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author | gerv%gerv.net <> | 2008-04-04 13:47:03 +0200 |
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committer | gerv%gerv.net <> | 2008-04-04 13:47:03 +0200 |
commit | ffe3c6ad2925254d665d0e5f1803e692119364ef (patch) | |
tree | be36efbe872ed6f1307922b3249e35a5719c4d02 | |
parent | 2e7e04b360412acf628ef5d27f933b0d0c23dc39 (diff) | |
download | bugzilla-ffe3c6ad2925254d665d0e5f1803e692119364ef.tar.gz bugzilla-ffe3c6ad2925254d665d0e5f1803e692119364ef.tar.xz |
The first installment of Gerv's spanking of the Bugzilla Guide. This is a work-in-progress.
-rw-r--r-- | docs/en/xml/administration.xml | 8 | ||||
-rw-r--r-- | docs/en/xml/conventions.xml | 138 | ||||
-rw-r--r-- | docs/en/xml/using.xml | 1266 |
3 files changed, 699 insertions, 713 deletions
diff --git a/docs/en/xml/administration.xml b/docs/en/xml/administration.xml index 8794a0e2c..6789ca071 100644 --- a/docs/en/xml/administration.xml +++ b/docs/en/xml/administration.xml @@ -1373,12 +1373,14 @@ Group3, since he isn't in Group4. make certain files world readable and/or writable. <emphasis>THIS IS INSECURE!</emphasis>. This means that anyone who can get access to your system can do whatever they want to your Bugzilla installation. - <note> + </para> + <note> + <para> This also means that if your webserver runs all cgi scripts as the same user/group, anyone on the system who can run cgi scripts will be able to take control of your Bugzilla installation. - </note> - </para> + </para> + </note> <para> On Apache, you can use .htaccess files to protect access to these directories, as outlined in <ulink url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=57161">Bug 57161</ulink> for the localconfig file, and <ulink url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=65572"> Bug 65572</ulink> for adequate protection in your data/ and shadow/ directories. diff --git a/docs/en/xml/conventions.xml b/docs/en/xml/conventions.xml index 24986d66b..6382985b6 100644 --- a/docs/en/xml/conventions.xml +++ b/docs/en/xml/conventions.xml @@ -1,146 +1,99 @@ <!-- <!DOCTYPE section PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V4.1//EN"> --> + <section id="conventions"> <title>Document Conventions</title> - + <indexterm zone="conventions"> <primary>conventions</primary> </indexterm> - - <para>This document uses the following conventions:</para> - + + <para> + This document uses the following conventions + </para> + <informaltable frame="none"> <tgroup cols="2"> <thead> <row> <entry>Descriptions</entry> - <entry>Appearance</entry> </row> </thead> - <tbody> <row> - <entry>Warning</entry> - - <entry> - <caution> + <entry>Warnings</entry> + <entry><caution> <para>Don't run with scissors!</para> - </caution> - </entry> + </caution></entry> </row> - <row> <entry>Hint</entry> - - <entry> - <tip> - <para>Would you like a breath mint?</para> - </tip> - </entry> + <entry><tip> + <para>Warm jar lids under the hot tap to loosen them.</para> + </tip></entry> </row> - <row> - <entry>Note</entry> - - <entry> - <note> + <entry>Notes</entry> + <entry><note> <para>Dear John...</para> - </note> - </entry> + </note></entry> </row> - <row> <entry>Information requiring special attention</entry> - - <entry> - <warning> + <entry><warning> <para>Read this or the cat gets it.</para> - </warning> - </entry> + </warning></entry> </row> - <row> - <entry>File or directory name</entry> - - <entry> - <filename>filename</filename> - </entry> + <entry>File Names</entry> + <entry><filename>file.extension</filename></entry> </row> - <row> - <entry>Command to be typed</entry> - - <entry> - <command>command</command> - </entry> + <entry>Directory Names</entry> + <entry><filename class="directory">directory</filename></entry> </row> - <row> - <entry>Application name</entry> - - <entry> - <application>application</application> - </entry> + <entry>Commands to be typed</entry> + <entry><command>command</command></entry> </row> - <row> - <entry> - Normal user's prompt under bash shell</entry> - + <entry>Applications Names</entry> + <entry><application>application</application></entry> + </row> + <row> + <entry><foreignphrase>Prompt</foreignphrase> of users command under bash shell</entry> <entry>bash$</entry> </row> - <row> - <entry> - Root user's prompt under bash shell</entry> - + <entry><foreignphrase>Prompt</foreignphrase> of root users command under bash shell</entry> <entry>bash#</entry> </row> - + <row> + <entry><foreignphrase>Prompt</foreignphrase> of user command under tcsh shell</entry> + <entry>tcsh$</entry> + </row> <row> - <entry> - Normal user's prompt under tcsh shell</entry> - - <entry>tcsh$</entry> + <entry>Environment Variables</entry> + <entry><envar>VARIABLE</envar></entry> </row> - <row> - <entry>Environment variables</entry> - - <entry> - <envar>VARIABLE</envar> - </entry> + <entry>Emphasized word</entry> + <entry><emphasis>word</emphasis></entry> </row> - <row> - <entry>Term found in the glossary</entry> - - <entry> - <glossterm linkend="gloss-bugzilla">Bugzilla</glossterm> - </entry> - </row> - - <row> - <entry>Code example</entry> - - <entry> - <programlisting><sgmltag class="starttag">para</sgmltag> -Beginning and end of paragraph -<sgmltag class="endtag">para</sgmltag></programlisting> - </entry> + <entry>Code Example</entry> + <entry><programlisting><sgmltag class="starttag">para</sgmltag>Beginning and end of paragraph<sgmltag class="endtag">para</sgmltag></programlisting></entry> </row> </tbody> </tgroup> </informaltable> - - <para> - This documentation is maintained in DocBook 4.1.2 XML format. - Changes are best submitted as plain text or XML diffs, attached - to a bug filed in the &bzg-bugs; component. - </para> </section> + + + + <!-- Keep this comment at the end of the file Local variables: mode: sgml @@ -156,9 +109,8 @@ sgml-local-ecat-files:nil sgml-minimize-attributes:nil sgml-namecase-general:t sgml-omittag:t -sgml-parent-document:("Bugzilla-Guide.xml" "book" "chapter") +sgml-parent-document:("Bugzilla-Guide.sgml" "book" "chapter") sgml-shorttag:t sgml-tag-region-if-active:t End: --> - diff --git a/docs/en/xml/using.xml b/docs/en/xml/using.xml index 27f745df5..892961729 100644 --- a/docs/en/xml/using.xml +++ b/docs/en/xml/using.xml @@ -1,660 +1,693 @@ <!-- <!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V4.1//EN"> --> -<chapter id="using"> - <title>Using Bugzilla</title> +<!