Dealing with Bugs¶
Python is a mature programming language which has established a reputation forstability. In order to maintain this reputation, the developers would like toknow of any deficiencies you find in Python.
It can be sometimes faster to fix bugs yourself and contribute patches toPython as it streamlines the process and involves less people. Learn how tocontribute.
Documentation bugs¶
If you find a bug in this documentation or would like to propose an improvement,please submit a bug report on theissue tracker. If youhave a suggestion on how to fix it, include that as well.
You can also open a discussion item on ourDocumentation Discourse forum.
If you find a bug in the theme (HTML / CSS / JavaScript) of thedocumentation, please submit a bug report on thepython-doc-theme issuetracker.
See also
- Documentation bugs
A list of documentation bugs that have been submitted to the Python issue tracker.
- Issue Tracking
Overview of the process involved in reporting an improvement on the tracker.
- Helping with Documentation
Comprehensive guide for individuals that are interested in contributing to Python documentation.
- Documentation Translations
A list of GitHub pages for documentation translation and their primary contacts.
Using the Python issue tracker¶
Issue reports for Python itself should be submitted via the GitHub issuestracker (https://github.com/python/cpython/issues).The GitHub issues tracker offers a web form which allows pertinent informationto be entered and submitted to the developers.
The first step in filing a report is to determine whether the problem hasalready been reported. The advantage in doing so, aside from saving thedevelopers’ time, is that you learn what has been done to fix it; it may be thatthe problem has already been fixed for the next release, or additionalinformation is needed (in which case you are welcome to provide it if you can!).To do this, search the tracker using the search box at the top of the page.
If the problem you’re reporting is not already in the list, log in to GitHub.If you don’t already have a GitHub account, create a new account using the“Sign up” link.It is not possible to submit a bug report anonymously.
Being now logged in, you can submit an issue.Click on the “New issue” button in the top bar to report a new issue.
The submission form has two fields, “Title” and “Comment”.
For the “Title” field, enter avery short description of the problem;fewer than ten words is good.
In the “Comment” field, describe the problem in detail, including what youexpected to happen and what did happen. Be sure to include whether anyextension modules were involved, and what hardware and software platform youwere using (including version information as appropriate).
Each issue report will be reviewed by a developer who will determine what needs tobe done to correct the problem. You will receive an update each time an action istaken on the issue.
See also
- How to Report Bugs Effectively
Article which goes into some detail about how to create a useful bug report.This describes what kind of information is useful and why it is useful.
- Bug Writing Guidelines
Information about writing a good bug report. Some of this is specific to theMozilla project, but describes general good practices.
Getting started contributing to Python yourself¶
Beyond just reporting bugs that you find, you are also welcome to submitpatches to fix them. You can find more information on how to get startedpatching Python in thePython Developer’s Guide. If you have questions,thecore-mentorship mailing list is a friendly place to get answers toany and all questions pertaining to the process of fixing issues in Python.