I would like to notify another user in an answer, like:
My solution was actually inspired by @John's answer...
Will this work?
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5Is this a feature request or a support question? It's unclear from the way you're asking.– MatCommented Jul 20, 2013 at 13:25
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It was just support question because I really didn't know. I think it should be clear from the question, why do you think it is not? And there is the [support] tag...– TomasCommented Jul 20, 2013 at 13:46
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@Mat this is because Cody Gray has edited the title and messed future tense with the present one. I've improved my title, please do not edit it any more.– TomasCommented Jul 20, 2013 at 13:55
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2No, quite the contrary, the future tense makes it more ambiguous. It implies that it doesn't work now and that you would want it to work in the future. Just like your first sentence. If you ask about how something works now, use present tense. (This is not stylistic English advice, just a tip to keep it simple. I'm not a native speaker.)– MatCommented Jul 20, 2013 at 13:56
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The edit was suggested by someone else, and I approved it. But they also added some superfluous bold formatting, which I removed. So the system showed me as the last editor. At any rate, I thought his edit was sensible, since you already indicated in a comment that this was definitely a support question.– Cody GrayCommented Jul 20, 2013 at 13:58
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1 Answer
No, that will not work. @ replies work only in comments.
No, that should not work. Answers should not be used to reply to people—that's what comments are for. Answers should be reserved only for posting answers to the question being asked.
In your example, it would be rather pointless to notify John. He doesn't need to know that he was a source of inspiration for you. You aren't talking to him, you're answering a question. Remember that Stack Exchange sites are not web forums.
And there's no reason to use an @ reply in your answer to notify the person who asked the question, because they're automatically notified whenever a new answer is posted to one of their questions.
In fact, in general, I recommend against using the @ reply syntax in answers. For one thing, it's confusing because it makes people think that/wonder if it is doing something when it is really not. For another, it looks ugly and just makes the name harder to read. Finally, it has the psychological effect of removing the focus from the technical aspects of the answer and placing it on people.
But that should not be taken to mean that you shouldn't give credit to John (or whomever else) provided the inspiration for one of your answers. Attribution is absolutely required here. Instead, I would recommend linking the text back to John's answer so that other people can find it.
answered Jul 20, 2013 at 13:36
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I didn't meant the answer to reply to someone - rather to refer to someone's answer as a resource (this is encouraged). I wanted to notify that person at the same time.– TomasCommented Jul 20, 2013 at 13:50