miscellaneous development tasks.
@menu
-* Introduction to issues and the Bug Squad::
+* Introduction to issues::
+* Bug Squad setup::
+* Bug Squad checklists::
* Issue classification::
* Adding issues to the tracker::
-* Checking and verifying issues::
* Summary of project status::
* Finding the cause of a regression::
@end menu
-@node Introduction to issues and the Bug Squad
-@section Introduction to issues and the Bug Squad
+@node Introduction to issues
+@section Introduction to issues
@warning{Unless otherwise specified, all the tasks in this chapter
are @qq{simple} tasks: they can be done by a normal user with
report contains enough information for developers, and checking
that a developer's fix actually resolves the problem.
-Every email to the bug list should be handled within @strong{24
-hours} in one of four ways:
+New volunteers for the Bug Squad should contact the
+@ref{Meisters, Bug Meister}.
+
+
+@node Bug Squad setup
+@section Bug Squad setup
+
+We highly recommend that you configure your email to use effective
+sorting; this can reduce your workload @emph{immensely}. The
+email folders names were chosen specifically to make them work if
+you sort your folders alphabetically.
@enumerate
@item
-If the behaviour is expected, the user should be told to read the
-documentation, or asked to clarify how he misread the docs and how
-the docs could be improved.
+Skim through every section of this chapter, @ref{Issues}. Read in
+detail any sections called @qq{Bug Squad...}, or any page linked
+from @ref{Bug Squad checklists}.
@item
-If the issue already exists in the tracker, send an email to that
-effect.
+If you do not have one already, create a gmail account and send
+the email address to the @ref{Meisters, Bug Meister}.
+
+@item
+Subscribe your gmail account to @code{bug-lilypond}.
+
+@item
+Configure your google code account:
+
+@enumerate
+
+@item
+Wait until your gmail account is listed in:
+
+@example
+@uref{http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/people/list}
+@end example
+
+@item
+Sign in to google code by clicking in the top-right corner of:
+
+@example
+@uref{http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/list}
+@end example
+
+You cannot log if you have Google Sharing
+@uref{http://www.googlesharing.net/} enabled.
+
+@item
+Go to your @qq{Profile}, and select @qq{Settings}.
+
+@item
+Scroll down to @qq{Issue change notification}, and make sure that
+you have @emph{selected} @qq{If I starred the issue}.
+
+@end enumerate
+
+@item
+Configure your email client:
+
+@enumerate
+
+@item
+Any email sent with your gmail address in the @code{To:} or
+@code{CC:} fields should go to a @code{bug-answers} folder.
+
+When setting up your filtering rules, be aware that Google Code
+might use different versions of your email address, such as ones
+ending in @code{@@googlemail.com} or @code{@@gmail.com}.
+
+@item
+Any other email either from, or CC'd to,
+
+@example
+lilypond@@googlecode.com
+@end example
+
+@noindent
+should go into a separate @code{bug-ignore} folder. Alternately,
+you may automatically delete these emails.
+
+You will @strong{not read} these emails as part of your Bug Squad
+duties. If you are curious, go ahead and read them later, but it
+does @strong{not} count as Bug Squad work.
+
+@item
+Any other email sent to (or CC'd to):
+
+@example
+bug-lilypond
+@end example
+
+@noindent
+should go into a separate @code{bug-current} folder.
+
+@end enumerate
+
+@end enumerate
+
+
+@node Bug Squad checklists
+@section Bug Squad checklists
+
+When you do Bug Squad work, start at the top of this page and work
+your way down. Stop when you've done 15 minutes.
+
+Please use the email sorting described in @ref{Bug Squad setup}.
+This means that (as Bug Squad members) you will only ever respond
+to emails sent or CC'd to the @code{bug-lilypond} mailing list.
+
+
+@subsubheading Emails to you personally
+
+You are not expected to work on Bug Squad matters outside of your
+15 minutes, but sometimes a confused user will send a bug report
+(or an update to a report) to you personally. If that happens,
+please forward such emails to the @code{bug-lilypond} list so that
+the currently-active Bug Squad member(s) can handle the message.
+
+
+@subsubheading Daily schedule
+
+The Bug Meister is omitted from the daily schedule.
+
+@example
+Sunday: Colin
+Monday: Dmytro
+Tuesday: James Bailey
+Wednesday: Ralph
+Thursday: Patrick
+Friday: Urs
+Saturday: Kieren
+@end example
+
+
+@subsubheading Emails to @code{bug-answers}
+
+Some of these emails will be comments on issues that you added to
+the tracker.
