Checking if a bug already exists¶

The first step before filing an issue report is to see whether the problem hasalready been reported. Checking if the problem is an existing issue will:

• help you see if the problem has already been resolved or has been fixed forthe next release

• save time for you and the developers

• help you learn what needs to be done to fix it

• determine if additional information, such as how to replicate the issue,is needed

To see if an issue already exists, search the bug database using the search boxabove the list of bugs on the issues page. A form-basedadvanced search querybuilder is also available on GitHub to help creating the text query you need.

Reporting an issue¶

If the problem you’re reporting is not already in theissue tracker, youcan report it using the greenNew issue button on the right of the searchbox above the list of bugs. If you’re not already signed in to GitHub, itwill ask you to do so now.

First you need to select what kind of problem you want to report. Theavailable choices include, for example:

• Bug report: an existing feature isn’t working as expected.

• Documentation: there is missing, invalid, or misleading documentation.

• Feature or enhancement: suggest a new feature for Python.

• Report a security vulnerability: privately report a security vulnerability.

Depending on your choice, a dedicated form template will appear.In particular, you’ll notice that the last button actually takes you tothePython Discourse (discuss.python.org),where many Python-related discussions take place.

The submission form has only two fields that you need to fill:

• in theTitle field, enter avery short description of the problem;less than ten words is good;

• in theWrite field, describe the problem in detail using hints fromthe template that was put in that field for you. Be sure to include whatyou expected to happen, what did happen, and how to replicate theproblem. Be sure to include whether any extension modules were involved,and what hardware and software platform you were using (including versioninformation as appropriate). In particular,what version of Python youwere using.

You can tag someone, with@username in a comment,if you think the issue should be brought to their attention.Use theExperts index to know who wants to betagged or assigned for specific areas.

There are a number of additional fields likeAssignees,Labels,andProjects. Those are filled by triagers and coredevelopers and are covered in theTriaging an issue page. You don’t needto worry about those when reporting issues as a Python user.

Adding special links¶

The following abbreviations can be used in a comment to generate a link:

• GH-NNN: to link to another issue or PR;

• PEP-NNN: to link to a specific PEP;

• BPO-NNN: to link to a bugs.python.org issue;

See also thelist of autolinks supported by GitHub.

Following issues¶

If you want to subscribe yourself to an issue, click the🔔 Subscribebutton in the sidebar. Similarly, if you were tagged by somebody else butdecided this issue is not for you, click the🔕 Unsubscribebutton in the sidebar. Note that you are automatically subscribed toissues you created.

Tracking dependencies and duplicates¶

It is possible to usechecklists to track dependencies or,in case of meta-issues, to link to the other related issues.

By writingDuplicateof#NNN in a comment, you canmark issues and PRs as duplicates.