-- TOC +Chapter: Using Bugzilla + Create an account + Logging in + Setting up preferences + Account Settings + Email Settings + Page Footer + Permissions + Life cycle of a bug + Creating a bug + Checking for duplicates + Overview of all bug fields + Setting bug permissions + The Query Interface + Standard Queries + Email Queries + Boolean Queries + Regexp Queries + The Query Results + Changing Columns + Changing sorting order + Mass changes + Miscellaneous usage hints - <section id="using-intro"> - <title>Introduction</title> - <para>This section contains information for end-users of Bugzilla. - There is a Bugzilla test installation, called - <ulink url="http://landfill.bugzilla.org/bugzilla-tip/">Landfill</ulink>, - which you are welcome to play with (if it's up.) - However, it does not necessarily - have all Bugzilla features enabled, and runs an up-to-the-minute version, - so some things may not quite work as this document describes.</para> - </section> - - <section id="myaccount"> - <title>Create a Bugzilla Account</title> +--> - <para>If you want to use Bugzilla, first you need to create an account. - Consult with the administrator responsible for your installation of - Bugzilla for the URL you should use to access it. If you're - test-driving Bugzilla, use this URL: - <ulink url="http://landfill.bugzilla.org/bugzilla-tip/"/>. +<chapter id="using"> +<title>Using Bugzilla</title> + <epigraph> + <para> + What, Why, How, & Where? </para> - - <orderedlist> - <listitem> - <para>Click the - <quote>Open a new Bugzilla account</quote> - - link, enter your email address and, optionally, your name in the - spaces provided, then click - <quote>Create Account</quote> - - .</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Within moments, you should receive an email to the address - you provided, which contains your login name (generally the - same as the email address), and a password. - This password is randomly generated, but can be - changed to something more memorable.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Click the - <quote>Log In</quote> - link in the footer at the bottom of the page in your browser, - enter your email address and password into the spaces provided, and - click - <quote>Login</quote>. - </para> - - </listitem> - </orderedlist> - - <para>You are now logged in. Bugzilla uses cookies to remember you are - logged in so, unless you have cookies disabled or your IP address changes, - you should not have to log in again.</para> - </section> - - <section id="bug_page"> - <title>Anatomy of a Bug</title> - - <para>The core of Bugzilla is the screen which displays a particular - bug. It's a good place to explain some Bugzilla concepts. - <ulink - url="http://landfill.bugzilla.org/bugzilla-tip/show_bug.cgi?id=1"> - Bug 1 on Landfill</ulink> - - is a good example. Note that the labels for most fields are hyperlinks; - clicking them will take you to context-sensitive help on that - particular field. Fields marked * may not be present on every - installation of Bugzilla.</para> - - <orderedlist> - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Product and Component</emphasis>: - Bugs are divided up by Product and Component, with a Product - having one or more Components in it. For example, - bugzilla.mozilla.org's "Bugzilla" Product is composed of several - Components: - <simplelist> - <member> - <emphasis>Administration:</emphasis> - Administration of a Bugzilla installation.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Bugzilla-General:</emphasis> - Anything that doesn't fit in the other components, or spans - multiple components.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Creating/Changing Bugs:</emphasis> - Creating, changing, and viewing bugs.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Documentation:</emphasis> - The Bugzilla documentation, including The Bugzilla Guide.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Email:</emphasis> - Anything to do with email sent by Bugzilla.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Installation:</emphasis> - The installation process of Bugzilla.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Query/Buglist:</emphasis> - Anything to do with searching for bugs and viewing the - buglists.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Reporting/Charting:</emphasis> - Getting reports from Bugzilla.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>User Accounts:</emphasis> - Anything about managing a user account from the user's perspective. - Saved queries, creating accounts, changing passwords, logging in, - etc.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>User Interface:</emphasis> - General issues having to do with the user interface cosmetics (not - functionality) including cosmetic issues, HTML templates, - etc.</member> - </simplelist> - </para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Status and Resolution:</emphasis> - - These define exactly what state the bug is in - from not even - being confirmed as a bug, through to being fixed and the fix - confirmed by Quality Assurance. The different possible values for - Status and Resolution on your installation should be documented in the - context-sensitive help for those items.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Assigned To:</emphasis> - The person responsible for fixing the bug.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>*URL:</emphasis> - A URL associated with the bug, if any.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Summary:</emphasis> - A one-sentence summary of the problem.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>*Status Whiteboard:</emphasis> - (a.k.a. Whiteboard) A free-form text area for adding short notes - and tags to a bug.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>*Keywords:</emphasis> - The administrator can define keywords which you can use to tag and - categorise bugs - e.g. The Mozilla Project has keywords like crash - and regression.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Platform and OS:</emphasis> - These indicate the computing environment where the bug was - found.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Version:</emphasis> - The "Version" field is usually used for versions of a product which - have been released, and is set to indicate which versions of a - Component have the particular problem the bug report is - about.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Priority:</emphasis> - The bug assignee uses this field to prioritise his or her bugs. - It's a good idea not to change this on other people's bugs.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Severity:</emphasis> - This indicates how severe the problem is - from blocker - ("application unusable") to trivial ("minor cosmetic issue"). You - can also use this field to indicate whether a bug is an enhancement - request.