Reporting problems
A problem reported well is half solved. This page sets up how your team reports problems: who collects them, what facts to send, and where each kind of problem goes. The editor's step-by-step version is When something goes wrong.
First: is it an error?
Some pages only say that something is not allowed or not there, for example "Your account does not have the proper privileges", or a grayed-out button. Those are questions of access, not bugs: ask your site administrator (When something goes wrong).
One contact for the team
Agree one person (and a deputy) who collects problems from editors and customers and passes them on. It avoids the same problem being reported three times, and it gives your provider one person to answer.
The facts to collect
| Fact | Example |
|---|---|
| The page address | Copied from the browser's address bar |
| The time, with time zone | "14:05 CET" |
| The error reference, if shown | ERR-0123456789 |
| What was done, step by step | "Opened the article, pressed Edit, uploaded a ZIP file" |
| What was expected, and what happened | The exact message |
| Everyone, or one account? | "Only my account", "every editor" |
| Recent changes | An update, a new extension, a settings change |
This is the list a host's support staff are told to collect (Support tiers); sending it straight away saves a round trip. A screenshot helps, "as long as it shows no passwords or other people's personal data" (When something goes wrong).
How urgent is it?
A common severity scale from the hosting section (Support tiers):
| Severity | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Critical | The site is down or data is being lost or exposed | Every page returns an error; a suspected compromise |
| 2 High | An important function fails, no workaround | Editors cannot publish; sign-in fails |
| 3 Normal | A function fails, a workaround exists | One view renders wrongly |
| 4 Low | Questions, wishes | "Can we add a language?" |
Use the scale your contract defines, if it has one; otherwise agree this one.
Where it goes
| Kind of problem | Goes to |
|---|---|
| Access, roles, "how do I" | Your site administrator, and the help in the administration |
| The server, the site is down, mail, certificates | Your host (When to call whom) |
| Your templates, designs, custom extensions | Your partner or developer |
| A reproducible bug in Exponential itself | The public issue tracker, usually filed by your administrator or partner (GitHub issues, The help report page) |
| A security problem in the software | Privately to [email protected], never in public (Private security reports) |
| Questions about the project | The community places (Getting support) |
| Something that works as designed, just not as your team wants | Possibly a deliberate behavior other sites rely on (Negative features); a change needs a clear business case and several rounds of review, and an option is easier to win than a new default |
Never send
"Never put passwords, keys, session cookies, database addresses, or the personal data of customers or users into a public issue" (When something goes wrong). The same rule is wise for tickets and e-mail to your providers: a provider should never ask for a password; "Use a throwaway test account if you must reproduce something signed in" (Support tiers).
A report to copy
Subject: [Severity 1-4] <short description>
Page: <address>
Time: <date, time, time zone>
Error reference: <ERR-... or none>
Who is affected: <everyone / one account / editors only>
Steps: 1. ... 2. ... 3. ...
Expected: <what should happen>
Happened: <what happened, exact message>
Recent changes: <update, new extension, settings, none known>
Reported by: <name, role, how to reach you>Related pages
- When the site is down
- Logs for owners
- Logs and error references (for businesses)
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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