How to Effectively Report a Bug?

Updated on Reading Time: 3 minutes

Our daily life revolves around maintaining and evolving websites using WordPress. Like it or not, progress brings its own set of challenges, and one of them is bug fixing. We all want your WordPress site to work perfectly for you and your visitors. But when an issue arises, there is a process to ensure the quality and speed of our intervention. And to achieve this, we need your collaboration!

What is a bug on a WordPress site?

In its broadest sense, a bug on a WordPress site is simply a behavior that occurs and is not the desired one. For example, it could be:

  • A title displayed left-aligned instead of being centered;
  • A confirmation email not sent after an order made by one of your customers;
  • A page that does not display at all.

As you can see, a bug can be quite minor or it can be relatively critical.

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What is the process for correcting a bug?

To correct a bug, the developer must first understand the problem and then be able to reproduce the problem at will. Otherwise, it will be impossible to correct the bug. Once the bug is reproduced, the developer will be able to analyze why such behavior occurs and what needs to be done to correct it. Therefore, it is very important to provide relevant details that will allow us :

  1. To understand the problem you are reporting;
  2. To be able to reproduce it every time.

What to do when a bug occurs?

In the world of programming, there is an approach that helps to understand and document how a bug occurs. Here are the different steps of this approach.

  • Can you reproduce the problem?
    If the problem has occurred only once and it seems to have disappeared, it will probably be impossible for us to solve the problem. If it cannot be reproduced, how will we know that we have really fixed it?
  • What are the steps to reproduce the problem?
    While reproducing the problem, note all the steps that allow another person to arrive at the problematic result. Assume that the person receiving the bug report is not familiar with your site at all. Every detail counts and it’s rare that we receive “too much information”!
  • Describe the environment.
    Generally, several environments can be used (development, testing, production, etc.). Don’t forget to mention in which environment the problem was discovered. What can also help, depending on the problem, might be knowing your operating system (with its version) and the browser you use.
  • Be specific.
    Avoid phrases like “it crashes” or “it doesn’t work”. Prefer sentences like “at report launch, the generated file is empty” or “the language selection choice is empty on the home page”.
  • Include screenshots.
    Screenshots allow a visual link with the written instructions you provide. Don’t hesitate to include as many as needed.
  • Identify the severity.
    Each bug is different and has varying consequences. Is the issue minor, major or critical? The severity helps prioritize the reported issues if there are several.
  • What inputs are needed?
    If the problem is related to a form, do not forget to mention what values were inserted in the fields to help us better understand the problem.

Conclusion

When you report a bug, the more precise your description, the faster the resolution can be. If the level of detail allows us to understand and reproduce the problem at first shot, the exchanges will be minimized and your problem will be a thing of the past in no time!

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Maxime Jobin is the co-founder of SatelliteWP. Automation and performance are his professional passions. He likes to share his expertise and experiences in order to pass on his knowledge to prevent others from making the same mistakes. Focused on efficiency and return on investment, he is an expert in the analysis and development of software solutions.

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