How to write a bug report

We don’t like bugs, neither you do. I’ve seen a post in jetpack blog talking about this and I’ve found really interesting. I’m going to reproduce it here:

Here’s a great rule: If we can’t reproduce the bug, we can’t fix the bug.

When you report a bug to us, here’s what happens:

  • We read the bug report

  • One of us tries to reproduce the bug

  • If we can reproduce it, we investigate what’s broken and fix it

  • But if we can’t reproduce the bug…

  • Often bug reports don’t include enough information. Meaning we have go back and ask for details so we can investigate. If you want to increase the odds we fix an issue, and fix it fast, help us out.

A great bug report includes the following:

  1. What were you trying to do?

  2. What did you click on or do last?

  3. What happened / what did you see?

  4. What browser are you using?

  5. What version of OSClass?

  6. What hosting provider? (And if you know, what version of PHP do they use?)

  7. The bug is reported to the right place:

    1. Plugins: Specify the plugin and the version

    2. Themes: Specify the theme and the version

Bug reports that show screenshots for #3 are incredibly useful, as we can see exactly what you saw.

Bonus points for reviewing known issues before submitting, as your problem might already have been reported and have a patch or a workaround.

We work hard to have you deal with as few issues as possible, but if you want to improve the odds we can fix your issue fast, please take a extra minute to write a bug report that’s easier for us to use. Thanks.

Source: How to write a great bug report

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