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>
<listitem>
<para>
<para>
a robust, stable RDBMS back-end
<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>
</para>
</listitem>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<para>
extensive configurability
<emphasis>Status and Resolution:</emphasis>
</para>
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>
<listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<para>
a very well-understood and well-thought-out natural bug resolution protocol
<emphasis>Assigned To:</emphasis>
</para>
The person responsible for fixing the bug.</para>
</listitem>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<para>
email, XML, console, and HTTP APIs
<emphasis>*URL:</emphasis>
</para>
A URL associated with the bug, if any.</para>
</listitem>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<para>
available integration with automated software
<emphasis>Summary:</emphasis>
configuration management systems, including Perforce and
A one-sentence summary of the problem.</para>
CVS (through the Bugzilla email interface and
checkin/checkout scripts)
</para>
</listitem>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<para>
too many more features to list
<emphasis>*Status Whiteboard:</emphasis>
</para>
(a.k.a. Whiteboard) A free-form text area for adding short notes
and tags to a bug.</para>
</listitem>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
Despite its current robustness and popularity, Bugzilla faces
some near-term challenges, such as reliance on a single
database, a lack of abstraction of the user interface and
program logic, verbose email bug notifications, a powerful but
daunting query interface, little reporting configurability,
problems with extremely large queries, some unsupportable bug
resolution options, little internationalization (although non-US
character sets are accepted for comments), and dependence on
some nonstandard libraries.
</para>
<para>
Some recent headway has been made on the query front, however.
If you are using the latest version of Bugzilla, you should see
a <quote>simple search</quote> form on the default front page of
your Bugzilla install. Type in two or three search terms and
you should pull up some relevant information. This is also
available as "queryhelp.cgi".
</para>
<para>
Despite these small problems, Bugzilla is very hard to beat. It
is under <emphasis>very</emphasis> active development to address
the current issues, and continually gains new features.
</para>
</section>
<sectionid="why">
<title>Why Should We Use Bugzilla?</title>
<epigraph>
<para>
No, Who's on first...
</para>
</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>
<sectionid="how">
<listitem>
<title>How do I use Bugzilla?</title>
<epigraph>
<para>
Hey! I'm Woody! Howdy, Howdy, Howdy!
</para>
</epigraph>
<para>
Bugzilla is a large, 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.
</para>
<para>
Throughout this portion of the Guide, we will refer to user
account options available at the Bugzilla test installation,
<ulinkurl="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/">
landfill.tequilarista.org</ulink>.
<note>
<para>
<para>
Some people have run into difficulties completing this
<emphasis>*Keywords:</emphasis>
tutorial. If you run into problems, please check the
The administrator can define keywords which you can use to tag and
updated online documentation available at <ulink
categorise bugs - e.g. The Mozilla Project has keywords like crash
url="http://www.trilobyte.net/barnsons/">http://www.trilobyte.net/barnsons</ulink>. If you're still stumped, please subscribe to the newsgroup and provide details of exactly what's stumping you! If enough people complain, I'll have to fix it in the next version of this Guide. You can subscribe to the newsgroup at <ulinkurl="news://news.mozilla.org/netscape.public.mozilla.webtools"> news://news.mozilla.org/netscape.public.mozilla.webtools</ulink>
and regression.</para>
</para>
</listitem>
</note> 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. Additionally,
Landfill often runs cutting-edge versions of Bugzilla for
testing, so some things may work slightly differently than
mentioned here.
</para>
<sectionid="myaccount">
<title>Create a Bugzilla Account</title>
<para>
First things 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
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>
<sectionid="bug-writing">
<title>Writing a Great Bug Report</title>
<para>
Before we plunge into writing your first bug report, I
encourage you to read some bug-writing guidelines. If you
are reading this document as part of a Bugzilla CVS checkout
or un-tarred Bugzilla distribution, you should be able to
read them by clicking <ulink
url="../../bugwritinghelp.html">here</ulink>. If you are reading this online, check out the Mozilla.org bug-writing guidelines at <ulinkurl="http://www.mozilla.org/quality/bug-writing-guidelines.html">http://www.mozilla.org/quality/bug-writing-guidelines.html</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>
While you are at it, why not learn how to find previously
reported bugs? Mozilla.org has published a great tutorial
url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/enter_bug.cgi"> Enter a new bug report</ulink> link.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Select a product.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
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?).
