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#1 2005-02-23 15:44:54

Dean
Founder (Gone, but not forgotten)
From: Languedoc
Registered: 2004-02-14
Posts: 235
Website

How to report a bug

Debugging software is a messy business. It’s difficult and time consuming. The best way you can help ensure a problem is fixed is by providing a clear, concise bug report.

If you think you’ve discovered a bug, here’s what you should do (unless it’s a security issue, in which case see footnotes1):

Search the ‘Core development’ forum to see if someone has already reported the issue

If an open report already exists, and you’ve discovered some additional information that might be helpful, post a message in that thread, along with a copy of your Diagnostic Info (Low Detail to start with – we’ll ask for more detail if we need it).

Determine the steps required to reproduce the problem

The development team can’t fix a bug they can’t see, so you’ll need to show them where it is. Ideally, you should list the minimum steps required to cause the problem to occur in a stock Textpattern installation. That doesn’t mean we need to know everything you’ve done since installing; only the things that are necessary to cause the problem to occur.

If those steps include Textpattern templates or forms, or Textile code, then include a fragment of the code in your report. Try to trim the code down to the smallest example that reproduces the problem – we don’t need to see your entire page code if it’s a single tag that triggers the bug.

Create a new issue in the Textpattern CMS Issue Tracker

Visit the issue tracker. The issue title should include a short description of the specific problem.

Your report should include:

  • A description of the expected and actual behaviour. If the problem involves a web page that is publicly accessible, include a link to that page.
  • A list of the steps to reproduce the problem, including page template, forms, or Textile code if necessary. Please take the time to trim your template code down to the minimum necessary to reproduce the problem first – it greatly increases our chances of diagnosing the problem.

Follow up

This is very important, and often overlooked. Follow the issue you created, answer questions, and keep us informed of any changes. If we can confirm and fix the bug, we’ll need you to test the update.

In particular, if you manage to fix the problem yourself, please let us know how you did it. Many bug reports end with the reporter saying they’ve resolved the issue, with no explanation as to how.

1 Please do not publicly disclose information about potential security bugs. It’s unhelpful, and can be damaging. We follow the RFPolicy 2.0, and expect you to in return. Security issues should be reported to security-at-textpattern.com.

[Drafted by Zem 23 Feb 2005] [Adapted by wet 25 Jun 2009]

Last edited by gaekwad (2020-07-03 16:22:21)


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