- Entering a new issue
- Issue writing guidelines
- Contributing patches
- Viewing and modifying issues
- The lifecycle of an issue
- Understanding the UNCONFIRMED issue state
- Use the Enter Issue button in the Project Issues page
or, if you are already in IssueZilla, click the "New" link in
the IssueZilla tool bar.
- Choose the appropriate project component to open the issue
entry page.
- Selected the appropriate options or input information for
each field before using the Commit button to enter your
issue.
To help you understand the purpose of these fields (because
there's a lot of them), they are described here.
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- The release in which you identified this issue or found the defect.
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- Identify area within the project that this issue is associated with. Only one selection is permitted.
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- This corresponds to your hardware platform when you are reporting a defect. Options include:
- All (happens on all platform; cross-platform issue)
- Macintosh
- PC
- Sun
- HP
Note: Selecting the option "All" does not select issues
assigned against all platforms. It merely selects issues that
occur on all platforms.
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- This is the operating system against which the issue is
being reported. Legal operating systems include:
- All (happens on all operating systems, making this a cross-platform issue)
- Windows 95
- Mac System 8.0
- Linux
Note that the operating system implies the platform, but not always. For example, Linux can run on PC, Macintosh,
and others.
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- This field let you assign a level of importance to help
determine when this issue should be addressed relative to other
issues. This field is utilized by the programmers/engineers to
prioritize their work.
P1 | Most important
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P2 |
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P3 |
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P4 |
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P5 | Least important
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Defect is a problem with an existing feature
that is either not developed to spec or does not work as
designed. These are often referred to as "bugs."
Enhancement is an improvement to an existing
feature.
Feature is an addition to the software to add
a piece of functionality that does not yet exist.
Task is an activity to be done on behalf or in
support of a feature or enhancement. Tasks do not typically
require direct changes to the code base.
Patch is a special kind of issue, a section of
code to be applied or attached to existing software, often to
fix a defect.
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- Newly entered issues are either "new" or "unconfirmed."
Marking an issue unconfirmed means
you have not yet determined whether it is true or valid. Read
more about "state" in the lifecycle of an issue.
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- Enter the email address of the one individual who is in
charge of resolving the issue. If this field is left blank,
the issue by default is assigned to the component/sub
component owner. Every time this field changes, the status
changes to NEW to make it visible in the assignee's
list of issues.
- Add email addresses of other individuals who need email
notification when this issue changes status or when there is
other activity on this issue. Delimit multiple email
addressees by single spaces only -- no commas or semi-colons
are necessary.
Note: Assign cc addresses sparingly. Project participants
whose interest or involvement in this issue is peripheral
should be encouraged to use IssueZilla to check and track
issues rather than to rely on automatic email notification.
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- How to use this field depends on the issue type:
- For defects, URL should lead to a fairly stable system where the the problem is obvious or can be easily
reproduced.
- For enhancements, URL should provide details pertaining to the improvement, such as mockups.
- For features, URL should link to any web-based form of material explaining the improvement such as mockups or
design specs.
- For tasks, URL is optional and may include linking to the associated feature or enhancement.
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- A terse, specific statement to describe this issue. This should a few unique, self-explanatory words to
identify this issue easily in reports and short lists. Limiting your entry to the width of the field is best for the
columnar display of query results.
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- Provide a full description of the issue including any
pertinent history or activity around this issue. Because this
field is additive, it serves as the knowledge base and means of
communicating through this issue's life cycle. Other project
participants view and add comments or information using this
field.
Commit enters this issue into the project's issue
database.
Reset returns all field values to their default or
blank settings.
Remember values as bookmark template lets you save
your input settings to save keystrokes when entering multiple
issues for the same project component.
For more information about entering issues into IssueZilla, see also Issue
Writing Guidelines.
Existing issues may be accessed in two different ways:
- Entering a specific issue number in the "Find" field located
in the IssueZilla tool bar displays the "Issue View" page.
- Querying for issues either by clicking the "Query database"
button in the Project Issues page, or by clicking the "Query"
link in the IssueZilla tool bar displays an "Issue List" page of
your results. (See Querying and tracking
issues".)
The Issue View page is similar to the Issue Entry page and contains many of the same fields, but there are several
important additions:
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- If your project has designated milestones, this field can be
used to associated issues with those milestones, such as version
releases. A milestone plan enumerates when different features
are expected to be completed. If an issue has a target date or
version release, this means the work on this issue must be
completed by that date. This field should only be set or changed
by the person responsible for the issue.