+
+@itemize
+If they are asking for more information, give the additional
+information.
+
+@item
+If the email says that the issue was classified in some other
+manner, read the rationale given and take that into account for
+the next issue you add.
+
+@item
+Otherwise, move them to your @code{bug-ignore} folder.
+
+@end itemize
+
+Some of these emails will be discussions about Bug Squad work;
+read those.
+
+
+@subsubheading Emails to @code{bug-current}
+
+Dealing with these emails is your main task. Your job is to get
+rid of these emails in the first method which is applicable:
+
+@enumerate
+@item
+If the email has already been handled by a Bug Squad member (i.e.
+check to see who else has replied to it), delete it.
+
+@item
+If the email is a question about how to use LilyPond, reply with
+this response:
+
+@example
+For questions about how to use LilyPond, please read our
+documentation available from:
+ @uref{http://lilypond.org/website/manuals.html}
+or ask the lilypond-user mailing list.
+@end example
@item
-Ask the user for more information, such as lilypond version number
-(if not given) and operating system (if this is a suspected cause
-of the problem).
+If the email mentions @qq{the latest git}, or any version number
+that has not yet been officially released, forward it to
+@code{lilypond-devel}.
+
+@item
+If a bug report is not in the form of a Tiny example, direct the
+user to resubmit the report with this response:
+
+@example
+I'm sorry, but due to our limited resources for handling bugs, we
+can only accept reports in the form of Tiny examples. Please see
+step 2 in our bug reporting guidelines:
+ @uref{http://lilypond.org/website/bug-reports.html}
+@end example
+
+@item
+If anything is unclear, ask the user for more information.
+
+How does the graphical output differ from what the user expected?
+What version of lilypond was used (if not given) and operating
+system (if this is a suspected cause of the problem)? In short,
+if you cannot understand what the problem is, ask the user to
+explain more. It is the user's responsibility to explain the
+problem, not your responsibility to understand it.
+
+@item
+If the behavior is expected, the user should be told to read the
+documentation:
+
+@example
+I believe that this is the expected behaviour -- please read our
+documentation about this topic. If you think that it really is a
+mistake, please explain in more detail. If you think that the
+docs are unclear, please suggest an improvement as described by
+@qq{Simple tasks -- Documentation} on:
+ @uref{http://lilypond.org/website/help-us.html}
+@end example
+
+@item
+If the issue already exists in the tracker, send an email to that
+effect:
+
+@example
+This issue has already been reported; you can follow the
+discussion and be notified about fixes here:
+@end example
+
+@noindent
+(copy+paste the google code issue URL)
@item
Accept the report as described in
@end enumerate
+All emails should be CC'd to the @code{bug-lilypond} list so that
+other Bug Squad members know that you have processed the email.
+
+@warning{There is no option for @qq{ignore the bug report} -- if
+you cannot find a reason to reject the report, you must accept
+it.}
+
+
+@ignore
+@c Try omitting this from Bug Squad duties
+
+@subheading Updates / discussion about issues
+
+We try to keep discussions about issues on the tracker, but
+sometimes it spills over onto email. If discussion has ended with
+no patch / resolution and at least @strong{3 days} have passed,
+then either:
+
+@itemize
+
+@item
+Summarize the recent discussion on the tracker, and add a link to
+the original discussion.
+
+@item
+Add the comment @qq{there was some technical discussion which I
+could not understand}, and include a link to the original
+discussion.
+
+We do not expect Bug Squad members to be programmers, or even to
+be moderately-skilled users. Your job is to keep track of issue
+reports; it is @emph{perfectly acceptable} to not understand
+discussions between advanced users and/or developers.
+
+@end itemize
+@end ignore
+
+
+@subheading Regular maintenance
+
+After @strong{every release} (both stable and unstable):
+
+@itemize
+
+@item
+Regression test comparison: if anything has changed suspiciously,
+ask if it was deliberate. The official comparison is online, at:
+
+@c NOTE: leave this here. In this case, it's worth duplicating
+@c the link. -gp
+@example
+@uref{http://lilypond.org/test/}
+@end example
+
+More information is available from in
+@ref{Precompiled regression tests}.
+
+
+@item
+Issues to verify: try to reproduce the bug with the latest
+version; if you cannot reproduce the bug, mark the item
+@qq{Verified} (i.e. @qq{the fix has been verified to work}).
+
+@example
+@uref{http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/list?can=7}
+@end example
+
+A few (approximately 10%) of these fixed issues relate to the
+build system or fundamental architecture changes; there is no way
+for you to verify these. Leave those issues alone; somebody else
+will handle them.
