My question is in heading. Why that happens.

one question asked is Create circular Progress Bar i answered this question with a github project as it gives similar output he expecting in screenshot he included. One user also put a 100 bounty on that question. Later he accepted my answer and got 7 upvotes and awarded 100 bounty too. Once a Mod deleted this answer and put question on hold. Some others also added some github links and some other links answers. But Mod deleted my answer only. (And 3 other answers by me). I found some other answers with gitHub links one , two ,three is on same question and so on.

deleted by Andrew Barber♦ 2 days ago

If someone answers like this way how it become not an answer? I need to know reason why my answer is only deleted.

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    Are you sure it was deleted because it was a github answer only? And if so: Just posting a link to a github isn't an answer at all, you should add some context to the link (what is it, what does it do, etc.) – Kevin Voorn Jan 8 '15 at 8:23
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    I added all context including code and screen shots – Top Cat Jan 8 '15 at 8:26
  • @KevinVoorn I also have faced this problem. – Maveňツ Jan 8 '15 at 8:58
  • @KevinVoorn my answer is not a link only answer as i read How to Answer :D – Top Cat Jan 8 '15 at 9:03
  • @Top, the Github repo you linked to contains... disputable language in its licensing terms. This may have offended some viewers, who in turn flagged your answer, and the moderator acted on that. Of course, I'm just guessing here. – Frédéric Hamidi Jan 8 '15 at 9:03
  • @FrédéricHamidi I think thats not so. Also below my answer some others also answers link only gitHubs – Top Cat Jan 8 '15 at 9:04
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    @TopCat I am agree with topcat.There was nothing wrong with acceptable answer with 100 bounty.Surely this answer was helpful to many of them. – Stephen Jan 8 '15 at 9:20

Your answer was deleted because it was not an answer by SO standards. GitHub Links (and other outside reference) is accepted as supplemental information, but GitHub-only link answers are not accepted.

The reason for this is quote simple: Imagine, the GitHub project significantly changes or is deleted or abandoned. Thus, such an answer would become useless. As we aim not to only answer questions, but to create a Q&A programming reference, such an answer would not be helpful anymore. Given that, the other answers you mention here should also be deleted - This probably didn't happened because the mod did not take a look at them.

What you should do if you have a fitting GitHub problem, is to post the relevant code into the answer itself, so the answer without the GitHub project is useful on its own. So before answering a question with a GitHub-link, you should ask yourself this question: Is my answer usefull even if the GitHub project is deleted?

  • No, an answer to an old software version (or standard) will still be valid, just for an out-of-date software. Answers for e.g. ECMAScript 5 are still valid, even if ECMAScript 6 (or 7, 8, 9, ...) is out and might provide an easier solution. – dirkk Jan 8 '15 at 10:20
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    If you feel this is "ridiculous", you should argue against the core principle (not that some of your answers have been deleted). However, as still is a long-standing community opinion I fear you will be very unsuccessful as many people think it is quite reasonable to not rely on outside references and has been discussed many times before. – dirkk Jan 8 '15 at 10:22
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    if Github project is copied then what matters being deleted? we can use our local copy. THERE ARE MANY ANSWER'S WHICH CONTAINS GITHUB LINKS ONLY. THEY EARN BOUNTIES AND UPVOTES. WHY – Top Cat Jan 8 '15 at 10:32
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    A user who stumbles onto this question in lets say two years and follows your link (and assuming the project was deleted) just finds a dead end. Where does a normal user should have this copy from? Remember, the Q&A is here so that the question not only benefits the OP, but also many other people. – dirkk Jan 8 '15 at 10:37
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    And as I said before, GitHub-link onyl answers are never acceptable and should be deleted, even if they gain bounties and upvotes. However, this doesn't make your answers any more suitable for SO. Also, please don't scream at us (bold and capitalized). – dirkk Jan 8 '15 at 10:39

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