Changes between Version 1 and Version 2 of TracWorkflow


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Timestamp:
2023-04-20T18:47:43Z (19 months 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]]
    35
    4 The Trac issue database provides a configurable workflow.
    5 
    6 == The Default Ticket Workflow ==
    7 === Environments upgraded from 0.10 ===
    8 When 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/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; `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/basic-workflow.png)]]
    24 
    25 == Additional Ticket Workflows ==
    26 
    27 There are several example workflows provided in the Trac source tree; look in `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.
    28 
    29 == Basic Ticket Workflow Customization ==
    30 
    31 Create a `[ticket-workflow]` section in `trac.ini`.
    32 Within this section, each entry is an action that may be taken on a ticket.
     6The Trac ticket system provides a configurable workflow on how tickets are treated.
     7
     8== The Default Ticket Workflow
     9
     10When a new environment is created, a default workflow is configured in your `trac.ini`. This workflow is the basic workflow, as specified in [trac:source:branches/1.4-stable/trac/ticket/workflows/basic-workflow.ini basic-workflow.ini]:
     11
     12{{{#!Workflow width=700 height=300
     13leave = * -> *
     14leave.operations = leave_status
     15leave.default = 1
     16
     17create = <none> -> new
     18create.default = 1
     19
     20create_and_assign = <none> -> assigned
     21create_and_assign.label = assign
     22create_and_assign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     23create_and_assign.operations = may_set_owner
     24
     25accept = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> accepted
     26accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     27accept.operations = set_owner_to_self
     28
     29resolve = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> closed
     30resolve.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     31resolve.operations = set_resolution
     32
     33reassign = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> assigned
     34reassign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     35reassign.operations = set_owner
     36
     37reopen = closed -> reopened
     38reopen.permissions = TICKET_CREATE
     39reopen.operations = del_resolution
     40}}}
     41
     42== Additional Ticket Workflows
     43
     44There are example workflows provided in the Trac source tree, see [trac:source:branches/1.4-stable/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.
     45
     46Here are some [trac:WorkFlow/Examples diagrams] of the above examples.
     47
     48== Basic Ticket Workflow Customization
     49
     50'''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.
     51
     52In the `[ticket-workflow]` section of `trac.ini`, each entry is an action that may be taken on a ticket.
    3353For example, consider the `accept` action from `simple-workflow.ini`:
    34 {{{
     54
     55{{{#!ini
    3556accept = new,accepted -> accepted
    3657accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    3758accept.operations = set_owner_to_self
    3859}}}
     60
    3961The 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`).
    40 The `accept.permissions` line specifies what permissions the user must have to use this action.
    41 The `accept.operations` line specifies changes that will be made to the ticket in addition to the status change when this action is taken.  In this case, when a user clicks on `accept`, the ticket owner field is updated to the logged in user.  Multiple operations may be specified in a comma separated list.
     62
     63The `accept.permissions` line specifies the permissions the user must have to use this action. [trac:ExtraPermissionsProvider] can define new permissions to be used here.
     64
     65The `accept.operations` line specifies changes that will be made to the ticket in addition to the status change when the action is taken. In this case, when a user clicks on `accept`, the ticket owner field is updated to the logged in user. Multiple operations may be specified in a comma separated list.
    4266
    4367The available operations are:
    44  - del_owner -- Clear the owner field.
    45  - set_owner -- Sets the owner to the selected or entered owner.
    46    - ''actionname''`.set_owner` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list or a single value.
    47  - set_owner_to_self -- Sets the owner to the logged in user.
    48  - del_resolution -- Clears the resolution field
    49  - set_resolution -- Sets the resolution to the selected value.
    50    - ''actionname''`.set_resolution` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list or a single value.
    51 {{{
    52 Example:
    53 
     68- **del_owner** -- Clears the owner field.
     69- **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.
     70 - ''actionname''`.set_owner` may optionally specify a comma delimited list of users that will be used to populate the select, or a single user. Groups and permissions may also be included in the list //(Since 1.1.3)//. When groups or permissions are specified the select is populated with all members of the group or all users that possess the permission.
     71- **set_owner_to_self** -- Sets the owner to the logged in user.
     72- **may_set_owner** -- Sets the owner to the selected or entered owner. Defaults to the existing owner. //(Since 1.1.2)//.
