Stack Overflow adds example-based Documentation to help developers improve

Having an example to go by can make a huge difference when you are dealing with something new, no matter how far you have progressed as a developer. Seeing how someone else has tackled the problem that you are dealing with, or one close to it, may help you to avoid running into the same issues as them or repeating their mistakes, get a better picture and, ultimately, find the path forward sooner than you would on your own.

Stack Overflow seems to agree, as today the famous website that provides answers to the toughest questions in coding launches Documentation. Touted as the biggest improvement to Stack Overflow since its launch, it gives users access to "community-curated, example-focused developer documentation" in a similar fashion to its Q&A platform.

To turn Documentation into a powerful resource, Stack Overflow encourages everyone to add examples. The most useful ones will be voted up by fellow users, just as it happens with the most relevant response for a question. With time, the hope is that there will be a handful of good examples for certain topics.

Stack Overflow's approach for Documentation is, as with the Q&A platform, to let users decide what matters the most in terms of topics and examples. The site says that, if something is perceived as an incomplete example, they can ask for improvements, similar to how code review works.

Documentation differs to Q&A in approach, as Stack Overflow wants to make it possible for users to improve the quality of a certain topic through collaboration. So, it will be possible for more folks to work on an example and receive credit for it, while others will review their contributions so that there are no show-stopping problems with the code.

Those who pitch in with valuable contributions will be rewarded with reputation and "privileges"; this applies across both Documentation, which is currently in beta, and Q&A, Stack Overflow says.

Developers from major players like Microsoft, Dropbox, PayPal, and Xamarin will contribute to Documentation, keeping an eye on what Stack Overflow users are adding and offering answers or clarifications when needed.