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>*Target:</emphasis> - (a.k.a. Target Milestone) A future version by which the bug is to - be fixed. e.g. The Bugzilla Project's milestones for future - Bugzilla versions are 2.18, 2.20, 3.0, etc. Milestones are not - restricted to numbers, thought - you can use any text strings, such - as dates.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Reporter:</emphasis> - The person who filed the bug.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>CC list:</emphasis> - A list of people who get mail when the bug changes.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Attachments:</emphasis> - You can attach files (e.g. testcases or patches) to bugs. If there - are any attachments, they are listed in this section.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>*Dependencies:</emphasis> - If this bug cannot be fixed unless other bugs are fixed (depends - on), or this bug stops other bugs being fixed (blocks), their - numbers are recorded here.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>*Votes:</emphasis> - Whether this bug has any votes.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para> - <emphasis>Additional Comments:</emphasis> - You can add your two cents to the bug discussion here, if you have - something worthwhile to say.</para> - </listitem> - </orderedlist> - </section> - - <section id="query"> - <title>Searching for Bugs</title> - - <para>The Bugzilla Search page is is the interface where you can find - any bug report, comment, or patch currently in the Bugzilla system. You - can play with it here: - <ulink url="http://landfill.bugzilla.org/bugzilla-tip/query.cgi"/>.</para> - - <para>The Search page has controls for selecting different possible - values for all of the fields in a bug, as described above. For some - fields, multiple values can be selected. In those cases, Bugzilla - returns bugs where the content of the field matches any one of the selected - values. If none is selected, then the field can take any value.</para> - - <para>Once you've run a search, you can save it as a Saved Search, which - appears in the page footer.</para> - - <para>Highly advanced querying is done using Boolean Charts. See the - Boolean Charts help link on the Search page for more information.</para> - </section> - - <section id="list"> - <title>Bug Lists</title> - - <para>If you run a search, a list of matching bugs will be returned. + </epigraph> + + <section id="whatis"> + <title>What is Bugzilla?</title> + <para> + Bugzilla is one example of a class of programs called "Defect +Tracking Systems", or, more commonly, "Bug-Tracking Systems". Defect +Tracking Systems allow individual or groups of developers to keep +track of outstanding bugs in their product effectively. Bugzilla was +originally written by Terry Weissman in a programming language called +"TCL", to replace a crappy bug-tracking database used internally by +Netscape Communications. Terry later ported Bugzilla to Perl from +TCL, and in Perl it remains to this day. Most commercial +defect-tracking software vendors at the time charged enormous +licensing fees, and Bugzilla quickly became a favorite of the +open-source crowd (with its genesis in the open-source browser +project, Mozilla). It is now the de-facto standard defect-tracking +system against which all others are measured. </para> - - <para>The format of the list is configurable. For example, it can be - sorted by clicking the column headings. Other useful features can be - accessed using the links at the bottom of the list: - <simplelist> - <member> - <emphasis>Long Format:</emphasis> - - this gives you a large page with a non-editable summary of the fields - of each bug.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>CSV:</emphasis> - - get the buglist as comma-separated values, for import into e.g. - a spreadsheet.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Change Columns:</emphasis> - - change the bug attributes which appear in the list.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Change several bugs at once:</emphasis> - - If your account is sufficiently empowered, you can make the same - change to all the bugs in the list - for example, changing their - owner.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Send mail to bug owners:</emphasis> - - Sends mail to the owners of all bugs on the list.</member> - - <member> - <emphasis>Edit Search:</emphasis> - - If you didn't get exactly the results you were looking for, you can - return to the Query page through this link and make small revisions - to the query you just made so you get more accurate results.</member> + <para> + Bugzilla has matured immensely, and now boasts many advanced features. These include: + <itemizedlist> - <member> - <emphasis>Remember Search As:</emphasis> - - You can give a search a name and remember it; a link will appear - in your page footer giving you quick access to run it again later. - </member> - </simplelist> +<listitem><para>Powerful searching</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>User-configurable email notifications of bug changes</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>Full change history</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>Inter-bug dependency tracking and graphing</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>Excellent attachment management</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>Integrated, product-based, granular security schema</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>Fully security-audited, and runs under Perl's taint mode</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>A robust, stable RDBMS back-end</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>Web, XML, email and console interfaces</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>Completely customisable and/or localisable web user interface</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>Extensive configurability</para></listitem> +<listitem><para>Smooth upgrade pathway between versions</para></listitem> + + </itemizedlist> </para> </section> - - <section id="bugreports"> - <title>Filing Bugs</title> - - <para>Years of bug writing experience has been distilled for your - reading pleasure into the - <ulink - url="http://landfill.bugzilla.org/bugzilla-tip/bugwritinghelp.html"> - Bug Writing Guidelines</ulink>. - While some of the advice is Mozilla-specific, the basic principles of - reporting Reproducible, Specific bugs, isolating the Product you are - using, the Version of the Product, the Component which failed, the - Hardware Platform, and Operating System you were using at the time of - the failure go a long way toward ensuring accurate, responsible fixes - for the bug that bit you.