The NSChat rules are based on the Android room rules. For a quick rundown of how to get write access, see these fine bullet points:
- Try to write good answers and ask good questions.
- Put in the effort to use a custom username or we'll put in the same amount of effort when we talk to you.
- Don't be a help vampire. Be excellent.
In general, you'll be allowed in as long as you don't smell toxic. So, avoid doing things that'd make you look unappealing to talk to (e.g., tons of downvoted questions or answers that consist entirely of poorly-formatted code dumps).
The rules for the room are simple:
- Before asking a question here, ask it on the main site. That's what it's there for and you'll get more eyes on it than whoever's currently in chat. Further, don't ask if you can ask.
- We treat chat as a more informal area to discuss subjective topics. This is slightly akin to programmers.se, so also keep that in mind. So, if you're looking for code or asking a question that has quite a bit of depth, check the main site or programmers.se.
- We read the documentation, so we expect the same of you. You can't know everything, but put in a good-faith effort to study up.
- Use English to the best of your ability and do not use chat-speak. In other words, write well.
- Don't dump code in the channel. If it exceeds three lines or 100 columns, create a gist and share a link to it. You may use other pastebins, but we might also ignore you because gist is the best. See the note about rule 5 at the end, too.
- Don't ping people unless it's actually necessary to ping them. Getting attention for your question doesn't make it necessary, it's just going to annoy us.
- If you do anything creepy or weird to another member, we will throw you to Shub-Niggurath. We don't care much about swearing, but if it's every other line, you're not welcome.
Because everyone has a really hard time following this rule, I'm making two changes to it. First, the line length is now 100 columns or less. For reference, columns are measured in the number of characters on a line. Second, the rule is no longer strict. This limit might be lower if you're pasting really crappy code with short identifiers to avoid the limit. It might be slightly higher, but only slightly, if the difference is negligible.
However, the point of the rule should be made clear: we don't want you repeatedly pasting code into the room. A common sight in the other awful iOS (and Android, aside from the Android room) chat rooms is frequent code dumps from people looking for tech support. If you're making small changes, pasting it, and asking for criticism over and over, you'll be banned, because that's dumping code. If you're pasting really long code — i.e., well over 100 columns or in excess of three lines, you'll also be banned.
If you're working on code and making changes to it often, use a gist. If you need to share lengthy code, use a gist. If you think you'll need to paste the code multiple times at any point, use a gist. This isn't a difficult rule to follow.
Finally, trying to get around the rule by using images of code or any other weird novelty tricks will also get you banned. Images are difficult to work with and it's far harder to help you than if you used a gist. So, use a gist, or we'll ban you for being a nuisance.