here, this one was resolved in a manner unlikely to help future readers.

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I would use this as one of the custom closing reasons.

Questions on programming, programming languages, server, networking, or related infrastructure administration that don't require specific Drupal expertise to solve are off-topic here.

It would make clear the questions must be directly related to Drupal. It doesn't suggest any site to avoid it seems we are saying the question is surely on-topic for other sites.

(In my list of custom closing reasons, this would be shown as first one.)

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    I wonder if something like that don't require specific Drupal expertise to solve might be better than don't directly relate to Drupal? I always found the latter a smidge ambiguous
    – Clive Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 11:17
  • Yes, you are right. Now that you make me think of that, I guess that for some users I got this issue when doing something on a Drupal site is sufficient for the question to directly relate to Drupal.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 11:39
  • I think this could also be improved by trying to add @leymannx's suggestion about bug reports. I agree with them that bug reports as well as documentation improvements should be reported upstream at drupal.org rather than getting lost in SE.
    – mradcliffe
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 12:01
  • @mradcliffe That should be a different closing reason. This one is for those questions that even a user not knowing Drupal (which includes those users who has never used/tried Drupal) could answer, while the cases you describe do require Drupal expertise to answer them.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 12:09
  • I think that these could be merged by merging the Drupal expertise portions, and thus save one of the precious Close options.
    – mradcliffe
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 21:48
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I would use the following closing reason for module recommendations.

Questions expressly asking to recommend, suggest, or find a module, theme, distribution/profile, tutorial, or other off-site resources are off-topic here. Questions comparing two modules, themes, or distributions/profiles could be on-topic.

The closing reason says expressely because the closing reason should not be used if I think the question is asking for a module recommendation, or I think a module is the only possible answer. If a question doesn't make clear whether is asking for a module or code, it could be possibly closed using one of the default closing reasons.
I shorted the list, since off-site resources includes also, for example, books.

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Questions asking to recommend, suggest, find, or report a problem with core, a module, theme, distribution/profile, tutorial, or other off-site resources are off-topic here. Questions comparing two modules, themes, or distributions/profiles could be on-topic.

This is kiamlaluno's answer, but without the word expressly because I think the closing reason should be used if I think the question is asking for a module recommendation or is best-suited for an off-site resource such as drupal.org.

I also added "report a problem with" and "core" because I think that helps to direct questions that may be bug or support requests back to those contributing on drupal.org.

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Let's definitely keep the first. It's a good catch-all reason for questions where Drupal is more of a coincidence than the main problem. But I'd add Twig and CSS in the listing.

Questions on programming, PHP, SQL, Twig, CSS etc. that do not relate directly to Drupal are off-topic here, but can be asked on Stack Overflow.

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    To be a catch-all should also include those questions about server settings, which aren't Drupal-related.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 9:16
  • @kiamlaluno – I thought the exact same, but didn't want to make the listing any longer. Do you have an idea how to put that in the listing? Or should there be another migration path to Webmasters SE maybe?
    – leymannx
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 9:17
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    I would avoid suggesting a site in the closing reason, given that there are more sites that would suit. I would rather say Questions on programming and server settings that aren't directly related to Drupal are off-topic here. Instead of the site link there could be a link to a question on meta that explains exactly what directly related means for us.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 9:26
  • Also, I think that giving a link to a site just make users ask for us to migrate their questions to that site, or think that we are saying the question is surely on-topic for the other site. There are users who would take can asked on as it is surely a question for that site.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 9:30
  • @kiamlaluno – That are good points. I didn't think about the link. But indeed it's actually quite problematic. How do you think we proceed with feedback? Do you add another answer? Do I edit mine?
    – leymannx
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 9:44
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    I added my answer, since it's different in more aspects. I am going to add my answers for the three closing reasons.
    – avpaderno Mod
    Commented Jan 22, 2020 at 10:08

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