Selecting bars vertically in Sibelius caused a problem that seemed to stem from jocular padding of an answer, while Is there a term in Western music theory for the underlying mood of a music genre? got closed as 'opinion-based'.
Does this point to an issue in dealing with questions where the answer is basically just 'no'? Are there guidelines elsewhere on SE?
Whether or not an answer is simply yes or no, there should be some kind of explanation of why or or why not something is and if something is not possible an alternative should be proposed. Yes or no alone is not enough which is one of the reasons why an answer needs to be over a certain length to submit. A good answer can only be a sentence or two as seen here which very concise, but gives a complete answer unlike a simple yes or no. The FAQ on how to answer puts it nicely:
Read the question carefully. What, specifically, is the question asking for? Make sure your answer provides that – or a viable alternative. The answer can be “don’t do that”, but it should also include “try this instead”. Any answer that gets the asker going in the right direction is helpful, but do try to mention any limitations, assumptions or simplifications in your answer. Brevity is acceptable, but fuller explanations are better.
For the specifics the first OP used their filler to call out the system for doing what it is suppose to do which was inappropriate for an answer so it was deleted to edit and fix up so it was more acceptable then undeleted once it was fixed then the OP redeleted it as shown here which the OP has a right to, but the current version is acceptable in nature.
For the second question a few people including myself interpreted a lot based the overall idea of it on the second paraphrase which is completely subjective as seen here:
For instance, flamenco (the genre I specialize in) has strong melancholy undertones. Even the "happiest" forms (or "palos") of flamenco seem tinged with sadness. In other words, a "happy" flamenco piece will still sound more melancholy than a "sad" gipsy jazz piece, for example.
After rereading closely, while the content is subjective in nature the answer is not so I reopened it and put the comment I had addressing it as an answer. We all make mistakes.
How should we deal with questions where the answer is just 'no'?
Answer with no and an explanation. What's wrong with that?
For the first question you mentioned, it seems like it was not possible to select vertically, like OP wanted. So, the answer should be 'No, you cannot do that', simple as that. Laurence's answer seems to answer that just fine, I don't know why it was deleted.
Maybe you are confused with a question that can be answered with a 'no' and a low quality question. The first question is not low quality; it's a legit question that happened to have an one word answer.
Yes, the system needs to allow a short answer. Such is sometimes appropriate and sufficient. But you do not get to edit my reply, changing its meaning. My name was under that answer. And I have something of a reputation in the Sibelius community (a real reputation, not "reputation points") for knowing what I'm talking about and giving clear, concise advice. Sibelius does not use the term "tool". Perhaps you were thinking of Finale?