</para> - - <para>The procedure for filing a test bug is as follows:</para> - - <orderedlist> - <listitem> - <para>Go to - <ulink url="http://landfill.bugzilla.org/bugzilla-tip/"> - Landfill</ulink> - in your browser and click - <ulink - url="http://landfill.bugzilla.org/bugzilla-tip/enter_bug.cgi"> - Enter a new bug report</ulink>. - </para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Select a product - any one will do.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Fill in the fields. Bugzilla should have made reasonable - guesses, based upon your browser, for the "Platform" and "OS" - drop-down boxes. If they are wrong, change them.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Select "Commit" and send in your bug report.</para> - </listitem> - </orderedlist> - - <para>Try to make sure that everything said in the summary is also - said in the first comment. Summaries are often updated and this will - ensure your original information is easily accessible. - </para> - + + <section id="why"> + <title>Why Should We Use Bugzilla?</title> + <epigraph> <para> - You do not need to put "any" or similar strings in the URL field. - If there is no specific URL associated with the bug, leave this - field blank. - </para> - - <para>If you feel a bug you filed was incorrectly marked as a - DUPLICATE of another, please question it in your bug, not - the bug it was duped to. Feel free to CC the person who duped it - if they are not already CCed. + No, Who's on first... </para> - - </section> - - <section id="patchviewer"> - <title>Patch Viewer</title> - - <para>Viewing and reviewing patches in Bugzilla is often difficult due to - lack of context, improper format and the inherent readability issues that - raw patches present. Patch Viewer is an enhancement to Bugzilla designed - to fix that by offering increased context, linking to sections, and - integrating with Bonsai, LXR and CVS.</para> - - <para>Patch viewer allows you to:</para> - - <simplelist> - <member>View patches in color, with side-by-side view rather than trying - to interpret the contents of the patch.</member> - <member>See the difference between two patches.</member> - <member>Get more context in a patch.</member> - <member>Collapse and expand sections of a patch for easy - reading.</member> - <member>Link to a particular section of a patch for discussion or - review</member> - <member>Go to Bonsai or LXR to see more context, blame, and - cross-references for the part of the patch you are looking at</member> - <member>Create a rawtext unified format diff out of any patch, no - matter what format it came from</member> - </simplelist> - - <section id="patchviewer_view"> - <title>Viewing Patches in Patch Viewer</title> - <para>The main way to view a patch in patch viewer is to click on the - "Diff" link next to a patch in the Attachments list on a bug. You may - also do this within the edit window by clicking the "View Attachment As - Diff" button in the Edit Attachment screen.</para> - </section> - - <section id="patchviewer_diff"> - <title>Seeing the Difference Between Two Patches</title> - <para>To see the difference between two patches, you must first view the - newer patch in Patch Viewer. Then select the older patch from the - dropdown at the top of the page ("Differences between [dropdown] and - this patch") and click the "Diff" button. This will show you what - is new or changed in the newer patch.</para> - </section> - - <section id="patchviewer_context"> - <title>Getting More Context in a Patch</title> - <para>To get more context in a patch, you put a number in the textbox at - the top of Patch Viewer ("Patch / File / [textbox]") and hit enter. - This will give you that many lines of context before and after each - change. Alternatively, you can click on the "File" link there and it - will show each change in the full context of the file. This feature only - works against files that were diffed using "cvs diff".</para> - </section> - - <section id="patchviewer_collapse"> - <title>Collapsing and Expanding Sections of a Patch</title> - <para>To view only a certain set of files in a patch (for example, if a - patch is absolutely huge and you want to only review part of it at a - time), you can click the "(+)" and "(-)" links next to each file (to - expand it or collapse it). If you want to collapse all files or expand - all files, you can click the "Collapse All" and "Expand All" links at the - top of the page.</para> - </section> - - <section id="patchviewer_link"> - <title>Linking to a Section of a Patch</title> - <para>To link to a section of a patch (for example, if you want to be - able to give someone a URL to show them which part you are talking - about) you simply click the "Link Here" link on the section header. The - resulting URL can be copied and used in discussion. (Copy Link - Location in Mozilla works as well.)</para> - </section> - - <section id="patchviewer_bonsai_lxr"> - <title>Going to Bonsai and LXR</title> - <para>To go to Bonsai to get blame for the lines you are interested in, - you can click the "Lines XX-YY" link on the section header you are - interested in. This works even if the patch is against an old - version of the file, since Bonsai stores all versions of the file.</para> - - <para>To go to LXR, you click on the filename on the file header - (unfortunately, since LXR only does the most recent version, line - numbers are likely to rot).</para> - </section> - - <section id="patchviewer_unified_diff"> - <title>Creating a Unified Diff</title> - <para>If the patch is not in a format that you like, you can turn it - into a unified diff format by clicking the "Raw Unified" link at the top - of the page.