diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'docs/html/how.html')
-rw-r--r-- | docs/html/how.html | 905 |
1 files changed, 905 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/docs/html/how.html b/docs/html/how.html new file mode 100644 index 000000000..f54f93373 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/html/how.html @@ -0,0 +1,905 @@ +<HTML +><HEAD +><TITLE +>How do I use Bugzilla?</TITLE +><META +NAME="GENERATOR" +CONTENT="Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.61 +"><LINK +REL="HOME" +TITLE="The Bugzilla Guide" +HREF="index.html"><LINK +REL="UP" +TITLE="Using Bugzilla" +HREF="using.html"><LINK +REL="PREVIOUS" +TITLE="Why Should We Use Bugzilla?" +HREF="why.html"><LINK +REL="NEXT" +TITLE="What's in it for me?" +HREF="init4me.html"></HEAD +><BODY +CLASS="SECTION" +BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" +TEXT="#000000" +LINK="#0000FF" +VLINK="#840084" +ALINK="#0000FF" +><DIV +CLASS="NAVHEADER" +><TABLE +WIDTH="100%" +BORDER="0" +CELLPADDING="0" +CELLSPACING="0" +><TR +><TH +COLSPAN="3" +ALIGN="center" +>The Bugzilla Guide</TH +></TR +><TR +><TD +WIDTH="10%" +ALIGN="left" +VALIGN="bottom" +><A +HREF="why.html" +>Prev</A +></TD +><TD +WIDTH="80%" +ALIGN="center" +VALIGN="bottom" +>Chapter 4. Using Bugzilla</TD +><TD +WIDTH="10%" +ALIGN="right" +VALIGN="bottom" +><A +HREF="init4me.html" +>Next</A +></TD +></TR +></TABLE +><HR +ALIGN="LEFT" +WIDTH="100%"></DIV +><DIV +CLASS="SECTION" +><H1 +CLASS="SECTION" +><A +NAME="HOW" +>4.3. How do I use Bugzilla?</A +></H1 +><TABLE +BORDER="0" +WIDTH="100%" +CELLSPACING="0" +CELLPADDING="0" +CLASS="EPIGRAPH" +><TR +><TD +WIDTH="45%" +> </TD +><TD +WIDTH="45%" +ALIGN="LEFT" +VALIGN="TOP" +><I +><P +><I +>Hey! I'm Woody! Howdy, Howdy, Howdy!</I +></P +></I +></TD +></TR +></TABLE +><P +> Bugzilla is a large and complex system. Describing how to use it + requires some time. If you are only interested in installing or administering + a Bugzilla installation, please consult the Installing and Administering + Bugzilla portions of this Guide. This section is principally aimed towards + developing end-user mastery of Bugzilla, so you may fully enjoy the benefits + afforded by using this reliable open-source bug-tracking software. + </P +><P +> Throughout this portion of the Guide, we will refer to user account + options available at the Bugzilla test installation, + <A +HREF="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/" +TARGET="_top" +> landfill.tequilarista.org</A +>. + Although Landfill serves as a great introduction to Bugzilla, it does not offer + all the options you would have as a user on your own installation of Bugzilla, + nor can it do more than serve as a general introduction to Bugzilla. + However, please use it if you want to + follow this tutorial. + </P +><DIV +CLASS="SECTION" +><H2 +CLASS="SECTION" +><A +NAME="MYACCOUNT" +>4.3.1. Create a Bugzilla Account</A +></H2 +><P +> First thing's first! 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 the end-user Bugzilla experience, use this URL: + <A +HREF="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/mozilla/bugzilla/" +TARGET="_top" +> http://landfill.tequilarista.org/mozilla/bugzilla/</A +> + </P +><P +></P +><OL +TYPE="1" +><LI +><P +> Click the "Open a new Bugzilla account" link. + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Enter your "E-mail address" and "Real Name" (or whatever name you want to call yourself) + in the spaces provided, then select the "Create Account" button. + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Within 5-10 minutes, 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 should be changed at your nearest opportunity (we'll go into how to do it later). + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Click the "Log In" link in the yellow area at the bottom of the page in your browser, + then enter your "E-mail address" and "Password" you just received into the spaces provided, + and select "Login". + <DIV +CLASS="NOTE" +><BLOCKQUOTE +CLASS="NOTE" +><P +><B +>Note: </B +> If you ever forget your password, you can come back to this page, enter your + "E-mail address", then select the "E-mail me a password" button to have your password + mailed to you again so that you can login. + </P +></BLOCKQUOTE +></DIV +> + <DIV +CLASS="CAUTION" +><P +></P +><TABLE +CLASS="CAUTION" +BORDER="1" +WIDTH="90%" +><TR +><TD +ALIGN="CENTER" +><B +>Caution</B +></TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +ALIGN="LEFT" +><P +> Many modern browsers include an "Auto-Complete" or "Form Fill" feature to + remember the user names and passwords you type in at many sites. Unfortunately, + sometimes they attempt to "guess" what you will put in as your password, and guess + wrong. If you notice a text box is already filled out, please overwrite the contents + of the text box so you can be sure to input the correct information. + </P +></TD +></TR +></TABLE +></DIV +> + </P +></LI +></OL +><P +> Congratulations! If you followed these directions, you now are the + proud owner of a user account on landfill.tequilarista.org (Landfill) or + your local Bugzilla install. You should now see in your browser a + page called the "Bugzilla Query Page". It may look daunting, but + with this Guide to walk you through it, you will master it in no time. + </P +></DIV +><DIV +CLASS="SECTION" +><H2 +CLASS="SECTION" +><A +NAME="QUERY" +>4.3.2. The Bugzilla Query Page</A +></H2 +><P +> The Bugzilla Query Page is the heart and soul of Bugzilla. It is the master + interface where you can find any bug report, comment, or patch currently in the Bugzilla + system. We'll go into how to create your own bug report later on. + </P +><P +> There are efforts underway to simplify query usage. If you have a local installation + of Bugzilla 2.12 or higher, you should have "quicksearch.html" available + to use and simplify your searches. There is also, or shortly will be, a helper + for the query interface, called "queryhelp.cgi". Landfill tends to run the latest code, + so these two utilities should be available there for your perusal. + </P +><P +> At this point, please visit the main Bugzilla site, + <A +HREF="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/query.cgi" +TARGET="_top" +> bugzilla.mozilla.org</A +>, to see a more fleshed-out query page. + </P +><P +> The first thing you need to notice about the Bugzilla Query Page is that + nearly every box you see on your screen has a hyperlink nearby, explaining what + it is or what it does. Near the upper-left-hand corner of your browser window + you should see the word "Status" underlined. Select it. + </P +><P +> Notice the page that popped up? Every underlined word you see on your screen + is a hyperlink that will take you to context-sensitive help. + Click around for a while, and learn what everything here does. To return + to the query interface after pulling up a help page, use the "Back" button in + your browser. + </P +><P +> I'm sure that after checking out the online help, you are now an Expert + on the Bugzilla Query Page. If, however, you feel you haven't mastered it yet, + let me walk you through making a few successful queries to find out what there + are in the Bugzilla bug-tracking system itself. + </P +><P +></P +><OL +TYPE="1" +><LI +><P +> Ensure you are back on the "Bugzilla Query Page" + Do nothing in the boxes marked "Status", "Resolution", "Platform", "OpSys", + "Priority", or "Severity". The default query for "Status" is to find all bugs that + are NEW, ASSIGNED, or REOPENED, which is what we want. If you don't select anything + in the other 5 scrollboxes there, then you are saying that "any of these are OK"; + we're not locking ourselves into only finding bugs on the "DEC" Platform, or "Windows 95" + OpSys (Operating System). You're smart, I think you have it figured out. + </P +><P +> Basically, selecting <EM +>anything</EM +> on the query page narrows your search + down. Leaving stuff unselected, or text boxes unfilled, broadens your search! + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> You see the box immediately below the top six boxes that contains an "Email" text box, + with the words "matching as", a drop-down selection box, then some checkboxes with + "Assigned To" checked by default? This allows you to filter your search down based upon + email address. Let's put my email address in there, and see what happens. + </P +><P +> Type "barnboy@trilobyte.net" in the top Email text box. + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Let's narrow the search some more. Scroll down until you find the box with the word + "Program" over the top of it. This is where we can narrow our search down to only + specific products (software programs or product lines) in our Bugzilla database. + Please notice the box is a <EM +>scrollbox</EM +>. Using the down arrow on the + scrollbox, scroll down until you can see an entry called "Webtools". Select this entry. + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Did