Testing and reporting bugs
This page is for every user of Exponential. You do not need to write code to make the software better: a precise bug description is often half of the fix.
Which tracker
| Problem | Where |
|---|---|
| A bug in the Exponential software | https://github.com/se7enxweb/exponential/issues |
| A bug in an extension | That extension's repository on GitHub |
| The project, its websites or the community | https://github.com/se7enxweb/exponential-community/issues |
| A security vulnerability | Privately to [email protected]; never a public issue (SECURITY.md) |
| It works as designed, just not the way you would like | Possibly a deliberate behavior other sites rely on; read Negative features first, since changing one needs a clear justification and several rounds of review |
A good bug description
The help's own guide explains it fully: When something goes wrong. The essentials:
- What you did, step by step.
- What you expected, and what happened instead.
- The versions: Exponential, PHP, database, engine, extensions. One command collects them all:
./console exp:info --json --no-logo(or--plainfor a text block). Paste its output as it is: it never contains a password, key, token, database user or full database address (The system card). - Error messages and log lines, with passwords, keys and personal data removed.
- Whether it happens on a clean installation.
Testing before a release
Development happens on the main branch, and fixes are "published with the next 6.0.x release" (SECURITY.md).
Testing main on a test installation finds problems before they reach everyone:
- Install from Git (Develop with Git).
- Update to the latest
main. - Do what you normally do: edit, publish, upload, search, switch languages.
- Report anything that broke, with the commit you tested.
Never test development versions on a production site.
Follow up
- Answer questions on your issue; unanswered questions are the most common reason a bug stalls.
- Test the fix when it lands and say whether it works.
- If you can fix it yourself: When something goes wrong, "Even better: send the fix".
Related pages
- When something goes wrong
- Contributing code
- Helping others in the community
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
Become an Exponential Partner
Partners share their information, provide funding, contribute back and develop the products with us, and that is how Exponential grows. A partner website and dashboard are planned for mid-2027: please become a partner today to speed up our growth rate and land new features faster.