+
+@end itemize
+
+
+@ignore
+@c try omitting from daily tasks for now. -gp
+
+Once every @strong{two weeks} or so:
+
+@itemize
+
+@item
+Check for any incorrectly-classified items in the tracker. This
+generally just means looking at the grid to see any items without
+a Type or Priority.
+
+@item
+Check for any items with @code{label:patch}. If it's been more
+than a week since the last action on the issue, send an email to
+-devel to remind them about it. If the patch was withdrawn for
+more work, then remove the @code{patch} label.
+
+@example
+@uref{http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/list?can=2&q=label:patch}
+@end example
+
+@end itemize
+
+
+@subheading Irregular maintenance
+
+@warning{These tasks are a lot of work; gathering more volunteers
+to help is definitely recommended. However, the Bug Squad should
+handle the organization and training of new volunteers.}
+
+Once every year or two:
+
+@itemize
+
+@item
+Checking all regtests: although we have a system for checking the
+regtests between two versions, occasionally a bug will slip
+through the cracks. It is therefore good to manually examine all
+the regtests (compare the images to the text description). More
+information is available from in @ref{Regression tests}.
+
+
+@item
+Checking all issues: we try to mark each Issue @q{fixed} when we
+fix it, but occasionally one or two issues will slip through the
+cracks. It is therefore good to check all Issues. If you see the
+same (broken) output as the initial report, then simply post a
+@qq{Problem still exists in 2.x.y} message to the issue.
+
+@end itemize
+
+@end ignore
+
@node Issue classification
@section Issue classification
-The classification of what counts as a bug vs. feature request,
-and the priorities assigned to bugs, are a matter of concern
-@strong{for developers only}. The Bug Squad should classify
-issues according to the guidelines given by developers.
-
-Every issue should have a Status, Type, and Priority; the other
-fields are optional.
+The Bug Squad should classify issues according to the guidelines
+given by developers. Every issue should have a Status, Type, and
+Priority; the other fields are optional.
@subheading Status (mandatory)
that contributor.
@item
-Verified: Bug Squad has confirmed that the issue is closed.
+Verified: Bug Squad has confirmed that the issue is closed. This
+means that nobody should ever need look at the report again -- if
+there is any information in the issue that should be kept, open a
+new issue for that info.
@end itemize
@itemize
@item
-Priority-Critical: lilypond segfaults, or a regression occurred
-within the last two stable versions. (i.e. when developing 2.13,
-any regression against 2.12 or 2.10 counts)
+Priority-Critical: LilyPond segfaults, a regression against a
+previous stable version or a regression against a fix developed
+for this version. This does not apply where the @qq{regression}
+occurred because a feature was removed deliberately - this is not
+a bug.
@item
-Priority-High: highly embarrassing items, and any regression
-against a version earlier than two stable versions (i.e. when
-developing 2.13, any regression against 2.8 or earlier). This
-level is also used for issues which produce no output and fail to
-give the user a clue about what's wrong.
+Priority-High: An issue which produces output which does not
+accurately reflect the input (e.g. where the user would expect
+an accidental, but none is shown) or which produces aesthetically
+poor output in a situation which could be expected to crop up
+frequently in real-world music. It should not be used where the
+problem can be avoided with a simple workaround. It can also
+be used to flag where new code in a development version is not
+functioning as it should. This level is also used for issues
+which produce no output and fail to give the user a clue about
+what's wrong.
@item
-Priority-Medium: normal priority.
+Priority-Medium: Normal priority - use this as the default.
@item
-Priority-Low: less important than normal.
+Priority-Low: A minor problem which produces slightly undesirable
+output, or which will only occur in contrived examples, or which
+is very easily worked around.
@item
Priority-Postponed: no fix planned. Generally used for things
-like Ancient notation, which nobody wants to touch.
+which nobody wants to touch.
@end itemize
-The difference between Priority-Medium and Priority-Low is not
-well-defined, both in this policy and in practice. The only
-answer we can give at the moment is @qq{look at existing items in
-of the same type, and try to guess whether the priority is closer
-to the Medium items or Low items}. We're aware of the ambiguity,
-and won't complain if somebody picks a @q{wrong} value for
-Medium/Low.
-
@subheading Opsys (optional)
issue should also have an estimated time in a comment.
@item
-Maintainability: hinders developent of LilyPond. For example,
+Maintainability: hinders development of LilyPond. For example,
improvements to the build system, or @qq{helper} python scripts.
