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The following suggested edit, in which I copied code from a linked jsFiddle into a question but left the link to that jsFiddle intact, was rejected and one reviewer's reason was "Do not inline jsFiddles":

Post: Any event triggered on autocomplete?

Edit: https://stackoverflow.com/suggested-edits/161353

I was under the impression that inline code was the right thing to do because a link can change or break. The following post talks about inlining jsFiddle code, but it's related to answers (the post I edited was a question):

Should I edit posts to pull in the code from jsFiddle?

Are we not supposed to inline jsFiddle code?

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  • 18
    Yeah, rejecting that edit seems like the wrong decision, I think.
    – jwiscarson
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 0:20
  • 6
    Both rejection reasons are wrong.
    – Brad Gilbert
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 0:31
  • 4
    I went ahead and edited it. It now includes every change you tried to enact.
    – Brad Gilbert
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 0:41
  • @BradGilbert Thanks. I wasn't sure if I should submit it again.
    – ThinkingStiff
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 0:43
  • If you did re-submit, I would have approved it.
    – Brad Gilbert
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 0:45

1 Answer 1

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I think the basic reason for the rejection was that you added a significant amount of content to the post when you brought in the jsFiddle. This made it appear to be an 'invalid edit' (as the other reviewer marked).

In such a case, I think I would try to carefully word my edit description to indicate that you are bringing in code that the original poster meant to be part of the post, and not just adding your own example. Not all reviewers might be aware of what a jsFiddle is, so it might not be immediately clear that when you "added" it in, you were actually maintaining the original meaning.

I do think it was an incorrect rejection, IMO. I just think that when they scanned it quickly, it struck them that you were "adding" an example which the original poster may not have meant.

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  • 8
    Maybe "Added OP's code from from sample link" would have been better?
    – ThinkingStiff
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 0:34
  • @ThinkingStiff Sure, something like that would be better. I would have said something like "Included the sample code from the link in the answer." It's the reviewer's responsibility to be appropriately careful about their accept/reject votes, but I think it's good to be as plainly, simply clear as possible :)
    – Andrew Barber
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 0:37
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    @ThinkingStiff That might have been better. Either way, that edit should have been accepted, so please don't be discouraged from inlining jsFiddle code into answers. We want the answers here to stand on their own with outbound links only for reference.
    – Bill the Lizard Mod
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 0:37
  • Just a clarification on both your comments: It's the question that was being edited. The sample link was in the OP's question. But I'm assuming the same thing applies.
    – ThinkingStiff
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 0:41
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    @ThinkingStiff Oh, I was thinking it was an answer, for some reason! Yes... the same thing applies, definitely. It was still valid to bring that content in.
    – Andrew Barber
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 0:43
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    The same thing even more applies for questions, @Thinking, as then others with the same problem can actually find it when searching. Good edit.
    – Arjan
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 1:05
  • What is the recommended way to deal with incorrect decisions by a moderator? I've only ever had one moderator disagree with what I've posted, and trying to discuss it with them only lead to an argument, and me frustrated enough not to post anything on stack exchange for a few weeks.
    – Abhi Beckert
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 21:03
  • 2
    @AbhiBeckert That depends on the action, but generally I would say to let it ride. If you've only disagreed with a moderator decision once in over 3 years, I'd say that's pretty good. When you do disagree with anyone (SE Moderator or not), I find that the best question to ask is always, "Could you explain why this decision was made?", and genuinely try to understand the reasoning - even if you do not agree. Ultimately, as a Moderator, their opinion will 'win'. They are human and will make mistakes sometimes, though, and if you ask with the right spirit, sometimes you'll find a positive result
    – Andrew Barber
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 21:30
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    @Abhi, note that the reviewers are not what we call "moderators" here. Reviewers are users like you and me, with sufficient reputation to review. See How do suggested edits work? and How can I appeal a rejection of a suggested edit?
    – Arjan
    Commented Dec 18, 2011 at 22:07
  • Hm, considering there's no license on (most) jsfiddle's, are we actually even allowed to inline them?
    – Deduplicator
    Commented Oct 14, 2015 at 19:40
  • @Deduplicator Quoting from other sources in context is considered "fair use", and thus not a copyright violation.
    – Sonic the Anonymous Hedgehog
    Commented Feb 21, 2018 at 8:50

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