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IssueTrackerFAQ
Issue Tracker FAQ
One of my issues is missing!!It is not actually missing. Some projects that we host skipped one issue id value between January 28, 2009 and February 21, 2009. If it seems like one of your issues is missing, and the next issue was created in that time range, the problem is likely just that the "missing" issue id was never used. Why build yet another issue-tracking tool?An issue tracker is an application that users and developers use to maintain a database of software defects, change requests, technical-support requests, development tasks, and other issues that the project members must work to resolve. Since they're so central to each developer's daily work, many issue tracking systems have already been built. Most existing issue tracker tools force developers to follow a particular software development process by defining a set of fields, possible values, and workflow states for each issue. The result is often a complex tool that's difficult to use because it includes many fields and options that aren't applicable to a given issue. In contrast, our issue tracker uses only a minimal set of fields, and offers users the ability to store the information that they need as labels. This approach is possible because it uses Google's free-text search technology to search on all issue metadata. How do I browse project issues?Visit the project and click the "Issues" tab. You will immediately see a list of all open issues in that project. How do I search project issues?Immediately under the "Issues" tab, there is a search box that can be used for searching. Each search takes place in a search context that is selected by a drop-down menu. By default, all searches only consider open issues; if you would like to search closed issues, select "All issues" from the search context drop-down menu. You can quickly narrow your search by clicking on the issue list table headers and selecting a value from the "Show only" sub-menu. Another way to search is to use the "Advanced Search" link under the "Issues" tab. This page helps you form a complex query. However, once you learn the query syntax, you can enter complex queries directly into the main search field. For more information on issue queries, click "Search Tips" under the "Issues" tab. How do I file a project bug report?Click "New Issue" under the "Issues" tab. Enter a one-line summary and a description of the problem that you encountered and the expected result. The description text field already has text that helps you enter a detailed bug report. If you are a project owner or committer, you will also see more fields for the issue metadata. How do I file a project feature request?The issue tracker can be used for feature requests, support requests, or any other type of development task that a project needs to track. You can file a feature request by clicking "New Issue" and entering a summary and description. A feature request will not have "steps to reproduce", so you might want to change that to something more appropriate, like "use case steps". Can I file an issue anonymously?No. To prevent abuse and improve report quality, Google Code requires a Google Account to post new issues and comments. Anyone who does not have a Google account may sign up for one at no cost. After an issue report has been entered, it is viewable by anyone without the need to sign in. How do I edit the issue metadata?Only project owners and committers can edit issue metadata. These users see additional fields when entering a new issue or adding a comment. The drop-down auto-complete menu for each field will help you enter commonly used values. However, for the labels, you are free to enter new or uncommon labels simply by typing them. What are issue labels? Why Priority-Medium?Labels are simply strings that are meaningful to the project members, but that have no particular meaning to the issue tracker itself. For example, you could label an issue as "Hot" if you like. When an issue label has a dash in it, e.g., "Priority-Medium", then that is interpreted as a key-value pair that can be used like a custom field. The prefix before the first dash is the key, and the part after it is the value. You can configure the issue list to show a column for any prefix. And, you can search for values within a specific custom field by using "prefix:value". Can I change the set of labels offered in the auto-complete menu?Project owners can configure the set of labels that are offered to members of a project. To edit the predefined labels, click the "Administer" tab and the "Issue tracking" sub-tab. Use the text fields to configure the set of issue statuses and labels that will be offered. For example, if your project is building a graphics driver, maybe you would like to label some of your issues with Depth-16bit, Depth-24bit, and/or Depth-32bit. What if someone types in a nonsense label or status?Remember, only project owners and committers can edit issue metadata. Usually, if someone in the project uses an unexpected status or label, it is because the issue itself is a special case that does not follow the normal workflow. The issue tracker shows a brief warning whenever an uncommon status or label is used. If some project member goes out of their way to enter a nonsensical label, you can always see who did it, change it back, and send them an email. If there is a duplicate issue, how should the issue be triaged?Sometimes users will file issues that have already been reported. When a duplicate issue is entered into the issue tracker, a project owner or committer can mark that issue as a 'Duplicate'. To do this set the status of the duplicate issue to 'Duplicate'. Setting the status as 'Duplicate' will prompt the user to enter the issue id of the original issue. Marking an issue as 'Duplicate' adds the stars and copies cc email addresses to the original issue. This also closes the duplicate issue. How do I track when one issue is blocked on other issues?On occasion, an issue cannot be fixed until another issue is fixed first. Project members can track which issues the current issue is blocked on by adding the issue ids in the 'Blocked on' field. How can I learn more about the issue tracker?See the IssueTracker wiki page. |
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