Difference between revisions of "Bugzilla"

Revision as of 20:28, 3 February 2019

This page describes the normal usage of Bugzilla. For Quality Assurance (QA) tasks see Bugzilla Administration.

Introduction

If you discover a problem with the program or its documentation (known as a bug), you should record the bug so that it can be fixed by the developers. The GnuCash project uses the Bugzilla repository, which includes bugs and enhancement requests for GnuCash. Tips for submitting enhancement requests can be found at Enhancement requests.

Bug Tracker Overview

Third Party Components

GnuCash is using several tools and sometimes also confused with similar sounding programs, which are maintained by other teams. They have their own bug trackers:

• GnuCash for Android: Beneath GitHub issues see also support group and feature requests.
• AqBanking has its own bugtracker.
• Finance::Quote can be tested by using the gnc-fq-* command line tools, see FAQ.

Use their Request Tracker at the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN).

Gnucash and Gnome Bugzilla

Until 2018 we used the Gnome Bugzilla. When it was set in read only mode, GnuCash implemented its own Bugzilla instance. All existing GnuCash bugs were migrated and new should now be reported there. All bugs on Gnome's Bugzilla refer visitors to GnuCash's Bugzilla.

All existing user accounts and email addresses were migrated but passwords and email "watch" lists are not. Existing users will have to reset their passwords on their first use by using the "Forgot Password" link at the top of the page. Watch lists (to get the same bug-mail as other users including the "pseudo-users", will need to be recreated on the Email Preferences tab in Preferences reachable by selecting Preferences at the top of any page after login.

Triage

Before filing a new bug, you should check to see whether the problem or suggestion has already been made. It may be still open or already closed after the date of your release.

Here are several links to different Bugzilla sections:

• Search the entire bug database Use the Basic tab for a very simple search or the Advanced tab to search on just about anything.
• Search for open GnuCash bugs and enhancements
• Search for open GnuCash bugs and enhancements, restricted to versions 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2

Commenting on existing bugs or entering new ones

If a bug has already been entered for the problem or enhancement you have identified, you can add comments to that bug.

If there is no bug, then you can Open a new GnuCash bug.

Users new to the bug process would benefit by reading: How to Report Bugs Effectively.

Note: GnuCash has different versions that run under different operating systems. When you report a bug, you should include both the GnuCash version and the operating system you use in the bug report. You should also include any other information about your configuration that might be pertinent in your request. Examples of this include: your problem might depend on your Locale Settings (like currency, number and date format), which means you would add your language and region.

When reporting an actual crash of GnuCash, it is helpful to provide the developers with the stack trace and some of the errors that are generated. See Stack Trace and Tracefile for information on how to produce a stack trace for your bug report, and logging to learn about capturing and providing error messages and filtering detail.

bugzillas help has useful information on using Bugzilla.

Tip

If you refer to other bugs in your text, we suggest to use the form bug nnnnnn - Title. Bugzilla will then add a link and the reader saves time if the title can be read without following the link.

• Do not copy and paste log files. Instead append them as attachments.

Attachments

If a program crash or freeze only happens on a specific file (for example, a data file, an import file, or a (modified) report), it can be useful to attach a copy of that file to your bug report.

If the crash is caused by a data file, you should attach the XML file in uncompressed format (see Edit->Preferences->General->Files->Compress Files). Bear in mind that this data is available on the internet, and take steps to protect your financial data, e.g., by using the ObfuscateScript. If the file is really big, try to create a minimal example.

When uploading, adjust the mime type of your file. Uncompressed gnucash data files are of type text/xml. Most import files and log files are of type text/plain.

Configure Notifications

If you want to receive email notifications about a particular bug, you can add the email address that is your Bugzilla id to the CC list on the bug. Bugzilla will do this for you by default if you take any action on the bug page.

If you want to be notified about all changes to particular categories of bugs, including new ones, add one or more of the following email addresses to your User Watch list in your Bugzilla Email Preferences: After login click the Preferences item in the Bugzilla menu bar and select the Email Preferences tab. The watch list is underneath the table with all of the check boxes. The email addresses and the groups they monitor are:

Help Wanted

For those people who might like to help manage bugs on Bugzilla, there is additional information in Bugzilla Administration.