</para> - </section> - + </epigraph> + <para> + For many years, defect-tracking software has remained + principally the domain of large software development houses. + Even then, most shops never bothered with bug-tracking software, + and instead simply relied on shared lists and email to monitor + the status of defects. This procedure is error-prone and tends + to cause those bugs judged least significant by developers to be + dropped or ignored. + </para> + <para> + These days, many companies are finding that integrated + defect-tracking systems reduce downtime, increase productivity, + and raise customer satisfaction with their systems. Along with + full disclosure, an open bug-tracker allows manufacturers to + keep in touch with their clients and resellers, to communicate + about problems effectively throughout the data management chain. + Many corporations have also discovered that defect-tracking + helps reduce costs by providing IT support accountability, + telephone support knowledge bases, and a common, well-understood + system for accounting for unusual system or software issues. + </para> + <para> + But why should <emphasis>you</emphasis> use Bugzilla? + </para> + <para> + Bugzilla is very adaptable to various situations. Known uses + currently include IT support queues, Systems Administration + deployment management, chip design and development problem + tracking (both pre-and-post fabrication), and software and + hardware bug tracking for luminaries such as Redhat, Loki + software, Linux-Mandrake, and VA Systems. Combined with systems + such as CVS, Bonsai, or Perforce SCM, Bugzilla provides a + powerful, easy-to-use solution to configuration management and + replication problems + </para> + <para> + Bugzilla can dramatically increase the productivity and + accountability of individual employees by providing a documented + workflow and positive feedback for good performance. How many + times do you wake up in the morning, remembering that you were + supposed to do <emphasis>something</emphasis> today, but you + just can't quite remember? Put it in Bugzilla, and you have a + record of it from which you can extrapolate milestones, predict + product versions for integration, and by using Bugzilla's e-mail + integration features be able to follow the discussion trail that + led to critical decisions. + </para> + <para> + Ultimately, Bugzilla puts the power in your hands to improve + your value to your employer or business while providing a usable + framework for your natural attention to detail and knowledge + store to flourish. + </para> </section> - - <section id="hintsandtips"> - <title>Hints and Tips</title> - - <para>This section distills some Bugzilla tips and best practices - that have been developed.</para> - - <section> - <title>Autolinkification</title> - <para>Bugzilla comments are plain text - so typing <U> will - produce less-than, U, greater-than rather than underlined text. - However, Bugzilla will automatically make hyperlinks out of certain - sorts of text in comments. For example, the text - "http://www.bugzilla.org" will be turned into a link: - <ulink url="http://www.bugzilla.org"/>. - Other strings which get linkified in the obvious manner are: - <simplelist> - <member>bug 12345</member> - <member>comment 7</member> - <member>bug 23456, comment 53</member> - <member>attachment 4321</member> - <member>mailto:george@example.com</member> - <member>george@example.com</member> - <member>ftp://ftp.mozilla.org</member> - <member>Most other sorts of URL</member> - </simplelist> + + <section id="how"> + <title>How do I use Bugzilla?</title> + <epigraph> + <para> + Hey! I'm Woody! Howdy, Howdy, Howdy! </para> - - <para>A corollary here is that if you type a bug number in a comment, - you should put the word "bug" before it, so it gets autolinkified - for the convenience of others. + </epigraph> + + <para> + This section contains information for end-users of Bugzilla. + If you are administering a Bugzilla installation, please consult the + Installing and Administering Bugzilla portions of this Guide. + </para> + <para> + There is a Bugzilla test installation, called + <ulink url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/"> + Landfill</ulink>, which you are welcome to play with. + However, it does not necessarily have all Bugzilla features + enabled, and often runs cutting-edge versions of Bugzilla for + testing, so some things may work slightly differently than + mentioned here. + </para> + + <section id="myaccount"> + <title>Create a Bugzilla Account</title> + <para> + If you want to use Bugzilla, first you + need to create an account. Consult with the administrator + responsible for your installation of Bugzilla for the URL you + should use to access it. If you're test-driving Bugzilla, + use this URL: <ulink + url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/"> http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/</ulink> </para> - </section> - - <section id="quicksearch"> - <title>Quicksearch</title> - - <para>Quicksearch is a single-text-box query tool which uses - metacharacters to indicate what is to be searched. For example, typing - "<filename>foo|bar</filename>" - into Quicksearch would search for "foo" or "bar" in the - summary and status whiteboard of a bug; adding - "<filename>:BazProduct</filename>" would - search only in that product. + <orderedlist> + <listitem> + <para> + Click the <quote>Open a new Bugzilla account</quote> link, enter your + email address and, optionally, your name in the spaces provided, + then click <quote>Create Account</quote>. + </para> + </listitem> + <listitem> + <para> + Within moments, you should receive an email to the address + you provided above, which contains your login name + (generally the same as the email address), and a password + you can use to access your account. This password is + randomly generated, and can be changed to something more memorable. + </para> + </listitem> + <listitem> + <para> + Click the <quote>Log In</quote> link in the yellow area at + the bottom of the page in your browser, enter your + email address and password into the spaces provided, and click + <quote>Login</quote>. + </para> + </listitem> + </orderedlist> + <para> + You are now logged in. Bugzilla uses cookies for authentication, so + (unless your IP address changes) you should not have to log in again. </para> - - <para>You'll find the Quicksearch box on Bugzilla's - front page, along with a - <ulink url="../../quicksearch.html">Help</ulink> - link which details how to use it.