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After giving an answer to this question, the author edited the question. Now my answer doesn't apply and I received a comment from another user that it isn't consistent anymore. The author is most likely either not interested in the answer he was looking for, doesn't visit SO, or whatever. The problem is that my answer is left as accepted and I am obviously getting downvotes for it from other users (well the downvotes are justified since the answer isn't consistent anymore).

What would be the correct solution from my side since I cannot delete the answer?

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    Just rollback the edit on the question.
    – Uphill Luge
    Jul 4, 2013 at 18:05
  • @UphillLuge how can I do that? But the answer will still be there...
    – Alexandru Barbarosie
    Jul 4, 2013 at 18:05
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    Questions should not be changed to render an accepted answer wrong. Such an edit is obviously invalid. If the OP has a new questions or a new variant they should posts a new question.
    – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten
    Jul 4, 2013 at 18:10
  • Basically the OP made a minor change that [apparently] completely changed the question, and now you just have a big mess. Either way you leave it, one of the answers will be inconsistent. I'd say it should be closed because the OP has "shot himself in the foot" and destroyed his question.
    – animuson StaffMod
    Jul 4, 2013 at 18:12
  • @animuson so basically I can't do anything? If I try flagging the question asking it to be removed as an answer?
    – Alexandru Barbarosie
    Jul 4, 2013 at 18:15
  • @AlexandruBarbarosie: Really, the change should be reverted. But given the activity of the newer version of the question, I can only imagine that would trigger a rollback war.
    – animuson StaffMod
    Jul 4, 2013 at 18:22
  • @animuson okay, thank you for the info, but I an not willing to take that kind of responsability on my ass :)
    – Alexandru Barbarosie
    Jul 4, 2013 at 18:32
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    Sorry about the downvotes! I didn't anticipate that. I just meant to point it out. From the answer to this question, I think that in the future I'll just edit the answer and add that note myself (and the author can revert that if they update their answer -- or if they think I'm wrong).
    – sh1
    Jul 5, 2013 at 3:25
  • @sh1 with your comment you arguably could have reduced the number of downvotes; reasonable people would then have realised that the answer was correct but old rather than downright wrong (I might have downvoted without that information)
    – Richard Tingle
    Jul 5, 2013 at 7:41
  • @sh1 it is okay. I mean, I still learned something from this experience.
    – Alexandru Barbarosie
    Jul 5, 2013 at 7:55

1 Answer 1

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You could edit your answer and add a disclaimer that it only answers the previous version of the question and does not apply to the changed question.

This way the situation should be clear to anybody and nobody will mistakenly assume that the answer intends to solve the current question.

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    You might also edit the question so it asks both versions, with the difference clearly annotated. I've not looked to see what would be necessary, but it is often feasible to leave 'Question Version 1` as one section and Question Version 2 as the other. But I'm wholly of the opinion that questions should not be modified so as to invalidate answers in general, and especially not to invalidate the accepted answer. Editing the answer to explain what is happening is also necessary.
    – Jonathan Leffler
    Jul 4, 2013 at 20:17
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    One other thing you can do is quote the revision of the question that you answered — both the (relevant) text and edit revision number — so that latecomers to the party can see what's going on. The notational difference between (*foo)[i].bar and foo[i]->bar is small, but the implications are vast. There was also a time when it read (*foo[i]).bar...quoting the question can help with such issue.
    – Jonathan Leffler
    Jul 4, 2013 at 20:27

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