Overview

TheBugTrack is an easy-to-use online issue tracking and team collaboration tool designed specifically for Google Apps users.  No setup is required.  TheBugTrack eliminates the tedious setup and IT support associated with traditional bug tracking systems.  Simplicity and usability are at the core of TheBugTrack service.

TheBugTrack is easy to use while providing a rich set of bug tracking features:

Based on your requests, new features are regularly added to TheBugTrack service to meet your issue tracking needs.

A Bug's Life Cycle

Change Bug's State

User could take the following actions to modify a bug or change bug's state.

Submit a Bug

• Click "Compose Bug" button to start composing a new bug.
• Click "Discard" button to abort the process of creating new bug.
• Click "Save Draft" button to save a draft bug before submission.
• Click "Submit" button to submit a new bug. If fixer is not filled, bug stays at "New" state. If fixer is filled, bug changes to "Assigned" state.

Assign a Bug

• "Assign" a bug moves bug from "New" state to "Assigned" state. Click "Assign" button to start the process of assigning a bug.
• Click "Cancel" button to abort the process.
• Click "Apply" button to complete the assigning process. Bug changes to "Assigned" state.
• "Fixer" must be filled when assigning a bug.

Modify a Bug

• At any state, click "Modify" button to start the process of modify a bug.
• Click "Cancel" button to abort the process.
• Click "Apply" button to complete the "Modify" process. Modifying a bug doesn't change bug's state.
• There are a few variations of "Modify" process, such as:
  • From "Notes" section, click "Add Note" to add a new note to a bug.
  • From "Attachments" section, click "Attach a file", choose a file, then click "Upload" to attach a new file to a bug.
  • From "Links" tab, click "Add a link" to add a new link to a bug.

Resolve a Bug

• "Resolve" a bug moves bug form "Assigned" state to "In Test" state. Click "Resolve" button to start the process of resolving a bug.
• Click "Cancel" button to abort the process.
• Click "Apply" button to complete the "Resolve" process. Bug changes to "In Test" state.
• Mandatory fields are: "Resolution" and "Tester".

Close a Bug

• "Close" bug moves bug from "In Test" state to "Closed" state. When verifying a bug, if test passes, click "Close".
• Click "Cancel" button to abort the process.
• Click "Apply" button to complete the "Close" process. Bug changes to "Closed" state.

Fail a Bug

• "Fail" bug moves bug from "In Test" state back to "Assigned" state. When verifying a bug, if test fails, click "Fail" button.
• Click "Cancel" button to abort the process.
• Click "Apply" button to complete the "Fail" process. Bug changes back to "Assigned" state.

Find a Bug

• To load bug by ID, enter bug ID in the search box and click "Find by ID" button.
• Enter any text in search box and click "Search" button to perform full text search of bugs.

User-Created Workgroup

As an issue tracking service, TheBugTrack started with tight integration with Google Apps domain.  Any Google Apps administrator can add TheBugTrack service from Google Apps Marketplace.  Google Apps user likes the seamless integration such as automatic user sync-up between TheBugTrack service and Google Apps domain.

However we are often asked how users not from Google Apps can use TheBugTrack service.  We are happy to report, with latest build, any user who has a gmail address or Yahoo! email address can use TheBugTrack service.

Firstly, from the welcome page, you will find three log in icons: log in as Gmail user, log in as Google Apps user, or log in as Yahoo! user:

Both Google and Yahoo! support OpenID standard, and your log in request will be redirected to Google or Yahoo! to verify your user credential.  It's win-win situation here, as user you don't need to create yet another user name and password to use TheBugTrack service, and as an online service TheBugTrack doesn't need to handle user password management.

Next, after logging in as Gmail or Yahoo! user, you can create your own workgroup.  The only thing you need is a workgroup name.  You can add a workgroup icon if you like.  Here is the workgroup setup page:

After the workgroup is created, you can start invite users to your workgroup! TheBugTrack will send an email invitation to the new user and the new can accept the invitation with a simple click.  Let the bug filing begin for your new workgroup!

Full Text Search

TheBugTrack supports full text search to quickly find bugs.  Simply type any text you'd like to search in the search box and click "Enter" key or "Search" button.  The search covers bug title, bug description, notes, resolution notes and any custom fields of "free text" type.  To add custom fields, please enter project settings page and click "Custom Fields" tab.  Any field with "free text" type is search-able.

Full text search looks for basic form of words and enables fuzzy search.  For example, a search for Kids, kid, or Kid will return the same results.

If you know specific bug ID, you can enter the bug ID number into the search box, and click "Find by ID" button.  TheBugTrack will directly jump to bug's form view.