     73- **del_resolution** -- Clears the resolution field.
     74- **set_resolution** -- Sets the resolution to the selected value.
     75 - ''actionname''`.set_resolution` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list or a single value. The resolution(s) specified in this attribute must be defined in the database. Example:
     76 {{{#!ini
    5477resolve_new = new -> closed
    55 resolve_new.name = resolve
     78resolve_new.label = resolve
    5679resolve_new.operations = set_resolution
    5780resolve_new.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    5881resolve_new.set_resolution = invalid,wontfix
    5982}}}
    60  - leave_status -- Displays "leave as <current status>" and makes no change to the ticket.
    61 '''Note:''' Specifying conflicting operations (such as `set_owner` and `del_owner`) has unspecified results.
    62 
    63 {{{
     83- **leave_status** -- Displays "leave as <current status>" and makes no change to the ticket.
     84- **reset_workflow** -- Resets the status of tickets that are in states no longer defined.
     85'''Note:''' Specifying conflicting operations, such as `set_owner` and `del_owner`, has unspecified results.
     86
     87The example that follows demonstrates the `.label` attribute. The action here is `resolve_accepted`, but it will be presented to the user as `resolve`.
     88
     89{{{#!ini
    6490resolve_accepted = accepted -> closed
    65 resolve_accepted.name = resolve
     91resolve_accepted.label = resolve
    6692resolve_accepted.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    6793resolve_accepted.operations = set_resolution
    6894}}}
    6995
    70 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`.
    71 
    72 For actions that should be available in all states, `*` may be used in place of the state.  The obvious example is the `leave` action:
    73 {{{
     96The `.label` attribute is new in Trac 1.1.3 and is functionally the same as the `.name` attribute, which is now deprecated. If neither `.label` or `.name` is specified, the action will be presented to the user as //resolve accepted//, the underscores having been replaced by whitespace (//Since 1.1.3//).
     97
     98For actions that should be available in all states, `*` may be used in place of the state. The obvious example is the `leave` action:
     99{{{#!ini
    74100leave = * -> *
    75101leave.operations = leave_status
    76102leave.default = 1
    77103}}}
    78 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.
    79 If not specified for an action, `.default` is 0.  The value may be negative.
    80 
    81 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.
    82 
    83 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.
    84 
    85 This can be done as follows (your install path may be different).
    86 {{{
    87 cd /var/local/trac_devel/contrib/workflow/
    88 sudo ./showworkflow /srv/trac/PlannerSuite/conf/trac.ini
    89 }}}
    90 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).
    91 
    92 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.
    93 
    94 == Advanced Ticket Workflow Customization ==
    95 
    96 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 `sample-plugins/workflow` for a few simple examples to get started.
    97 
    98 But if even that is not enough, you can disable the !ConfigurableTicketWorkflow component and create a plugin that completely replaces it.
    99 
     104
     105The transition to `*` (`-> *`) means the workflow operation determines the next status. The only configurable ticket workflow operation that determines the next status is `leave_status`. However, another workflow controller can operate on an action with new status `*` and determine the next status.
     106
     107This 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.
     108If not specified for an action, `.default` is 0. The value may be negative.
     109
     110There is one hard-coded constraint to the workflow: tickets are expected to have a `closed` state. The default reports/queries treat any state other than `closed` as an open state.
     111
     112=== Ticket Create Action
     113
     114The ticket create actions are specified by a transition from the special `<none>` state. At least one create action must be available to the user in order for tickets to be created. The create actions defined in the default workflow are:
     115{{{#!ini
     116create = <none> -> new
     117create.default = 1
     118
     119create_and_assign = <none> -> assigned
     120create_and_assign.label = assign
     121create_and_assign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     122create_and_assign.operations = may_set_owner
     123}}}
     124
     125=== Ticket Reset Action
     126
     127The 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:
     128
     129{{{#!ini
     130_reset = -> new
     131_reset.label = reset
     132_reset.operations = reset_workflow
     133_reset.permissions = TICKET_ADMIN
     134_reset.default = 0
     135}}}
     136
     137Since [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:
     138
     139{{{#!ini
     140_reset = -> new
     141_reset.label = reset
     142_reset.operations = reset_workflow
     143_reset.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     144_reset.default = 0
     145}}}
     146
     147== Workflow Visualization
     148
     149Workflows can be visualized by rendering them on the wiki using the [WikiMacros#Workflow-macro Workflow macro].
