Hint or rewrite... Often I re-write a piece of code, assuming the user does have a little Perl knowledge, and knows where to find documentation. On the other hand, when it comes to using modules, I just list some modules that might be appropriate. I try to be helpful in my replies, but I'm not always. My replying style differs all the time, I struggle with the same problem.
IRL, I decide based on the question. If the question is "Why doesn't this work", I point out only why it doesn't. If the question is "Is there a better way?", I often re-write code.
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