</para> </section> - <section id="commenting"> - <title>Comments</title> - - <para>If you are changing the fields on a bug, only comment if - either you have something pertinent to say, or Bugzilla requires it. - Otherwise, you may spam people unnecessarily with bug mail. - To take an example: a user can set up their account to filter out messages - where someone just adds themselves to the CC field of a bug - (which happens a lot.) If you come along, add yourself to the CC field, - and add a comment saying "Adding self to CC", then that person - gets a pointless piece of mail they would otherwise have avoided. + <section id="bug_page"> + <title>Anatomy of a Bug</title> + <para> + The core of Bugzilla is the screen which displays a particular bug. + It's a good place to explain some Bugzilla concepts. + <ulink url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/show_bug.cgi?id=1">Bug 1 on Landfill</ulink> is a good example. Note that the names of most fields + are hyperlinks; clicking them will take you to context-sensitive + help on that particular field. </para> + <orderedlist> + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Product and Component</emphasis>: + Bugs are divided up by Product and Component, with a Product having one + or more Components in it. For example, bugzilla.mozilla.org's + "Bugzilla" Product is composed of several Components: + <simplelist> + <member><emphasis>Administration</emphasis>, + Administration of a bugzilla installation, including + <filename>editcomponents.cgi</filename>, + <filename>editgroups.cgi</filename>, + <filename>editkeywords.cgi</filename>, + <filename>editparams.cgi</filename>, + <filename>editproducts.cgi</filename>, + <filename>editusers.cgi</filename>, + <filename>editversions.cgi,</filename> and + <filename>sanitycheck.cgi</filename>. + </member> + <member><emphasis>Bugzilla-General</emphasis>, + Anything that doesn't fit in the other components, or spans + multiple components. + </member> + <member><emphasis>Creating/Changing Bugs</emphasis>, + Creating, changing, and viewing bugs. + <filename>enter_bug.cgi</filename>, + <filename>post_bug.cgi</filename>, + <filename>show_bug.cgi</filename> and + <filename>process_bug.cgi</filename>. + </member> + <member><emphasis>Documentation</emphasis>, + The bugzilla documentation, including anything in the + <filename>docs/</filename> directory and The Bugzilla Guide + + </member> + <member><emphasis>Email</emphasis>, + Anything to do with email sent by Bugzilla. + <filename>processmail</filename> + </member> + <member><emphasis>Installation</emphasis>, + The installation process of Bugzilla. This includes + <filename>checksetup.pl</filename> and whatever else it evolves into. + </member> + <member><emphasis>Query/Buglist</emphasis>, + Anything to do with searching for bugs and viewing the buglists. + <filename>query.cgi</filename> and + <filename>buglist.cgi</filename> + </member> + <member><emphasis>Reporting/Charting</emphasis>, + Getting reports from Bugzilla. + <filename>reports.cgi</filename> and + <filename>duplicates.cgi</filename> + </member> + <member><emphasis>User Accounts</emphasis>, + Anything about managing a user account from the user's perspective. + <filename>userprefs.cgi</filename>, saved queries, creating accounts, + changing passwords, logging in, etc. + </member> + <member><emphasis>User Interface</emphasis>, + General issues having to do with the user interface cosmetics (not + functionality) including cosmetic issues, HTML templates, etc. + </member> + </simplelist> + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Status and Resolution</emphasis>: + A bug passes through several Statuses in its lifetime, and ends up in the + RESOLVED status, with one of a set of Resolutions (e.g. FIXED, INVALID.) + The different possible + values for Status and Resolution on your installation will be documented + in the context-sensitive help for those items. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Assigned To</emphasis>: + The person responsible for fixing the bug. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>URL</emphasis>: + A URL associated with the bug, if any. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Summary</emphasis>: + A one-sentence summary of the problem. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Status Whiteboard</emphasis>: (a.k.a. Whiteboard) A + free-form text area for adding short notes and tags to a bug. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Keywords</emphasis>: + The administrator can define keywords which you can use to tag and + categorise bugs - e.g. The Mozilla Project has keywords like crash + and regression. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Platform and OS</emphasis>: + These indicate the computing environment where the bug was found. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Version</emphasis>: + The "Version" field is usually used for versions of a product which have + been released, and is set to indicate which versions of a Component + have the particular problem the bug report is about. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Priority</emphasis>: + The bug assignee uses this field to prioritise his or her bugs. It's + a good idea not to change this on other people's bugs. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Severity</emphasis>: + This indicates how severe the problem is - from blocker ("application + unusable") to trivial ("minor cosmetic issue"). You can also use this + field to indicate whether a bug is an enhancement request. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Target</emphasis>: + (a.k.a. Target Milestone) A future version by which the bug is to be + fixed. e.g. The Bugzilla Project's milestones for future + Bugzilla versions are 2.18, 2.20, 3.0, etc. Milestones are + not restricted to numbers, thought - you can use any text strings, + such as dates. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Reporter</emphasis>: + The person who filed the bug. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>CC list</emphasis>: + A list of people who get mail when the bug changes. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Attachments</emphasis>: + You can attach files (e.g. testcases or patches) to bugs. If there are + any attachments, they are listed in this section. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Dependencies</emphasis>: + If this bug cannot be fixed unless other bugs are fixed (depends on), or + this bug stops other bugs being fixed (blocks), their numbers are + recorded here. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Votes</emphasis>: + Whether this bug has any votes. + </para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para> + <emphasis>Additional Comments</emphasis>: + You can add your two cents to the bug discussion here, if you have + something worthwhile to say. + </para> + </listitem> + + </orderedlist> + + </section> + + <section id="query"> + <title>Searching for Bugs</title> <para> - Don't use sigs in comments. Signing your name ("Bill") is acceptable, - if you do it out of habit, but full mail/news-style - four line ASCII art creations are not. - </para> + The Bugzilla Search page is is the interface where you can + find any bug report, comment, or patch currently in the + Bugzilla system. You can play with it here: + <ulink url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/query.cgi"> + landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/query.cgi</ulink>. + </para> + + <para> + The Search page has controls for selecting