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The Stack Overflow team has just announced a new service called Stack Overflow Documentation. Users can post examples of code usage and other can vote and edit. I'd like to have this for TeX.SX.

In light of the fact that most documentation people use to learn LaTeX is outdated or just wrong it would be a great advantage if we at TeX.SX had a community-driven reference. Also, many search online for LaTeX templates and find some 1000 line file which “includes everything”. A collection of simple examples with minimal boilerplate sounds like a great alternative to me and might succeed to convert people to follow the right path.

A simple example of documentation. That is the available template to fill with content.

documentationExample

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    Personally, i haven't come to a conclusion concerning all this. Right now i am not sure that the Stack network is the right place.
    – Johannes_B
    Jul 22, 2016 at 12:02
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    There is a topic started at stackoverflow.com/documentation/latex. However, a broader TeX and Friends may be better. I was wondering if the TeX.SX will jump there or if it will be a niche documentation per SX site. I also think it is a good idea to have centralized documentation. SX seems a good place if you can link Q&A with the documentation, and point people to the right place, and in turn the Q&A can enhance the documentation. However, time will tell if it will be maintained. Maybe it will depend on the community. Thus having a documentation at TeX.SW will be better.
    – adn
    Jul 22, 2016 at 13:51
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    related: meta.tex.stackexchange.com/questions/6285/…
    – samcarter_is_at_topanswers.xyz
    Jul 22, 2016 at 14:32
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    It seems that the problem was the way documentation will be presented on the SX site. As it will be web and not a PDF the documentation or examples may not help. But, there is always the option to upload the images of the examples, or even automate the examples to produce a PDF version (not sure about the capabilities out of the box of the site as it is now to produce this). Maybe, just wishful thinking?
    – adn
    Jul 22, 2016 at 16:16
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    I just created a new topic for the lolz of it. Though the reviewing system, request and all that, i find the real interface pretty limiting. stackoverflow.com/documentation/latex/drafts/30777
    – Johannes_B
    Jul 22, 2016 at 16:39
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    @adn There is already a centralized documentation in the doc folder of your texsystem and on CTAN.
    – Ulrike Fischer
    Jul 22, 2016 at 16:48
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    @Johannes_B -- please spell <auhtor> a little more like the command. (can't correct it from here, in toronto for tug meeting.)
    – barbara beeton
    Jul 23, 2016 at 13:42
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    I sometimes catch myself looking up things in the PGFPlots gallery instead of going through the manual -- this is probably what the documentation feature is aiming at, so I actually like the idea, especially for LaTeX: No long package documentation, but simple examples and an explanation, what they do.
    – hbaderts
    Jul 24, 2016 at 9:02
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    I feel like there will be, but the SO version just got into public beta, so I'd give it some time.
    – tbodt
    Jul 30, 2016 at 22:36
  • I am sceptical to this proposal, as I think it might make less people use the official package documentation. I see this working for the newcomer stuff, and for quick referencing. I doubt the more advanced users will use it that much, as it is much quicker top pull up the local documentation for a package, than visiting a website. But some topics would require multiple packages, which there really isn't any local documentation for.
    – Runar
    Aug 11, 2016 at 21:34

1 Answer 1

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No, because Stack Overflow Documentation is being discontinued.

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    ... and I think we do not miss it.
    – CarLaTeX
    Aug 5, 2017 at 6:24
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    Now there's some good news.
    – Alan Munn
    Aug 5, 2017 at 17:16

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