you notice that some of the boxes to the right changed when you selected "Webtools"? + Every Program (or Product) has different Versions, Components, and Target Milestones associated + with it. A "Version" is the number of a software program. + <DIV +CLASS="EXAMPLE" +><A +NAME="AEN745" +></A +><P +><B +>Example 4-1. Some Famous Software Versions</B +></P +><DIV +CLASS="INFORMALEXAMPLE" +><A +NAME="AEN747" +></A +><P +></P +><P +> Do you remember the hype in 1995 when Microsoft Windows 95(r) was released? + It may have been several years + ago, but Microsoft(tm) spent over $300 Million advertising this new Version of their + software. Three years later, they released Microsoft Windows 98(r), + another new version, to great fanfare, and then in 2000 quietly + released Microsoft Windows ME(Millenium Edition)(r). + </P +><P +> Software "Versions" help a manufacturer differentiate + their current product from their + previous products. Most do not identify their products + by the year they were released. + Instead, the "original" version of their software will + often be numbered "1.0", with + small bug-fix releases on subsequent tenths of a digit. In most cases, it's not + a decimal number; for instance, often 1.9 is an <EM +>older</EM +> version + of the software than 1.11, + but is a <EM +>newer</EM +> version than 1.1.1. + </P +><P +> In general, a "Version" in Bugzilla should refer to + <EM +>released</EM +> + products, not products that have not yet been released + to the public. Forthcoming products + are what the Target Milestone field is for. + </P +><P +></P +></DIV +></DIV +> + </P +><P +> A "Component" is a piece of a Product. + It may be a standalone program, or some other logical + division of a Product or Program. + Normally, a Component has a single Owner, who is responsible + for overseeing efforts to improve that Component. + <DIV +CLASS="EXAMPLE" +><A +NAME="AEN755" +></A +><P +><B +>Example 4-2. Mozilla Webtools Components</B +></P +><DIV +CLASS="INFORMALEXAMPLE" +><A +NAME="AEN757" +></A +><P +></P +><P +> Mozilla's "Webtools" Product is composed of several pieces (Components): + <P +></P +><TABLE +BORDER="0" +><TBODY +><TR +><TD +><EM +>Bonsai</EM +>, + a tool to show recent changes to Mozilla</TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +><EM +>Bugzilla</EM +>, + a defect-tracking tool</TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +><EM +>Build</EM +>, + a tool to automatically compile source code + into machine-readable form</TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +><EM +>Despot</EM +>, + a program that controls access to the other Webtools</TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +><EM +>LXR</EM +>, + a utility that automatically marks up text files + to make them more readable</TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +><EM +>MozBot</EM +>, + a "robot" that announces changes to Mozilla in Chat</TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +><EM +>TestManager</EM +>, + a tool to help find bugs in Mozilla</TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +><EM +>Tinderbox</EM +>, + which displays reports from Build</TD +></TR +></TBODY +></TABLE +><P +></P +> + </P +><P +> A different person is responsible for each of these Components. + Tara Hernandez keeps + the "Bugzilla" component up-to-date. + </P +><P +></P +></DIV +></DIV +> + </P +><P +> A "Milestone", or "Target Milestone" is a often a planned future "Version" of a + product. In many cases, though, Milestones simply represent significant dates for + a developer. Having certain features in your Product is frequently + tied to revenue (money) + the developer will receive if the features work by the time she + reaches the Target Milestone. + Target Milestones are a great tool to organize your time. + If someone will pay you $100,000 for + incorporating certain features by a certain date, + those features by that Milestone date become + a very high priority. Milestones tend to be highly malleable creatures, + though, that appear + to be in reach but are out of reach by the time the important day arrives. + </P +><P +> The Bugzilla Project has set up Milestones for future + Bugzilla versions 2.14, 2.16, 2.18, 3.0, etc. However, + a Target Milestone can just as easily be a specific date, + code name, or weird alphanumeric + combination, like "M19". + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> OK, now let's select the "Bugzilla" component from its