Hope you like the search feature, please send your questions/comments to support@thebugtrack.com.

Links

TheBugTrack supports tab called "Links" in bug record.  From "Links" tab, user can add links to other bugs, or add URL link to any web page.  Please see screen capture below:

To add a new link, please click "Add a link".  A new "Link" dialog will show up:

Please input any bug ID you'd like the current bug links to in edit box and then click "Find bug".  After bug is found, please add your comments and then click "OK".  A new link between two bugs is now created.

You can also create a link with an URL, please click "Web address" radio button:

After links are created, you can find them on "Links" tab:

Reports

TheBugTrack provides basic report feature.  To navigate to report page, please click "Report" link on the top right menu bar.

By default, TheBugTrack report page shows last seven days bug count of "Assigned" state, with a line chart.  User could easily change the query date range, as well as add/remove bug count trend lines of different states, such as "New", "Assigned", "In Test" and "Closed".

The picture below shows seven days bug count trend of "Assigned" bugs and "In Test" bugs:

Predefined Queries

TheBugTrack provides a set of default queries to meet most common needs for all users.

My Tickets

All the tickets in this list meet one of these two criteria:

• Bug in "New" or "Assigned" state and the "Fixer" is the user.  Or,
• Bug in "In Test" state and the "Tester" is the user.

Above the bug list, an informational bar describes the query: "Bugs assigned to me to fix, or bugs which have been resolved waiting for me to test."

My Archive

All the tickets in this list meet both criteria below:

• Bug is in "Closed" state.  And,

• Bug's "Fixer" or "Tester" or "Submitter" is the user.

Above the bug list, an informational bar describes the query: "Bugs in "Closed" state which were either submitted by me, fixed by me or tested by me."

Submitted by Me

All the tickets in this list meet the following criteria:

• Bug is NOT in "Closed" state.
• Bug's "Submitter" is the user.

Above the table view, there should be an informational bar describes the query: "Bugs submitted by me which are yet to be closed".

All 'New'

All the tickets in this list meet the following criteria:

• Bug is in "New" state.

All 'Assigned'

All the tickets in this list meet the following criteria:

• Bug is in "Assigned" state.

All 'In Test'

All the tickets in this list meet the following criteria:

• Bug is in "In Test" state.

All 'Closed'

All the tickets in this list meet the following criteria:

• Bug is in "Closed" state.

Create Your Own Queries

TheBugTrack service supports complex query with all the fields, including default fields and custom fields created by user.

User can create a query by clicking "Create Query" link next to the "Find Bug" button:

Each query shall has a unique name within the project, and optionally a text description.  User can combine multiple filtering criteria of any field, getting result with either "All" of these conditions are met, or "Any" one of these conditions are met.

For each condition, there are three columns.  First column is to allow user select a condition field from a drop-down list of all supported fields.  Second column represents a condition type, such as "In", "Equals", "Greater than", "Less than", etc.  Third column is values of the condition.

Upon executing a query, TheBugTrack always returns the query result in a table view which includes the following default columns: bug ID, bug title, state, severity and submit time.  From this table view, user can click any specific bug to view its detail.

If user wants change the query result display, user could choose "Edit Query" link above the query result, then click "Display" tab:

From this tab, user can easily add or remove columns for the query result table view.

Please note that bug ID and title are required fields for table view.

Change Query Result Display

Upon executing a query, TheBugTrack always returns the query result in a table view which includes the following default columns: bug ID, bug title, state, severity and submit time.  From this table view, user can click any specific bug to view its detail.

If user wants change the query result display, user could choose "Edit Query" link above the query result, then click "Display" tab:

From this tab, user can easily add or remove columns for the query result table view.

Please note that bug ID and title are required fields for table view.

Overview

TheBugTrack supports multiple projects so customers can separate their bugs into different projects or problem domains, with different set of attributes.  Each project maintains its own continuous ID set for its bugs.

By default, each customer account starts with one project, called "Project1".  Administrative user can click "Administration" link to configure more than one project under tab "Projects".

Most settings, such as bug severity level, subsystem, and custom fields are applied on project basis.  Only user roles settings and appearance settings are applied to the whole account.

To go to project settings, user can go to Administration page first, then click "Project Settings" on "Projects" tab.  Or user can click "Settings" next to project drop-down list on bug home page.

General Settings

Project settings requires Administrative user privilege.  After entering project settings page, the first tab is "General" settings tab.  From this tab, user can change settings for:

• Add/remove bug severity list.
• Set default severity level.
• Add/remove bug resolution list.
• Set default bug resolution.
• Add/remove versions.
• Set default version new bug.
• Add/remove subsystem names.
• Set default subsystem.