different possible values + for all of the fields in a bug, as described above. Once you've defined + a search, you can either run it, or save it as a Remembered Query, which + can optionally appear in the footer of your pages. + </para> + + <para> + Highly advanced querying is done using Boolean Charts, which have their + own <ulink url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/booleanchart.html">context-sensitive help</ulink>. + </para> + </section> - <section id="attachments"> - <title>Attachments</title> - + <section id="list"> + <title>Bug Lists</title> <para> - Use attachments, rather than comments, for large chunks of ASCII data, - such as trace, debugging output files, or log files. That way, it doesn't - bloat the bug for everyone who wants to read it, and cause people to - receive fat, useless mails. - </para> - - <para>Trim screenshots. There's no need to show the whole screen if - you are pointing out a single-pixel problem. + If you run a search, a list of matching bugs will be returned. + The default search is to return all open bugs on the system - + don't try running this search on a Bugzilla installation with + a lot of bugs! + </para> + <para> + The format of the list is configurable. For example, it can be + sorted by clicking the column headings. Other useful features + can be accessed using the links at the bottom of the list: + <simplelist> + <member><emphasis>Long Format</emphasis>: this gives you a large page + with a non-editable summary of the fields of each bug.</member> + <member><emphasis>Change Columns</emphasis>: change the bug + attributes which appear in the list.</member> + <member><emphasis>Change several bugs at once</emphasis>: If + your account is sufficiently empowered, you can make the same + change to all the bugs in the list - for example, changing their + owner.</member> + <member><emphasis>Send mail to bug owners</emphasis>: Sends mail + to the owners of all bugs on the list.</member> + <member><emphasis>Edit this query</emphasis>: If you didn't + get exactly the results you were looking for, you can + return to the Query page through this link and make small + revisions to the query you just made so you get more + accurate results.</member> + </simplelist> </para> - - <para>Don't attach simple test cases (e.g. one HTML file, one - CSS file and an image) as a ZIP file. Instead, upload them in - reverse order and edit the referring file so that they point to the - attached files. This way, the test case works immediately - out of the bug. - </para> </section> - </section> + + + <section id="bugreports"> + <title>Filing Bugs</title> + <epigraph> + <para>And all this time, I thought we were taking bugs <emphasis>out</emphasis>...</para> + </epigraph> + + <para> + Years of bug writing experience has been distilled for your reading + pleasure into the <ulink url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/bugwritinghelp.html"> + Bug Writing Guidelines</ulink>. +While some of the advice is Mozilla-specific, the basic principles of reporting Reproducible, Specific bugs, isolating the Product you are using, the Version of the Product, the Component which failed, the Hardware Platform, and Operating System you were using at the time of the failure go a long way toward ensuring accurate, responsible fixes for the bug that bit you. + </para> + <para> + The procedure for filing a test bug is as follows: + </para> - <section id="userpreferences"> - <title>User Preferences</title> + <orderedlist> + <listitem> + <para> + Go to <ulink + url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/">Landfill</ulink> + in your browser and click + <ulink + url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/enter_bug.cgi"> Enter a new bug report</ulink>. + </para> + </listitem> + <listitem> + <para> + Select a product - any one will do. + </para> + </listitem> + <listitem> + <para> + Fill in the fields. + Bugzilla should have made reasonable guesses, based upon + your browser, for the "Platform" and "OS" drop-down + boxes. If they are wrong, change them. + </para> + </listitem> + <listitem> + <para> + Select "Commit" and send in your bug report. + </para> + </listitem> + </orderedlist> + </section> - <para>Once you have logged in, you can customise various aspects of - Bugzilla via the "Edit prefs" link in the page footer. - The preferences are split into three tabs:</para> + </section> + <section id="init4me"> + <title>Where can I find my user preferences?</title> + <epigraph> + <para> + Indiana, it feels like we walking on fortune cookies! + </para> + <para> + These ain't fortune cookies, kid... + </para> + </epigraph> + <para> + Customized User Preferences offer tremendous versatility to your + individual Bugzilla experience. Let's plunge into what you can + do! The first step is to click the "Edit prefs" link at the + footer of each page once you have logged in to <ulink + url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/query.cgi?GoAheadAndLogIn=1"> Landfill</ulink>. + </para> <section id="accountsettings" xreflabel="Account Settings"> <title>Account Settings</title> - - <para>On this tab, you can change your basic account information, - including your password, email address and real name. For security - reasons, in order to change anything on this page you must type your - <emphasis>current</emphasis> - password into the - <quote>Password</quote> - field at the top of the page. - If you attempt to change your email address, a confirmation - email is sent to both the old and new addresses, with a link to use to - confirm the change. This helps to prevent account hijacking.</para> + <para> + On this page, you can change your basic Account Settings, + including your password and full name. For security reasons, + in order to change anything on this page you must type your + <emphasis>current</emphasis> password into the <quote>Old + Password</quote> field. If you wish to change your + password, type the new password you want into the <quote>New + Password</quote> field and again into the <quote>Re-enter + new password</quote> field to ensure you typed your new + password correctly. Select the <quote>Submit</quote> button + and you are done. + </para> </section> - - <section id="emailsettings"> + <section id="emailsettings" > <title>Email Settings</title> - - <para>On this tab you can reduce or increase the amount of email sent - you from Bugzilla, opting in our out depending on your relationship to - the bug and the change that was made to it. - </para> - - <para> - You can also do further filtering on the client side by - using the X-Bugzilla-Reason mail header which Bugzilla - adds to all bugmail. This tells you what relationship you have to the - bug in question, - and can be any of Owner, Reporter, QAcontact, CClist, Voter and - WatchingComponent.