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Select a Component in the scrollbox.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
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!
</para>
</para>
</listitem>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<para>Select a product - any one will do.</para>
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.
</para>
</listitem>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<para>Fill in the fields. Bugzilla should have made reasonable
Leave the "CC" text box blank. Fill in the "URL" box
guesses, based upon your browser, for the "Platform" and "OS"
with "http://www.mozilla.org".
drop-down boxes. If they are wrong, change them.</para>
</para>
</listitem>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<para>Select "Commit" and send in your bug report.</para>
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.
</para>
</listitem>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</orderedlist>
<para>
</section>
Voila! Select "Commit" and send in your bug report! Next
we'll look at resolving bugs.
</para>
</section>
</section>
<sectionid="bug-manage">
<sectionid="hintsandtips">
<title>Managing your Bug Reports</title>
<title>Hints and Tips</title>
<para>
OK, you should have a link to the bug you just created near
<para>This section distills some Bugzilla tips and best practices
the top of your page. It should say "Bug XXXX posted", with
that have been developed.</para>
a link to the right saying "Back to BUG# XXXX". Select this
link.
<section>
</para>
<title>Autolinkification</title>
<orderedlist>
<para>Bugzilla comments are plain text - so posting HTML will result
<listitem>
in literal HTML tags rather than being interpreted by a browser.
<para>
However, Bugzilla will automatically make hyperlinks out of certain
Scroll down a bit on the subsequent page, until you see
sorts of text in comments. For example, the text
the "Resolve bug, changing resolution to (dropdown box).
http://www.bugzilla.org will be turned into
Normally, you would "Accept bug (change status to
<ulinkurl="http://www.bugzilla.org"/>.
ASSIGNED)", fix it, and then resolve. But in this case,
Other strings which get linkified in the obvious manner are:
we're going to short-circuit the process because this
<simplelist>
wasn't a real bug. Change the dropdown next to "Resolve
<member>bug 12345</member>
Bug" to "INVALID", make sure the radio button is marked
<member>bug 23456, comment 53</member>
next to "Resolve Bug", then click "Commit".
<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>
</para>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>A corollary here is that if you type a bug number in a comment,
<para>
you should put the word "bug" before it, so it gets autolinkified
Hey! It said it couldn't take the change in a big red
for the convenience of others.
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.
</para>
</para>
</listitem>
</section>
</orderedlist>
<para>
<sectionid="quicksearch">
You have now learned the basics of Bugzilla navigation,
<title>Quicksearch</title>
entering a bug, and bug maintenance. I encourage you to
explore these features, and see what you can do with them!
<para>Quicksearch is a single-text-box query tool which uses
We'll spend no more time on individual Bugs or Queries from
metacharacters to indicate what is to be searched. For example, typing
this point on, so you are on your own there.
"<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.
</para>
</para>
<para>
But I'll give a few last hints!
<para>You'll find the Quicksearch box on Bugzilla's
front page, along with a
<ulinkurl="../../quicksearch.html">Help</ulink>
link which details how to use it.</para>
</section>
<sectionid="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.
</para>
</para>
<para>
<para>
There is a <ulink
Don't use sigs in comments. Signing your name ("Bill") is acceptable,
url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/help.html">CLUE</ulink> on the Query page that will teach you more how to use the form.
particularly if you do it out of habit, but full mail/news-style
four line ASCII art creations are not.
</para>
</para>
</section>
<sectionid="attachments">
<title>Attachments</title>
<para>
<para>
If you click the hyperlink on the <ulink
Use attachments, rather than comments, for large chunks of ASCII data,
url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/describecomponents.cgi">Component</ulink> box of the Query page, you will be presented a form that will describe what all the components are.
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>
<para>
Possibly the most powerful feature of the Query page is the
<para>Trim screenshots. There's no need to show the whole screen if
<ulink
you are pointing out a single-pixel problem.
url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/booleanchart.html">Boolean Chart</ulink> 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.
</para>
</para>
<para>
Finally, you can build some nifty <ulink
<para>Don't attach simple test cases (e.g. one HTML file, one
url="http://landfill.tequilarista.org/bugzilla-tip/reports.cgi">Reports</ulink> 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.