scrollbox. + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Skip down the page a bit -- do you see the "submit query" button? + Select it, and let's run + this query! + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Congratulations! You've completed your first Query, and have before you the Bug List + of the author of this Guide, Matthew P. Barnson (barnboy@trilobyte.net). If I'm + doing well, + you'll have a cryptic "Zarro Boogs Found" message on your screen. It is just + a happy hacker's way of saying "Zero Bugs Found". However, I am fairly certain I will + always have some bugs assigned to me that aren't done yet, + so you won't often see that message! + </P +></LI +></OL +><P +> I encourage you to click the bug numbers in the left-hand column and examine + my bugs. Also notice that if you click the underlined + links near the top of this page, they do + not take you to context-sensitive help here, + but instead sort the columns of bugs on the screen! + When you need to sort your bugs by priority, severity, + or the people they are assigned to, this + is a tremendous timesaver. + </P +><P +> A couple more interesting things about the Bug List page: + <P +></P +><TABLE +BORDER="0" +><TBODY +><TR +><TD +><EM +>Change Columns</EM +>: + by selecting this link, you can show all kinds + of information in the Bug List</TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +><EM +>Change several bugs at once</EM +>: + If you have sufficient rights to change all + the bugs shown in the Bug List, you can mass-modify them. + This is a big time-saver.</TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +><EM +>Send mail to bug owners</EM +>: + If you have many related bugs, you can request + an update from every person who owns the bugs in + the Bug List asking them the status.</TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +><EM +>Edit this query</EM +>: + 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.</TD +></TR +></TBODY +></TABLE +><P +></P +> + </P +><DIV +CLASS="NOTE" +><BLOCKQUOTE +CLASS="NOTE" +><P +><B +>Note: </B +> There are many more options to the Bugzilla Query Page + and the Bug List than I have shown you. + But this should be enough for you to learn to get around. + I encourage you to check out the + <A +HREF="http://www.mozilla.org/bugs/" +TARGET="_top" +>Bugzilla Home Page</A +> + to learn about the Anatomy + and Life Cycle of a Bug before continuing. + </P +></BLOCKQUOTE +></DIV +></DIV +><DIV +CLASS="SECTION" +><H2 +CLASS="SECTION" +><A +NAME="BUGREPORTS" +>4.3.3. Creating and Managing Bug Reports</A +></H2 +><TABLE +BORDER="0" +WIDTH="100%" +CELLSPACING="0" +CELLPADDING="0" +CLASS="EPIGRAPH" +><TR +><TD +WIDTH="45%" +> </TD +><TD +WIDTH="45%" +ALIGN="LEFT" +VALIGN="TOP" +><I +><P +><I +>And all this time, I thought we were taking bugs <EM +>out</EM +>...</I +></P +></I +></TD +></TR +></TABLE +><DIV +CLASS="SECTION" +><H3 +CLASS="SECTION" +><A +NAME="BUG_WRITING" +>4.3.3.1. Writing a Great Bug Report</A +></H3 +><P +> Before we plunge into writing your first bug report, I encourage you to read + <A +HREF="http://www.mozilla.org/quality/bug-writing-guidelines.html" +TARGET="_top" +>Mozilla.org's Bug + Writing Guidelines</A +>. 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. + </P +><P +> While you are at it, why not learn how to find previously reported bugs? Mozilla.org + has published a great tutorial on finding duplicate bugs, available at + <A +HREF="http://www.mozilla.org/quality/help/beginning-duplicate-finding.html" +TARGET="_top" +> http://www.mozilla.org/quality/help/beginning-duplicate-finding.html</A +>. + </P +><P +> I realize this was a lot to read. However, understanding the mentality of writing + great bug reports will help us on the next part! + </P +><P +></P +><OL +TYPE="1" +><LI +><P +> Go back to <A +HREF="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/mozilla/bugzilla/" +TARGET="_top" +> http://landfill.tequilarista.org/mozilla/bugzilla/</A +> + in your browser. + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Select the + <A +HREF="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/mozilla/bugzilla/enter_bug.cgi" +TARGET="_top" +> Enter a new bug report</A +> link. + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Select a product. + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Now you should be at the "Enter Bug" form. + The "reporter" should have been automatically filled out + for you (or else Bugzilla prompted you to Log In again + -- you