</para> - - <para>By entering user email names, delineated by commas, into the - "Users to watch" text entry box you can receive a copy of all the - bugmail of other users (security settings permitting.) This powerful - functionality enables seamless transitions as developers change - projects or users go on holiday.</para> - + <section id="notification" xreflabel=""> + <title>Email Notification</title> + <para> + Here you can reduce or increase the amount of email sent you + from Bugzilla. Although this is referred to as + <quote>Advanced Email Filtering Options</quote>, they are, + in fact, the standard email filter set. All of them are + self-explanatory, but you can use the filters in interesting + ways. For instance, some people (notably Quality Assurance + personnel) often only care to receive updates regarding a + bug when the bug changes state, so they can track bugs on + their flow charts and know when it is time to pull the bug + onto a quality assurance platform for inspection. Other + people set up email gateways to + <xref linkend="bonsai" /> or <xref linkend="tinderbox" />, and + restrict which types of Bugzilla information are fed to + these systems.. + </para> + </section> + <section id="newemailtech"> + <title>New Email Technology</title> + <note> + <para> + This option may not be available in all Bugzilla + installations, depending upon the preferences of the + systems administrator responsible for the setup of your + Bugzilla. However, if you really want this functionality, + ask her to "enable newemailtech in Params" and "make it + the default for all new users", referring her to the + Administration section of this Guide. + </para> + </note> + <para> + Disregard the warnings about "experimental and bleeding + edge"; the code to handle email in a cleaner manner than + that historically used for Bugzilla is quite robust and + well-tested now. + </para> + <para> + I recommend you enable the option, "Click here to sign up + (and risk any bugs)". Your email-box will thank you for it. + The fundamental shift in "newemailtech" is away from + standard UNIX "diff" output, which is quite ugly, to a + prettier, better laid-out email. + </para> + </section> + <section id="watchsettings"> + <title>"Watching" Users</title> + <note> + <para> + This option may not be available in all Bugzilla + installations, depending upon the preferences of the + systems administrator responsible for the setup of your + Bugzilla. However, if you really want this functionality, + ask her to "enable watchers in Params". + </para> + </note> + <para> + By entering user email names into the "Users to watch" text + entry box, delineated by commas, you can watch bugs of other + users. This powerful functionality enables seamless + transitions as developers change projects, managers wish to + get in touch with the issues faced by their direct reports, + or users go on vacation. If any of these three situations + apply to you, you will undoubtedly find this feature quite + convenient. + </para> + </section> + </section> + <section id="footersettings"> + <title>Page Footer</title> <note> - <para>The ability to watch other users may not be available in all - Bugzilla installations. If you can't see it, ask your - administrator.</para> + <para> + By default, this page is quite barren. However, go explore + the Query Page some more; you will find that you can store + numerous queries on the server, so if you regularly run a + particular query it is just a drop-down menu away. On this + page of Preferences, if you have many stored queries you can + elect to have them always one-click away! + </para> </note> + <para> + If you have many stored queries on the server, here you will + find individual drop-downs for each stored query. Each + drop-down gives you the option of that query appearing on the + footer of every page in Bugzilla! This gives you powerful + one-click access to any complex searches you may set up, and + is an excellent way to impress your boss... + </para> + <tip> + <para>By default, the "My Bugs" link appears at the bottom of + each page. However, this query gives you both the bugs you + have reported, as well as those you are assigned. One of + the most common uses for this page is to remove the "My + Bugs" link, replacing it with two other queries, commonly + called "My Bug Reports" and "My Bugs" (but only referencing + bugs assigned to you). This allows you to distinguish those + bugs you have reported from those you are assigned. I + commonly set up complex Boolean queries in the Query page + and link them to my footer in this page. When they are + significantly complex, a one-click reference can save hours + of work.</para> + </tip> </section> - <section id="permissionsettings"> <title>Permissions</title> - - <para>This is a purely informative page which outlines your current - permissions on this installation of Bugzilla - what product groups you - are in, and whether you can edit bugs or perform various administration - functions.</para> + <para> + This is a purely informative page which outlines your current + permissions on this installation of Bugzilla. If you have + permissions to grant certain permissions to other users, the + "other users" link appears on this page as well as the footer. + For more information regarding user administration, please + consult the Administration section of this Guide. + </para> </section> </section> - <section id="reporting"> - <title>Reports</title> - <para><emphasis>To be written</emphasis></para> + + <section id="usingbz-conc"> + <title>Using Bugzilla-Conclusion</title> + <para> + Thank you for reading through this portion of the Bugzilla + Guide. I anticipate it may not yet meet the needs of all + readers. If you have additional comments or corrections to + make, please submit your contributions to the <ulink + url="mailto://mozilla-webtools@mozilla.org">mozilla-webtools</ulink> mailing list/newsgroup. The mailing list is mirrored to the netscape.public.mozilla.webtools newsgroup, and the newsgroup is mirrored to mozilla-webtools@mozilla.org + </para> </section> - </chapter> + <!-- Keep this comment at the end of the file Local variables: mode: sgml @@ -670,9 +703,8 @@ sgml-local-ecat-files:nil sgml-minimize-attributes:nil sgml-namecase-general:t sgml-omittag:t -sgml-parent-document:("Bugzilla-Guide.xml" "book" "chapter") +sgml-parent-document:("Bugzilla-Guide.sgml" "book" "chapter") sgml-shorttag:t sgml-tag-region-if-active:t End: --> - |