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- You can add additional email addresses to this issue to
alert other project members when activity occurs on this
issue. If you are adding multiple addresses, delimit these with
single spaces; do not use commas or semi-colons. You can also
remove one or more email address listed by selecting it
and checking the "Remove selected Cc's" box below.
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- This field should contain an email address or alias for the
person(s) responsible for quality control of this issue.
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- If this field is populated, clicking the field label links
directly to the designated URL.
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- The purpose of this generic field can be user-defined and
project-specific. (In BugZilla, this field is used for writing
short, one-line notes about the bug.)
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- Adding attachment to an issue can be very useful. For
defects, appending test cases, screen shots and/or editor logs
to the issue can help pinpoint the problem to help the developer
reproduce it.
For features, enhancements, and tasks, you can attach screen
shots, mockups, and other files to provide supplemental
information to illustrate the issue.
You can also use this field to attach a patch related to the
issue when appropriate. Read more about contributing patches.
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- When an issue can't be addressed until one or more other
issues are resolved, these are dependencies. Each issue can have
other issues it depends upon , as well as issues that depend upon
it, that is, other issues that this issue "blocks" while being
unresolved. The links next to these fields display a tree and
graph illustrating the dependencies associated with the issue
currently being viewed.
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IssueZilla's "voting" feature allows project members to have a certain
number of votes in their project to use toward issues. Project owners
set the number of votes allowed per issue, as well as the number of
votes allowed per member. Some projects/components may not allow any,
which means you can't vote on those issues at all. Your vote indicates
which issues you believe are the most important to be addressed.
You may vote for the same bug more than once, however, you have a
limited number of total votes allocated to you. You can either vote
once for many issues, or use multiple votes for a fewer issues that
you think are particularly critical.
If an issue has received votes, the total number appears next to
"Votes for this issue", or "0" if no votes have been logged. Clicking
on this number displays the Show Votes page. If there are votes, names
and their associated number of votes are listed.
To view a list of issues that have received votes, use the IssueZilla
Query page, and enter the numeral "1" in the "At least ___ votes"
field. This returns issues in your query results with at least one
vote.
To vote for an issue:
- Open the issue (using the "Find" link in the tool bar or by
clicking the issue from a list or report).
- Click on the "Vote for this issue" link just above the
"Additional Comments" field. (If no such link appears, then
voting may not be allowed for this issue's project/component.)
- Indicate the number of votes you want to log for this
issue. This page also displays how many votes you've given to
other bugs, allowing you may reallocate your votes as necessary.
- You receive automatic email notification anytime changes
occur on issues you have voted for.
- You may review your votes at any time by clicking the
"Change your password or preferences" link in the IssueZilla
tool bar or at the bottom of the query page.
What's the purpose of this voting feature? Read about the
important role of consensus
voting in open source projects.
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- If one or more drop boxes appear identifying project-defined
groups to be included in or excluded from viewing an issue, this
indicates that the project/component owner has created groups
within the project. You should contact this person to determine
how to use these fields.
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- If you are viewing an issue with the status NEW but it is
not assigned to you, leave this default as checked. When the
issue is assigned to you, you should accept it by
checking "Accept issue."
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- Once an issue is resolved, this is where to designate the
type of resolution. Changing an issue to "Resolved" means that
as far as the assignee is concerned, this issue is completed. Read more
about the multiple options in this field's pull-down
menu. Note: Changing an issue's status to FIXED signals all
other project members that any source file changes associated
with this issue have been checked into the CVS repository.
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- The person responsible for the issue can be changed here by
entering a new email address, or reassigned to the component/sub
component owner.
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- This link displays a snapshot page of changes made to an issue.
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- This links redisplays the Issue View in a format for printing out.
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- This button saves any modifications made to this
issue. Caution! When viewing an issue, the "Enter" key works
like the Commit button. Any modifications you may have
made (accidentally or otherwise) are saved and the issue's
assignee and cc list receive email notification of activity on
this issue.
To exit out of viewing this issue without making any
changes, use the links at the top of this page or in the
IssueZilla tool bar to view other issues, or the Back
button in your browser. Even when you have changed fields, as
long as you do not use the Commit button or the "Enter"
key, the issue remains unchanged in the database.
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- Returns all fields to their previously committed values.
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