did keep the email with your username + and password, didn't you?). + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Select a Component in the scrollbox. + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Bugzilla should have made reasonable guesses, based upon your browser, + for the "Platform" and "OS" drop-down + boxes. If those are wrong, change them -- if you're on an SGI box + running IRIX, we want to know! + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Fill in the "Assigned To" box with the email address you provided earlier. + This way you don't end up sending copies of your bug to lots of other people, + since it's just a test bug. + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Leave the "CC" text box blank. + Fill in the "URL" box with "http://www.mozilla.org". + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Enter "The Bugzilla Guide" in the Summary text box, + and place any comments you have on this + tutorial, or the Guide in general, into the Description box. + </P +></LI +></OL +><P +> Voila! Select "Commit" and send in your bug report! + Next we'll look at resolving bugs. + </P +></DIV +><DIV +CLASS="SECTION" +><H3 +CLASS="SECTION" +><A +NAME="BUG_MANAGE" +>4.3.3.2. Managing your Bug Reports</A +></H3 +><P +> OK, you should have a link to the bug you just created near the top of your page. + It should say + "Bug XXXX posted", with a link to the right saying "Back to BUG# XXXX". + Select this link. + </P +><P +></P +><OL +TYPE="1" +><LI +><P +> Scroll down a bit on the subsequent page, + until you see the "Resolve bug, changing resolution to (dropdown box). + Normally, you would + "Accept bug (change status to ASSIGNED)", fix it, and then resolve. + But in this case, we're + going to short-circuit the process because this wasn't a real bug. + Change the dropdown next to + "Resolve Bug" to "INVALID", make sure the radio button is + marked next to "Resolve Bug", then + click "Commit". + </P +></LI +><LI +><P +> Hey! It said it couldn't take the change in a big red box! + That's right, you must specify + a Comment in order to make this change. Select the "Back" + button in your browser, add a + Comment, then try Resolving the bug with INVALID status again. + This time it should work. + </P +></LI +></OL +><P +> You have now learned the basics of Bugzilla navigation, + entering a bug, and bug maintenance. + I encourage you to explore these features, and see what you can do with them! + We'll spend no more time on individual Bugs or Queries from this point on, so you are + on your own there. + </P +><P +> But I'll give a few last hints! + </P +><P +> There is a <A +HREF="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/help.html" +TARGET="_top" +>CLUE</A +> + on the Query page + that will teach you more how to use the form. + </P +><P +> If you click the hyperlink on the + <A +HREF="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/describecomponents.cgi" +TARGET="_top" +>Component</A +> + box of the Query page, you will be presented a form that will describe what all + the components are. + </P +><P +> Possibly the most powerful feature of the Query page is the + <A +HREF="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/booleanchart.html" +TARGET="_top" +>Boolean Chart</A +> section. + It's a bit confusing to use the first time, but can provide unparalleled + flexibility in your queries, + allowing you to build extremely powerful requests. + </P +><P +> Finally, you can build some nifty + <A +HREF="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/reports.cgi" +TARGET="_top" +>Reports</A +> + using the "Bug Reports" link near the bottom of the query page, and also + available via the "Reports" link + at the footer of each page. + </P +></DIV +></DIV +></DIV +><DIV +CLASS="NAVFOOTER" +><HR +ALIGN="LEFT" +WIDTH="100%"><TABLE +WIDTH="100%" +BORDER="0" +CELLPADDING="0" +CELLSPACING="0" +><TR +><TD +WIDTH="33%" +ALIGN="left" +VALIGN="top" +><A +HREF="why.html" +>Prev</A +></TD +><TD +WIDTH="34%" +ALIGN="center" +VALIGN="top" +><A +HREF="index.html" +>Home</A +></TD +><TD +WIDTH="33%" +ALIGN="right" +VALIGN="top" +><A +HREF="init4me.html" +>Next</A +></TD +></TR +><TR +><TD +WIDTH="33%" +ALIGN="left" +VALIGN="top" +>Why Should We Use Bugzilla?</TD +><TD +WIDTH="34%" +ALIGN="center" +VALIGN="top" +><A +HREF="using.html" +>Up</A +></TD +><TD +WIDTH="33%" +ALIGN="right" +VALIGN="top" +>What's in it for me?</TD +></TR +></TABLE +></DIV +></BODY +></HTML +>
\ No newline at end of file |