     150
     151Workflows can also be visualized using the `contrib/workflow/workflow_parser.py` script. The script outputs `.dot` files that [https://www.graphviz.org GraphViz] understands. The script can be used as follows (your install path may be different):
     152
     153{{{#!sh
     154$ cd /var/local/trac_devel/contrib/workflow/
     155$ ./showworkflow /srv/trac/PlannerSuite/conf/trac.ini
     156}}}
     157The script outputs `trac.pdf` in the same directory as the `trac.ini` file.
     158
     159== Example: Adding optional Testing with Workflow
     160
     161The following adds a `testing` action. 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 workflow remains, a ticket can skip this entire section.
     162
     163{{{#!ini
     164testing = new,accepted,needs_work,assigned,reopened -> testing
     165testing.label = Submit to reporter for testing
     166testing.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     167
     168reject = testing -> needs_work
     169reject.label = Failed testing, return to developer
     170
     171pass = testing -> closed
     172pass.label = Passes Testing
     173pass.operations = set_resolution
     174pass.set_resolution = fixed
     175}}}
     176
     177== Example: Add simple optional generic review state
     178
     179Sometimes 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.
     180
     181The new `reviewing` state along with its associated `review` action looks like this:
     182
     183{{{#!ini
     184review = new,assigned,reopened -> reviewing
     185review.operations = set_owner
     186review.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     187}}}
     188
     189To integrate this with the default workflow, you also need to add the `reviewing` state to the `accept` and `resolve` actions:
     190
     191{{{#!ini
     192accept = new,reviewing -> assigned
     193[…]
     194resolve = new,assigned,reopened,reviewing -> closed
     195}}}
     196
     197Optionally, 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:
     198
     199{{{#!ini
     200reassign_reviewing = reviewing -> *
     201reassign_reviewing.label = reassign review
     202reassign_reviewing.operations = set_owner, leave_status
     203reassign_reviewing.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     204}}}
     205
     206The full `[ticket-workflow]` configuration will be:
     207
     208{{{#!ini
     209[ticket-workflow]
     210create = <none> -> new
     211create.default = 1
     212create_and_assign = <none> -> assigned
     213create_and_assign.label = assign
     214create_and_assign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     215create_and_assign.operations = may_set_owner
     216accept = new,reviewing -> assigned
     217accept.operations = set_owner_to_self
     218accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     219leave = * -> *
     220leave.default = 1
     221leave.operations = leave_status
     222reassign = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> assigned
     223reassign.operations = set_owner
     224reassign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     225reopen = closed -> reopened
     226reopen.operations = del_resolution
     227reopen.permissions = TICKET_CREATE
     228resolve = new,assigned,reopened,reviewing -> closed
     229resolve.operations = set_resolution
     230resolve.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     231review = new,assigned,reopened -> reviewing
     232review.operations = set_owner
     233review.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     234reassign_reviewing = reviewing -> *
     235reassign_reviewing.operations = set_owner, leave_status
     236reassign_reviewing.label = reassign review
     237reassign_reviewing.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     238}}}
     239
     240== Advanced Ticket Workflow Customization
     241
     242If 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:branches/1.4-stable/sample-plugins/workflow sample-plugins/workflow] for a few examples to get started.
     243
     244But if even that is not enough, you can disable the !ConfigurableTicketWorkflow component and create a plugin that completely replaces it. See also the [https://trac-hacks.org/wiki/AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin], which provides additional operations.
     245
     246== Adding Workflow States to Milestone Progress Bars
     247
     248If you add additional states to your workflow, you may want to customize your milestone progress bars as well. See the [TracIni#milestone-groups-section "[milestone-groups]"] section.
     249
     250== Ideas for next steps
     251
     252Enhancement ideas for the workflow system should be filed as enhancement tickets against the [trac:query:?status=assigned&status=new&status=reopened&keywords=~workflow&component=ticket+system ticket system] component. You can also document ideas on the [trac:TracIdeas/TracWorkflow TracIdeas/TracWorkflow] page.