Please see screen shot for project general settings:

Custom Fields

Custom fields are configured on "Custom Fields" tab in project settings.  After adding a new custom field to a project, this new field will be displayed on the main form view of every bug within this project.

Each custom field has a unique name and an optional description.  Name is used as field label on bug's main form view or as column header in bug list view.

Currently three types of custom fields are supported.

• Enumeration list
  • This field will be shown as a drop-down list in bug's main form view.  User needs configure the allowed value list (enumeration) for this field.
• Free text
  • This field will be shown as a free-form edit box in bug's main form view.
• Date
  • This field will be shown as a date field in bug's main form view.

Email Notification

TheBugTrack supports email notifications when a bug is submitted, assigned, resolved, closed, or modified.  Here are details on how you can setup email notification rules.

Firstly, please click "Settings" next to your project name to enter the project settings page:

On settings page, please click tab "Email Notifications":

On "Email Notification" tab, you will find there are five possible triggers of email notification:

• When bug is submitted
• When a bug is submitted and stays at "New" state.  No default rule for this trigger.
• When bug is assigned
• When a bug enters "Assigned" state, or fixer has been changed.  By default, "fixer" is notified when a bug is assigned.
• When bug is resolved
• When a bug enters "In Test" state, or tester has been changed.  By default, "tester" is notified when a bug is resolved.
• When bug is closed
• When a bug enters "Closed" state.  No default rule for this trigger.
• When any change to a bug
• When any changes happening to a bug within this project.  The changes could be state transition, or bug modification, or simply adding a note.  No default rule for this trigger.

User can click the checkbox in front of each rule to turn on/off a specific rule, and click "Edit" box to edit this rule, as the image below shows:

In rule edit dialog, user can set if the email notification is sent to bug submitter, fixer, tester, or any other email addresses.  Manually-input email addresses should be separated by comma (,) or semicolon (;).

Each email notification contains the following information related a bug:

• Bug title
• Bug state
• Project name
• Bug ID, with unique link to open this bug.
• Bug type
• Bug severity
• Action which triggers this email notification.
• Bug submitter
• Bug fixer
• Bug tester
• Bug description

Below is an example of email notification:

Overview

TheBugTrack supports multiple projects so customers can separate their bugs into different projects or problem domains, with different set of attributes.  Each project maintains its own continuous ID set for its bugs.

By default, each customer account starts with one project, called "Project1".  Administrative user can click "Administration" link to configure more than one project under tab "Projects".

Most settings, such as bug severity level, subsystem, and custom fields are applied on project basis.  Only user roles settings and appearance settings are applied to the whole account.

To go to project settings, user can go to Administration page first, then click "Project Settings" on "Projects" tab.  Or user can click "Settings" next to project drop-down list on bug home page.

User Roles

TheBugTrack supports customizable fixer, tester list and administrator user list.  If your workgroup is Google Apps domain workgroup, by default TheBugTrack automatically populates the fixer and tester list from Google Apps domain user list, and populates the administrators list from Google Apps domain's administrator list.  If your workgroup is user-created workgroup, by default TheBugTrack automatically populates the fixer and tester list with all your invited users, and populates the administrators list with the workgroup owner (creator).

At any time workgroup administrator can use "Roles" tab under "Administration" settings to customize fixer, tester and administrator list.  Please see screen capture below:

Appearance

From "Appearance" tab under "Administration" link, user can upload his/her organization's own logo to be used on TheBugTrack service web pages.  The image file should be JPG, PNG or GIF format and scaled to 150 x 70 pixels.  Please do not include any trademarks which you are not authorized to use.

Besides customized logo, user could also customize some default bug attributes' label.  For example, use "ID" instead of "Identifier" for bug identifier label in form view.  Other labels could be changed include: Title, State, Severity, Type, Submitter, Submit Time, Fixer, Tester, Subsystem, Found in Version, Target Version, Target Date, Description, Resolution, and Resolution Note.

Please see screen capture below for Appearance settings:

Feature List

TheBugTrack services supports rich set of features and it's feature list keeps growing.  Here are some highlights:

Pricing Plans

Free trial for 30 days.  No credit card required.  After trial, customer chooses one of the following three plans:

• Team Edition: $9.99 per month
  • Supports up to 20 users and 5 projects.
• Team L Edition: $19.99 per month
  • Supports up to 50 users and 10 projects.
• Team XL Edition: $39.99 per month
  • Supports unlimited users and projects.

Billing

No credit card information is required.  TheBugTrack accepts payments by Paypal or Google Checkout.

Customer could cancel service subscription at any time.

Please use "Billing" page to view detail billing information and subscribe TheBugTrack service: