Changes between Version 1 and Version 2 of TracWorkflow


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Jul 27, 2015, 2:53:46 PM (9 years ago)
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trac
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  • TracWorkflow

    v1 v2  
    1 = The Trac Ticket Workflow System =
     1= The Trac Ticket Workflow System
     2
     3[[PageOutline(2-5,Contents,pullout)]]
    24[[TracGuideToc]]
    3 
    4 The Trac issue database provides a configurable workflow.
    5 
    6 == The Default Ticket Workflow ==
    7 === Environments upgraded from 0.10 ===
     5The Trac ticket system provides a configurable workflow.
     6
     7== The Default Ticket Workflow
     8
     9=== Environments upgraded from 0.10
     10
    811When you run `trac-admin <env> upgrade`, your `trac.ini` will be modified to include a `[ticket-workflow]` section.
    9 The workflow configured in this case is the original workflow, so that ticket actions will behave like they did in 0.10.
    10 
    11 Graphically, that looks like this:
    12 
    13 [[Image(htdocs:../common/guide/original-workflow.png)]]
    14 
    15 There are some significant "warts" in this; such as accepting a ticket sets it to 'assigned' state, and assigning a ticket sets it to 'new' state.  Perfectly obvious, right?
    16 So you will probably want to migrate to "basic" workflow; [trac:source:trunk/contrib/workflow/migrate_original_to_basic.py contrib/workflow/migrate_original_to_basic.py] may be helpful.
    17 
    18 === Environments created with 0.11 ===
    19 When a new environment is created, a default workflow is configured in your trac.ini.  This workflow is the basic workflow (described in `basic-workflow.ini`), which is somewhat different from the workflow of the 0.10 releases.
    20 
    21 Graphically, it looks like this:
    22 
    23 [[Image(htdocs:../common/guide/basic-workflow.png)]]
    24 
    25 == Additional Ticket Workflows ==
    26 
    27 There are several example workflows provided in the Trac source tree; look in [trac:source:trunk/contrib/workflow contrib/workflow] for `.ini` config sections.  One of those may be a good match for what you want. They can be pasted into the `[ticket-workflow]` section of your `trac.ini` file. However if you have existing tickets then there may be issues if those tickets have states that are not in the new workflow.
    28 
    29 Here are some [http://trac.edgewall.org/wiki/WorkFlow/Examples diagrams] of the above examples.
    30 
    31 == Basic Ticket Workflow Customization ==
    32 
    33 Note: Ticket "statuses" or "states" are not separately defined. The states a ticket can be in are automatically generated by the transitions defined in a workflow. Therefore, creating a new ticket state simply requires defining a state transition in the workflow that starts or ends with that state.
     12The workflow configured in this case is the original workflow, so that ticket actions will behave like they did in 0.10:
     13
     14{{{#!Workflow width=500 height=240
     15leave = * -> *
     16leave.operations = leave_status
     17leave.default = 1
     18accept = new -> assigned
     19accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     20accept.operations = set_owner_to_self
     21resolve = new,assigned,reopened -> closed
     22resolve.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     23resolve.operations = set_resolution
     24reassign = new,assigned,reopened -> new
     25reassign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     26reassign.operations = set_owner
     27reopen = closed -> reopened
     28reopen.permissions = TICKET_CREATE
     29reopen.operations = del_resolution
     30}}}
     31
     32There are some significant caveats in this, such as accepting a ticket sets it to 'assigned' state, and assigning a ticket sets it to 'new' state. So you will probably want to migrate to "basic" workflow, see contrib/workflow/migrate_original_to_basic.py.
     33
     34=== Environments created with 0.11
     35
     36When a new environment is created, a default workflow is configured in your trac.ini. This workflow is the basic workflow, such as specified in `basic-workflow.ini`, which is somewhat different from the workflow of the 0.10 releases:
     37
     38{{{#!Workflow width=700 height=300
     39leave = * -> *
     40leave.operations = leave_status
     41leave.default = 1
     42accept = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> accepted
     43accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     44accept.operations = set_owner_to_self
     45resolve = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> closed
     46resolve.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     47resolve.operations = set_resolution
     48reassign = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> assigned
     49reassign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     50reassign.operations = set_owner
     51reopen = closed -> reopened
     52reopen.permissions = TICKET_CREATE
     53reopen.operations = del_resolution
     54}}}
     55
     56== Additional Ticket Workflows
     57
     58There are example workflows provided in the Trac source tree, see [trac:source:trunk/contrib/workflow contrib/workflow] for `.ini` config sections. One of those may be a good match for what you want. They can be pasted into the `[ticket-workflow]` section of your `trac.ini` file. However, if you have existing tickets then there may be issues if those tickets have states that are not in the new workflow.
     59
     60Here are some [trac:WorkFlow/Examples diagrams] of the above examples.
     61
     62== Basic Ticket Workflow Customization
     63
     64'''Note''': Ticket "statuses" or "states" are not separately defined. The states a ticket can be in are automatically generated by the transitions defined in a workflow. Therefore, creating a new ticket state simply requires defining a state transition in the workflow that starts or ends with that state.
    3465
    3566Create a `[ticket-workflow]` section in `trac.ini`.
    3667Within this section, each entry is an action that may be taken on a ticket.
    3768For example, consider the `accept` action from `simple-workflow.ini`:
    38 {{{
     69
     70{{{#!ini
    3971accept = new,accepted -> accepted
    4072accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    4173accept.operations = set_owner_to_self
    4274}}}
     75
    4376The first line in this example defines the `accept` action, along with the states the action is valid in (`new` and `accepted`), and the new state of the ticket when the action is taken (`accepted`).
    4477The `accept.permissions` line specifies what permissions the user must have to use this action.
    … …  
    4679
    4780The available operations are:
    48  - del_owner -- Clear the owner field.
    49  - set_owner -- Sets the owner to the selected or entered owner.
    50    - ''actionname''`.set_owner` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list or a single value.
    51  - set_owner_to_self -- Sets the owner to the logged in user.
    52  - del_resolution -- Clears the resolution field
    53  - set_resolution -- Sets the resolution to the selected value.
    54    - ''actionname''`.set_resolution` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list or a single value.
    55 {{{
    56 Example:
    57 
     81- **del_owner** -- Clear the owner field.
     82- **set_owner** -- Sets the owner to the selected or entered owner. Defaults to the current user. When `[ticket] restrict_owner = true`, the select will be populated with users that have `TICKET_MODIFY` permission and an authenticated session.
     83 - ''actionname''`.set_owner` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list of users that will be used to populate the select, or a single user.
     84- **set_owner_to_self** -- Sets the owner to the logged in user.
     85- **del_resolution** -- Clears the resolution field.
     86- **set_resolution** -- Sets the resolution to the selected value.
     87 - ''actionname''`.set_resolution` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list or a single value. Example:
     88 {{{#!ini
    5889resolve_new = new -> closed
    5990resolve_new.name = resolve
    … …  
    6293resolve_new.set_resolution = invalid,wontfix
    6394}}}
    64  - leave_status -- Displays "leave as <current status>" and makes no change to the ticket.
    65 '''Note:''' Specifying conflicting operations (such as `set_owner` and `del_owner`) has unspecified results.
    66 
    67 {{{
     95- **leave_status** -- Displays "leave as <current status>" and makes no change to the ticket.
     96- **reset_workflow** -- Resets the status of tickets that are in states no longer defined.
     97'''Note:''' Specifying conflicting operations, such as `set_owner` and `del_owner`, has unspecified results.
     98
     99In this example, we see the `.name` attribute used. The action here is `resolve_accepted`, but it will be presented to the user as `resolve`:
     100
     101{{{#!ini
    68102resolve_accepted = accepted -> closed
    69103resolve_accepted.name = resolve
    … …  
    72106}}}
    73107
    74 In this example, we see the `.name` attribute used.  The action here is `resolve_accepted`, but it will be presented to the user as `resolve`.
    75 
    76 For actions that should be available in all states, `*` may be used in place of the state.  The obvious example is the `leave` action:
    77 {{{
    78 leave = * -> *
    79 leave.operations = leave_status
    80 leave.default = 1
    81 }}}
    82 This also shows the use of the `.default` attribute.  This value is expected to be an integer, and the order in which the actions are displayed is determined by this value.  The action with the highest `.default` value is listed first, and is selected by default.  The rest of the actions are listed in order of decreasing `.default` values.
    83 If not specified for an action, `.default` is 0.  The value may be negative.
    84 
    85 There are a couple of hard-coded constraints to the workflow.  In particular, tickets are created with status `new`, and tickets are expected to have a `closed` state.  Further, the default reports/queries treat any state other than `closed` as an open state.
    86 
    87 While creating or modifying a ticket workfow, `contrib/workflow/workflow_parser.py` may be useful.  It can create `.dot` files that [http://www.graphviz.org GraphViz] understands to provide a visual description of the workflow.
    88 
    89 This can be done as follows (your install path may be different).
    90 {{{
     108For actions that should be available in all states, `*` may be used in place of the state. The obvious example is the `leave` action:
     109{{{#!ini
     110leave = * -> *
     111leave.operations = leave_status
     112leave.default = 1
     113}}}
     114
     115This also shows the use of the `.default` attribute. This value is expected to be an integer, and the order in which the actions are displayed is determined by this value. The action with the highest `.default` value is listed first, and is selected by default. The rest of the actions are listed in order of decreasing `.default` values.
     116If not specified for an action, `.default` is 0. The value may be negative.
     117
     118There are a couple of hard-coded constraints to the workflow. In particular, tickets are created with status `new`, and tickets are expected to have a `closed` state. Further, the default reports/queries treat any state other than `closed` as an open state.
     119
     120The special `_reset` action is added by default for tickets that are in states that are no longer defined. This allows tickets to be individually "repaired" after the workflow is changed, although it's recommended that the administrator perform the action by batch modifying the affected tickets. By default the `_reset` action is available to users with the `TICKET_ADMIN` permission and reset tickets are put in the //new// state. The default `_reset` action is equivalent to the following `[ticket-workflow]` action definition:
     121
     122{{{#!ini
     123_reset = -> new
     124_reset.name = reset
     125_reset.operations = reset_workflow
     126_reset.permissions = TICKET_ADMIN
     127_reset.default = 0
     128}}}
     129
     130Since [trac:milestone:1.0.3] the `_reset` action can be customized by redefining the implicit action. For example, to allow anyone with `TICKET_MODIFY` to perform the `_reset` action, the workflow action would need to be defined:
     131
     132{{{#!ini
     133_reset = -> new
     134_reset.name = reset
     135_reset.operations = reset_workflow
     136_reset.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     137_reset.default = 0
     138}}}
     139
     140== Workflow Visualization
     141
     142Workflows can be visualized by rendering them on the wiki using the [WikiMacros#Workflow-macro Workflow macro].
     143
     144Workflows can also be visualized using the `contrib/workflow/workflow_parser.py` script. The script outputs `.dot` files that [http://www.graphviz.org GraphViz] understands. The script can be used as follows (your install path may be different):
     145
     146{{{#!sh
    91147cd /var/local/trac_devel/contrib/workflow/
    92148sudo ./showworkflow /srv/trac/PlannerSuite/conf/trac.ini
    93149}}}
    94 And then open up the resulting `trac.pdf` file created by the script (it will be in the same directory as the `trac.ini` file).
    95 
    96 An online copy of the workflow parser is available at http://foss.wush.net/cgi-bin/visual-workflow.pl
    97 
    98 After you have changed a workflow, you need to restart apache for the changes to take effect. This is important, because the changes will still show up when you run your script, but all the old workflow steps will still be there until the server is restarted.
    99 
    100 == Example: Adding optional Testing with Workflow ==
    101 
    102 By adding the following to your [ticket-workflow] section of trac.ini you get optional testing.  When the ticket is in new, accepted or needs_work status you can choose to submit it for testing.  When it's in the testing status the user gets the option to reject it and send it back to needs_work, or pass the testing and send it along to closed.  If they accept it then it gets automatically marked as closed and the resolution is set to fixed.  Since all the old work flow remains, a ticket can skip this entire section.
    103 
    104 {{{
     150And then open up the resulting `trac.pdf` file created by the script. It will be in the same directory as the `trac.ini` file.
     151
     152After you have changed a workflow, you need to restart your webserver for the changes to take effect.