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>
</para>
</section>
</section>
</section>
</section>
<section>
<title>Filing Bugs</title>
<sectionid="init4me">
<para>Try to make sure that everything said in the summary is also
<title>Where can I find my user preferences?</title>
said in the first comment. Summaries are often updated and this will
<epigraph>
ensure your original information is easily accessible.
<para>
Indiana, it feels like we walking on fortune cookies!
</para>
</para>
<para>
<para>
These ain't fortune cookies, kid...
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>
</epigraph>
<para>
<para>If you feel a bug you filed was incorrectly marked as a
Customized User Preferences offer tremendous versatility to your
DUPLICATE of another, please question it in your bug, not
individual Bugzilla experience. Let's plunge into what you can
the bug it was duped to. Feel free to CC the person who duped it
do! The first step is to click the "Edit prefs" link at the
if they are not already CCed.
footer of each page once you have logged in to <ulink
On this page, you can change your basic Account Settings,
<para>On this tab, you can change your basic account information,
including your password and full name. For security reasons,
including your password, email address and real name. For security
in order to change anything on this page you must type your
reasons, in order to change anything on this page you must type your
<emphasis>current</emphasis> password into the <quote>Old
<emphasis>current</emphasis>
Password</quote> field. If you wish to change your
password into the
password, type the new password you want into the <quote>New
<quote>Password</quote>
Password</quote> field and again into the <quote>Re-enter
field at the top of the page.
new password</quote> field to ensure you typed your new
If you attempt to change your email address, a confirmation
password correctly. Select the <quote>Submit</quote> button
email is sent to both the old and new addresses, with a link to use to
and you are done.
confirm the change. This helps to prevent account hijacking.</para>
</para>
</section>
</section>
<sectionid="emailsettings">
<sectionid="emailsettings">
<title>Email Settings</title>
<title>Email Settings</title>
<sectionid="notification"xreflabel="">
<title>Email Notification</title>
<para>On this tab you can reduce or increase the amount of email sent
<para>
you from Bugzilla, opting in our out depending on your relationship to
Here you can reduce or increase the amount of email sent you
the bug and the change that was made to it. (Note that you can also do
from Bugzilla. Although this is referred to as
client-side filtering using the X-Bugzilla-Reason header which Bugzilla
<quote>Advanced Email Filtering Options</quote>, they are,
adds to all bugmail.)</para>
in fact, the standard email filter set. All of them are
self-explanatory, but you can use the filters in interesting
<para>By entering user email names, delineated by commas, into the
ways. For instance, some people (notably Quality Assurance
"Users to watch" text entry box you can receive a copy of all the
personnel) often only care to receive updates regarding a
bugmail of other users (security settings permitting.) This powerful
bug when the bug changes state, so they can track bugs on
functionality enables seamless transitions as developers change
their flow charts and know when it is time to pull the bug
projects or users go on holiday.</para>
onto a quality assurance platform for inspection. Other
people set up email gateways to
<xreflinkend="bonsai"/> or <xreflinkend="tinderbox"/>, and
restrict which types of Bugzilla information are fed to
these systems..
</para>
</section>
<sectionid="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>
<sectionid="watchsettings">
<title>"Watching" Users</title>
<note>
<note>
<para>
<para>The ability to watch other users may not be available in all
This option may not be available in all Bugzilla
Bugzilla installations. If you can't see it, ask your
installations, depending upon the preferences of the
administrator.</para>
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>
</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>
<sectionid="footersettings">
<sectionid="footersettings">
<title>Page Footer</title>
<title>Page Footer</title>
<note>
<para>
<para>On the Search page, you can store queries in Bugzilla, so if you
By default, this page is quite barren. However, go explore
regularly run a particular query it is just a drop-down menu away.
the Query Page some more; you will find that you can store
Once you have a stored query, you can come
numerous queries on the server, so if you regularly run a
here to request that it also be displayed in your page footer.</para>
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>
<sectionid="permissionsettings">
<sectionid="permissionsettings">
<title>Permissions</title>
<title>Permissions</title>
<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>
<sectionid="usingbz-conc">
<para>This is a purely informative page which outlines your current
<title>Using Bugzilla-Conclusion</title>
permissions on this installation of Bugzilla - what product groups you
<para>
are in, and whether you can edit bugs or perform various administration
Thank you for reading through this portion of the Bugzilla
functions.</para>
Guide. I anticipate it may not yet meet the needs of all
</section>
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
