How to search first before asking for help
Here is an important piece of advice for all beginners, always attempt to find the solution first, before asking for help, as this not only teaches you how to be proactive in solving problems, but it also shows when you ask for help eventually, by you explaining what you found, your methodology for finding the solution, and your experience level too. This helps people feel at ease with taking time out to assist, remember, when asking for help, you will be using up valuable time of another.
Many a time, a request for help has begun with rather obvious irritated language at something being difficult to do or discover [Many if not all of us have been there], however, this eventually leads down to the meme:
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And you don’t want to be that person, instead let us take a more nuanced approach.
First, let us explore what you need help with:
Is it really MonoGame Related
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Such as how do you draw a sprite to the screen and animate it, or is it C# related [Which you could get away with asking for help with on the discord, link in first post] such as how do you loop through a list of objects.
Is it a question to do with a GitHub repository/extension to MonoGame
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Such as MonoGame.Extended or a kit like Nez, in which case, please approach the relevant areas for support, or ask on the MG Discord, or post a correctly tagged forum post. It helps if you identify this factor in either the title of the thread, or at the very beginning of your support thread post, it saves time getting to the middle or bottom of a post that can sometimes be a dissertation long, only to find out we were reading about something we do not currently or intend to use. I have seen this many times, and as a result, nobody wishes to respond, and the people who you need may glance over the thread without knowing you require their attention.
Is it a Shader question?
This is answered below in General Advice and The SIP.
Other examples of questions asked will appear here in future
General Advice
It helps if you first understand that MonoGame is a framework which continues the legacy of Microsoft XNA, thereby, a lot of the answers you are looking for fall under the XNA resources searches.
This means you can search for XNA support to find your issue if you cannot find anything using MonoGame in the search terms.
The Solving Issues Process [The SIP]:
1-
Check your favourite search engine
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Use variations of the question,
include either XNA or MonoGame, or both
Examples:
_How to draw a part of an image in XNA
_How to animate a sprite in MonoGame
_How to load a sprite in XNA/MonoGame
2-
Perform a check on specific documentation
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If it feels like a basic function, such as adding sounds to your project, check the Documentation, or perform a search [This opens a special page with advanced filters] on the forum for Adding SFX or Adding music or Adding Sound Effects in the search box at the top of the forum.
3-
Asking on the Forum or the Discord, or both.
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Here comes the interesting step, Once you have tried to discover the solution yourself, and feel you are still stuck, or cannot really be sure what to search for, try the following:
In as few words as possible, explain to yourself,
what your intent is, then phrase it like a question
and post a thread post, and then either immediately
or after a period of time, pop over to the Help
channel on the discord [linked in first thread post]
and link the thread there and re-iterate on the
discord what it is you are seeking help for,
so that people can help there and then,
instead of having to pop over to the forum,
help them help you.
It also helps if you find a title that specifically explains in as few words as possible what your thread body text explains further, for example:
[Title]
Rendering a group of objects in the background
[Thread body text]
I am looking to draw a group of objects in
my 2D project, where the objects can be
drawn at specific intervals.
How do I make sure this is not using too
many resources or slowing down the fps.
Try to avoid repeating the question in the title, just because it is short enough to fit in the title, if it is, then the question has not been thought through enough.
4-
Things to include in your Thread Post
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If you have not specified using the tags,
such as Windows, Linux, Android, Mac, iPhone.
it would go a long way if you have not already,
include in the opening statement of your post
What OS you are on, Windows, MacOS, Linux Distro
\ Each have different things to point out
\ such as key commands or settings menus
Your hardware, in as much detail as you feel
is needed to aid with your issue, such as
if the issue pertains to memory issues then
be sure to include details such as:
System Memory
\ 4GB 8GB 12GB 16GB etc.
\ such as: 64.0 GB (63.8 GB usable)
GPU Memory
\ [Internal Shared State System RAM]
\ Dedicated 4GB, 8GB+ etc.
\ [Dedicated means a Graphics Card]
CPU Make and model number such as:
\ Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-9980HK CPU @ 2.40GHz
Operating System and Release Version Number
\ Such as Edition: Windows 11 Pro, Version: 22H2
If the question is Input related,
\ state your hardware:
\ is it a standard device?
\ Microsoft XBOX Controller
\ or an uncommon device...
\ Logitech [something] Controller etc.
\ or a different Console gamepad
\ Switch Pro Controller,
\ PlayStation Dual Shock Gamepad
What Platform are you targeting?
This also relates to the input somewhat
as Input is handled differently in DX and OGL
[DX= DirectX, OGL= OpenGL]
\ State you are targeting Windows, or MacOS, iOS,
\ Android, Linux [if Linux, state which Distro]
\ If Windows, ensure you mention you are using
\ Desktop DX or Desktop OGL. Windows UWP uses DX only.
And any other relevant information you can think of,
it helps if people assisting understand your setup,
intentions, and then see if they can help you.
A Non-Linux user, reading a dissertation worth
of information, only to reach the bottom,
to then find out you use Linux, is an exhausting
approach to help.
Closing Notes
While this is not a thorough guide, I may add to it in future.
Happy Coding!