Item Tracking system implemented as a Foswiki Data Application

The Bugs web is intended for collecting reports of issues, and then tracking progress towards getting those issues fixed. Issues are structured Foswiki topics, where forms are used to store a number of fields that contain data about the issue.

This is an Item Tracking System implemented using DataForms. It has been implemented to be used in a web on its own, but could be intermingled with a discussion style Web. It is a pure Foswiki Data Application implemented using only what you get in the box when you download Foswiki.

A customised version of it has been in use as TWiki's bug tracking and shakeout system since 2005 - See http://develop.twiki.org/~twiki4/cgi-bin/view/Bugs, and now also as Foswiki's tracking system since the Fork.

The BugsContrib is a Foswiki Application (an application that is implemented entirely in Foswiki topics). It is designed to use the left bars supported by PatternSkin and the Foswiki:Extensions.MoveableTypeSkin, though could easily be converted to another skin. It's ideal for a small bug database (we have used it with over 4000 items with no problems) for a disciplined team.

The main entry point for examining the list of issues is _BugsContrib.AllOutStandingItems, which can be used to perform general purpose searches over the database. You can subdivide the web into different areas using the _BugsContrib.AppliesTo field, and provide each area with its own search topic.

Existing bug bases

Bugs base web
Tasks

Installation

Installation Instructions

• Download the archive from the Extensions web (see below)
• Unpack it in your Foswiki installation directory.
• Make sure that all files are readable by the web server user
• Run perl BugsContrib_installer.pl install to automatically check and install other Foswiki modules that this module depends on, that you may not have installed. This script also includes an uninstall option should you ever wish to remove the plugin from your installation, and an upgrade option that will automatically download and install the latest version.
• Create a new bugs web workspace below.
• To notify users via email when a report they have created, or are expected to provide feedback for, has changed, modify your crontab entry for the MailerContrib

Create a new Bugs web workspace

Name of new Bugs web	The name must start with an upper case letter, followed by upper or lower case letters or numbers. Specify a short name to avoid long URLs.
Web color	Enter a StandardColors code for the web
Description	Enter a short description of the web. Write Web.TopicName instead of just TopicName if you include links. This description will be used in the SiteMap

0 0 * * *      ( cd /path/to/foswiki/bin && ../tools/genwebnotify WebName && ../tools/mailnotify )

Customising the Bugs Web

The web is configured as a simple bug tracker, but can easily be customised to meet your own requirements. Here are some pointers:

1. _BugsContrib.ItemTemplate contains the basic bug form. This is a DataForm.
2. _BugsContrib.WebLeftBar contains the left menu bar
3. _BugsContrib.AppliesTo contains the list of areas that an issue might apply to. Configure this to your own requirements
4. _BugsContrib.Priority contains a list of valid priorities
5. _BugsContrib.CurrentState contains a list of valid item states

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• Set SHORTDESCRIPTION = Item Tracking system implemented as a Foswiki Application

Authors:	Foswiki:Main.SvenDowideit of distributedINFORMATION.com, http://wikiring.com partners & others
Plasticbug logo	by Ryan Ford
Dependencies:	None
License:	GPL
Release:	4 Oct 2010
Version:	9513 (2010-10-05)
Change History:
3 Oct 2010:	Foswikitask:Item9785: Add BugsContrib.pm dummy module and document requirement.
15 Oct 2009:	Foswiki:Main.SvenDowideit - Foswiki:Bugs.Item2252 - remove twiki css
16 May 2009:	Foswiki:Main.WillNorris - Foswiki:Bugs.Item5669 - dashboard cleanup
16 May 2009:	Foswiki:Main.WillNorris - Foswiki:Bugs.Item8158 - add edit to each result row
16 May 2009:	Foswiki:Main.WillNorris - Foswiki:Bugs.Item8156 - change to template web architecture, to allow more than one bug base per installation
15 May 2009:	Foswiki:Main.WillNorris - Foswiki:Bugs.Item1576 - fix hard-coded /Bugs/ web directory name
22 Jan 2009:	Foswiki:Main.WillNorris - support to email users when a report they have created, or are expected to provide feedback for, has changed
1 Nov 2007:	Foswiki:Main.SvenDowideit - updated to fix bugs reported in the Dev topic (4.2 query release to come later)
13 Feb 2007:	Foswiki:Main.SvenDowideit - update with lessons learned from longer term use
	Foswiki:Main.CrawfordCurrie - packaged for Release
Home:	Foswiki:Extensions/BugsContrib
Support:	Foswiki:Support/BugsContrib