     153
     154== Example: Adding optional Testing with Workflow
     155
     156By adding the following to your [ticket-workflow] section of trac.ini you get optional testing. When the ticket has status `new`, `accepted` or `needs_work`, you can choose to submit it for testing.  When it's in the testing status the user gets the option to reject it and send it back to `needs_work`, or pass the testing and send it along to `closed`. If they accept it, then it is automatically marked as `closed` and the resolution is set to `fixed`. Since all the old work flow remains, a ticket can skip this entire section.
     157
     158{{{#!ini
    105159testing = new,accepted,needs_work,assigned,reopened -> testing
    106160testing.name = Submit to reporter for testing
    … …  
    116170}}}
    117171
    118 === How to combine the `tracopt.ticket.commit_updater` with the testing workflow ===
    119 
    120 The [[source:trunk/tracopt/ticket/commit_updater.py|tracopt.ticket.commit_updater]] is the optional component that [[TracRepositoryAdmin#trac-post-commit-hook|replaces the old trac-post-commit-hook]], in Trac 0.12.
     172=== How to combine the `tracopt.ticket.commit_updater` with the testing workflow
     173
     174The [[trac:source:trunk/tracopt/ticket/commit_updater.py|tracopt.ticket.commit_updater]] is the optional component that [[TracRepositoryAdmin#trac-post-commit-hook|replaces the old trac-post-commit-hook]], in Trac 0.12.
    121175
    122176By default it reacts on some keywords found in changeset message logs like ''close'', ''fix'' etc. and performs the corresponding workflow action.
    … …  
    124178If you have a more complex workflow, like the testing stage described above and you want the ''closes'' keyword to move the ticket to the ''testing'' status instead of the ''closed'' status, you need to adapt the code a bit.
    125179
    126 Have a look at the [[0.11/TracWorkflow#How-ToCombineSVNtrac-post-commit-hookWithTestWorkflow|Trac 0.11 recipe]] for the `trac-post-commit-hook`, this will give you some ideas about how to modify the component.
    127 
    128 == Example: Add simple optional generic review state ==
     180Have a look at the [[trac:wiki:0.11/TracWorkflow#How-ToCombineSVNtrac-post-commit-hookWithTestWorkflow|Trac 0.11 recipe]] for the `trac-post-commit-hook`, this will give you some ideas about how to modify the component.
     181
     182== Example: Add simple optional generic review state
    129183
    130184Sometimes Trac is used in situations where "testing" can mean different things to different people so you may want to create an optional workflow state that is between the default workflow's `assigned` and `closed` states, but does not impose implementation-specific details. The only new state you need to add for this is a `reviewing` state. A ticket may then be "submitted for review" from any state that it can be reassigned. If a review passes, you can re-use the `resolve` action to close the ticket, and if it fails you can re-use the `reassign` action to push it back into the normal workflow.
    … …  
    132186The new `reviewing` state along with its associated `review` action looks like this:
    133187
    134 {{{
     188{{{#!ini
    135189review = new,assigned,reopened -> reviewing
    136190review.operations = set_owner
    … …  
    138192}}}
    139193
    140 Then, to integrate this with the default Trac 0.11 workflow, you also need to add the `reviewing` state to the `accept` and `resolve` actions, like so:
    141 
    142 {{{
     194Then, to integrate this with the default Trac 0.11 workflow, you also need to add the `reviewing` state to the `accept` and `resolve` actions:
     195
     196{{{#!ini
    143197accept = new,reviewing -> assigned
    144198[…]
    … …  
    146200}}}
    147201
    148 Optionally, you can also add a new action that allows you to change the ticket's owner without moving the ticket out of the `reviewing` state. This enables you to reassign review work without pushing the ticket back to the `new` status.
    149 
    150 {{{
     202Optionally, you can also add a new action that allows you to change the ticket's owner without moving the ticket out of the `reviewing` state. This enables you to reassign review work without pushing the ticket back to the `new` status:
     203
     204{{{#!ini
    151205reassign_reviewing = reviewing -> *
    152206reassign_reviewing.name = reassign review
    … …  
    157211The full `[ticket-workflow]` configuration will thus look like this:
    158212
    159 {{{
     213{{{#!ini
    160214[ticket-workflow]
    161215accept = new,reviewing -> assigned
    … …  
    165219leave.default = 1
    166220leave.operations = leave_status
    167 reassign = new,assigned,reopened -> new
     221reassign = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> assigned
    168222reassign.operations = set_owner
    169223reassign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    … …  
    183237}}}
    184238
    185 == Example: Limit the resolution options for a new ticket ==
    186 
    187 The above resolve_new operation allows you to set the possible resolutions for a new ticket.  By modifying the existing resolve action and removing the new status from before the `->` we then get two resolve actions. One with limited resolutions for new tickets, and then the regular one once a ticket is accepted.