@item
-Bounty: somebody is willing to pay for the fix.
+Bounty: somebody is willing to pay for the fix. Only add this tag
+if somebody has offered an exact figure in US dollars or euros.
@item
Warning: graphical output is fine, but lilypond prints a
@end itemize
-If you particularly want to add an label not in the list, go
+If you particularly want to add a label not in the list, go
ahead, but this is not recommended.
@subsubheading Normal issues
+@enumerate
+
+@item
+Check if the issue falls into any previous category given on the
+relevant checklists in @ref{Bug Squad checklists}. If in doubt,
+add a new issue for a report. We would prefer to have some
+incorrectly-added issues rather than lose information that should
+have been added.
+
+@item
+Add the issue and classify it according to the guidelines in
+@ref{Issue classification}. In particular, the item should have
+@code{Status}, @code{Type-}, and @code{Priority-} labels.
+
+Include output with the first applicable method:
+
@itemize
@item
-Check if the issue already exists in the tracker.
+If the issue has a notation example which fits in one system,
+generate a small @file{bug.preview.png} file with:
+
+@example
+lilypond -dpreview bug.ly
+@end example
@item
-If the initial bug report contains lilypond examples which do not
-follow the guidelines in @rweb{Tiny examples}, either ask the
-reporter to create such an example, or make one yourself.
+If the issue has an example which requires more than one system
+(i.e. a spacing bug), generate a @file{bug.png} file with:
-If you are willing to spend the effort, we would prefer it if the
-Bug Squad member created a tiny example themselves instead of
-asking the user to do so.
+@example
+lilypond --png bug.ly
+@end example
@item
-Add the issue and classify it according to the guidelines in
-@ref{Issue classification}. In particular, the item should have
-@code{Status}, @code{Type-}, and @code{Priority-} labels.
+If the issue requires one or two pages of output, then generate a
+@file{bug.png} file with the normal:
+
+@example
+lilypond --png bug.ly
+@end example
+
+@item
+If the issue cannot be shown with less than three pages, then
+generate a @file{bug.pdf} file with:
+
+@example
+lilypond --pdf bug.ly
+@end example
+
+Note that this is likely to be extremely rare; most bugs should fit
+into the first two categories above.
+
+
+@end itemize
@item
After adding the issue, please send a response email to the same
@code{bugs}), then reply to all those mailing lists as well. The
email should contain a link to the issue you just added.
-@end itemize
+@end enumerate
@subsubheading Patch reminders
+@warning{This is not a Bug Squad responsibility; we have a
+separate person handling this task.}
+
There is a special category of issues: reminders of an existing
patch. These should be added if a patch has been sent to a
lilypond mailing list (generally @code{lilypond-devel}, but they
email should contain a link to the issue you just added.
-@node Checking and verifying issues
-@section Checking and verifying issues
-
-After each release (both stable and unstable):
-
-@itemize
-
-@item
-Regression test comparison: check the relevant version in
-@uref{http://lilypond.org/test/}.
-
-@item
-Issues to verify:
-@uref{http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/list?can=7}.
-
-@end itemize
-
-Once every two weeks or so:
-
-@itemize
-
-@item
-Check for any incorrectly-classified items in the tracker. This
-generally just means looking at the grid to see any items without
-a Type or Priority.
-
-@item
-Check for any items with @code{label:patch}. If it's been more
-than a week since the last action on the issue, send an email to
--devel to remind them about it. If the patch was withdrawn for
-more work, then remove the @code{patch} label.
-
-@example
-@uref{http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/list?can=2&q=label:patch}
-@end example
-
-@end itemize
-
-Once every year or two: (yes, these are large tasks; gathering
-more volunteers to help is definitely recommended)
-
-@itemize
-
-@item
-Checking all regtests: although we have a system for checking the
-regtests between two versions, occasionally a bug will slip
-through the cracks. It is therefore good to manually examine all
-the regtests (compare the images to the text description).
-
-@item
-Checking all issues: we try to mark each Issue @q{fixed} when we
-fix it, but occasionally one or two issues will slip through the
-cracks. It is therefore good to check all Issues. If you see the
-same (broken) output as the initial report, then simply post a
-@qq{Problem still exists in 2.x.y} message to the issue.
-
-@end itemize
-
@node Summary of project status
@section Summary of project status
much easier. In fact, for most regression bugs, the majority of
the time is spent simply finding the problematic commit.
+More information is in @ref{Regression tests}.
+
projects / lilypond.git / blobdiff