    188 
    189 {{{
     239== Example: Limit the resolution options for a new ticket
     240
     241The above `resolve_new` operation allows you to set the possible resolutions for a new ticket. By modifying the existing resolve action and removing the new status from before the `->` we then get two resolve actions. One with limited resolutions for new tickets, and then the regular one once a ticket is accepted.
     242
     243{{{#!ini
    190244resolve_new = new -> closed
    191245resolve_new.name = resolve
    … …  
    199253}}}
    200254
    201 == Advanced Ticket Workflow Customization ==
    202 
    203 If the customization above is not extensive enough for your needs, you can extend the workflow using plugins.  These plugins can provide additional operations for the workflow (like code_review), or implement side-effects for an action (such as triggering a build) that may not be merely simple state changes.  Look at [trac:source:trunk/sample-plugins/workflow sample-plugins/workflow] for a few simple examples to get started.
     255== Advanced Ticket Workflow Customization
     256
     257If the customizations above do not meet your needs, you can extend the workflow with plugins. Plugins can provide additional operations for the workflow, like code_review, or implement side-effects for an action, such as triggering a build, that may not be merely simple state changes. Look at [trac:source:trunk/sample-plugins/workflow sample-plugins/workflow] for a few examples to get started.
    204258
    205259But if even that is not enough, you can disable the !ConfigurableTicketWorkflow component and create a plugin that completely replaces it.
    206260
    207 == Adding Workflow States to Milestone Progress Bars ==
    208 
    209 If you add additional states to your workflow, you may want to customize your milestone progress bars as well.  See [TracIni#milestone-groups-section TracIni].
    210 
    211 == some ideas for next steps ==
    212 
    213 New enhancement ideas for the workflow system should be filed as enhancement tickets against the `ticket system` component.  If desired, add a single-line link to that ticket here.  Also look at the [th:wiki:AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin] as it provides experimental operations.
    214 
    215 If you have a response to the comments below, create an enhancement ticket, and replace the description below with a link to the ticket.
    216 
    217  * the "operation" could be on the nodes, possible operations are:
    218    * '''preops''': automatic, before entering the state/activity
    219    * '''postops''': automatic, when leaving the state/activity
    220    * '''actions''': can be chosen by the owner in the list at the bottom, and/or drop-down/pop-up together with the default actions of leaving the node on one of the arrows.
    221 ''This appears to add complexity without adding functionality; please provide a detailed example where these additions allow something currently impossible to implement.''
    222 
    223  * operations could be anything: sum up the time used for the activity, or just write some statistical fields like
    224 ''A workflow plugin can add an arbitrary workflow operation, so this is already possible.''
    225 
    226  * set_actor should be an operation allowing to set the owner, e.g. as a "preop":
    227    * either to a role, a person
    228    * entered fix at define time, or at run time, e.g. out of a field, or select.
    229 ''This is either duplicating the existing `set_owner` operation, or needs to be clarified.''
    230 
    231  * Actions should be selectable based on the ticket type (different Workflows for different tickets)
    232 ''Look into the [th:wiki:AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin]'s `triage` operation.''
    233 
     261== Adding Workflow States to Milestone Progress Bars
     262
     263If you add additional states to your workflow, you may want to customize your milestone progress bars as well. See [TracIni#milestone-groups-section TracIni].
     264
     265== Ideas for next steps
     266
     267New enhancement ideas for the workflow system should be filed as enhancement tickets against the `ticket system` component.  You can also document ideas on the [trac:TracIdeas/TracWorkflow TracIdeas/TracWorkflow] page. Also look at the [http://trac-hacks.org/wiki/AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin] as it provides experimental operations.
     268
     269Some of the ideas described here are originally proposed in [trac:NewWorkflow].