Changes between Version 5 and Version 6 of TracWorkflow


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Timestamp:
04/19/23 14:06:21 (13 months ago)
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trac
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  • TracWorkflow

    v5 v6  
    1 = The Trac Ticket Workflow System =
     1= The Trac Ticket Workflow System
     2
    23[[PageOutline(2-5,Contents,pullout)]]
    34[[TracGuideToc]]
    4 The Trac ticket system 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 {{{#!Workflow width=500 height=240
    12 leave = * -> *
    13 leave.operations = leave_status
    14 leave.default = 1
    15 accept = new -> assigned
    16 accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    17 accept.operations = set_owner_to_self
    18 resolve = new,assigned,reopened -> closed
    19 resolve.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    20 resolve.operations = set_resolution
    21 reassign = new,assigned,reopened -> new
    22 reassign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    23 reassign.operations = set_owner
    24 reopen = closed -> reopened
    25 reopen.permissions = TICKET_CREATE
    26 reopen.operations = del_resolution
    27 }}}
    28 
    29 There 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.
    30 
    31 === Environments created with 0.11 ===
    32 When 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:
     5
     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]:
    3311
    3412{{{#!Workflow width=700 height=300
    … …  
    3614leave.operations = leave_status
    3715leave.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
    3825accept = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> accepted
    3926accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    4027accept.operations = set_owner_to_self
     28
    4129resolve = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> closed
    4230resolve.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    4331resolve.operations = set_resolution
     32
    4433reassign = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> assigned
    4534reassign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    4635reassign.operations = set_owner
     36
    4737reopen = closed -> reopened
    4838reopen.permissions = TICKET_CREATE
    … …  
    5040}}}
    5141
    52 == Additional Ticket Workflows ==
    53 
    54 There 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.
     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.
    5545
    5646Here are some [trac:WorkFlow/Examples diagrams] of the above examples.
    5747
    58 == Basic Ticket Workflow Customization ==
    59 
    60 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.
    61 
    62 Create a `[ticket-workflow]` section in `trac.ini`.
    63 Within this section, each entry is an action that may be taken on a ticket.
     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.
    6453For example, consider the `accept` action from `simple-workflow.ini`:
     54
    6555{{{#!ini
    6656accept = new,accepted -> accepted
    … …  
    6858accept.operations = set_owner_to_self
    6959}}}
     60
    7061The 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`).
    71 The `accept.permissions` line specifies what permissions the user must have to use this action.
    72 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.
    7366
    7467The available operations are:
    75 - **del_owner** -- Clear the owner field.
     68- **del_owner** -- Clears the owner field.
    7669- **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.
    77  - ''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.
     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.
    7871- **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)//.
    7973- **del_resolution** -- Clears the resolution field.
    8074- **set_resolution** -- Sets the resolution to the selected value.
    81  - ''actionname''`.set_resolution` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list or a single value. Example:
     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:
    8276 {{{#!ini
    8377resolve_new = new -> closed
    84 resolve_new.name = resolve
     78resolve_new.label = resolve
    8579resolve_new.operations = set_resolution
    8680resolve_new.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    … …  
    9185'''Note:''' Specifying conflicting operations, such as `set_owner` and `del_owner`, has unspecified results.
    9286
    93 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`.
     87The example that follows demonstrates the `.label` attribute. The action here is `resolve_accepted`, but it will be presented to the user as `resolve`.
    9488
    9589{{{#!ini
    9690resolve_accepted = accepted -> closed
    97 resolve_accepted.name = resolve
     91resolve_accepted.label = resolve
    9892resolve_accepted.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    9993resolve_accepted.operations = set_resolution
    10094}}}
     95
     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//).
    10197
    10298For actions that should be available in all states, `*` may be used in place of the state. The obvious example is the `leave` action:
    … …  
    106102leave.default = 1
    107103}}}
     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
    108107This 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.
    109108If not specified for an action, `.default` is 0. The value may be negative.
    110109
    111 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.
     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
    112126
    113127The 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
    114129{{{#!ini
    115130_reset = -> new
    116 _reset.name = reset
     131_reset.label = reset
    117132_reset.operations = reset_workflow
    118133_reset.permissions = TICKET_ADMIN
    … …  
    121136
    122137Since [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
    123139{{{#!ini
    124140_reset = -> new
    125 _reset.name = reset
     141_reset.label = reset
    126142_reset.operations = reset_workflow
    127143_reset.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    … …  
    133149Workflows can be visualized by rendering them on the wiki using the [WikiMacros#Workflow-macro Workflow macro].
    134150
    135 Workflows 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):
     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
    136153{{{#!sh
    137 cd /var/local/trac_devel/contrib/workflow/
    138 sudo ./showworkflow /srv/trac/PlannerSuite/conf/trac.ini
    139 }}}
    140 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.
    141 
    142 After you have changed a workflow, you need to restart your webserver for the changes to take effect.
    143 
    144 == Example: Adding optional Testing with Workflow ==
    145 
    146 By 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.
     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.
    147162
    148163{{{#!ini
    149164testing = new,accepted,needs_work,assigned,reopened -> testing
    150 testing.name = Submit to reporter for testing
     165testing.label = Submit to reporter for testing
    151166testing.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    152167
    153168reject = testing -> needs_work
    154 reject.name = Failed testing, return to developer
     169reject.label = Failed testing, return to developer
    155170
    156171pass = testing -> closed
    157 pass.name = Passes Testing
     172pass.label = Passes Testing
    158173pass.operations = set_resolution
    159174pass.set_resolution = fixed
    160175}}}
    161176
    162 === How to combine the `tracopt.ticket.commit_updater` with the testing workflow ===
    163 
    164 The [[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.
    165 
    166 By default it reacts on some keywords found in changeset message logs like ''close'', ''fix'' etc. and performs the corresponding workflow action.
    167 
    168 If 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.
    169 
    170 Have 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.
    171 
    172 == Example: Add simple optional generic review state ==
     177== Example: Add simple optional generic review state
    173178
    174179Sometimes 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.
    … …  
    182187}}}
    183188
    184 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:
     189To integrate this with the default workflow, you also need to add the `reviewing` state to the `accept` and `resolve` actions:
    185190
    186191{{{#!ini
    … …  
    190195}}}
    191196
    192 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.
     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:
    193198
    194199{{{#!ini
    195200reassign_reviewing = reviewing -> *
    196 reassign_reviewing.name = reassign review
    197 reassign_reviewing.operations = set_owner
     201reassign_reviewing.label = reassign review
     202reassign_reviewing.operations = set_owner, leave_status
    198203reassign_reviewing.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    199204}}}
    200205
    201 The full `[ticket-workflow]` configuration will thus look like this:
     206The full `[ticket-workflow]` configuration will be:
    202207
    203208{{{#!ini
    204209[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
    205216accept = new,reviewing -> assigned
    206217accept.operations = set_owner_to_self
    … …  
    222233review.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    223234reassign_reviewing = reviewing -> *
    224 reassign_reviewing.operations = set_owner
    225 reassign_reviewing.name = reassign review
     235reassign_reviewing.operations = set_owner, leave_status
     236reassign_reviewing.label = reassign review
    226237reassign_reviewing.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    227238}}}
    228239
    229 == Example: Limit the resolution options for a new ticket ==
    230 
    231 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.
    232 
    233 {{{#!ini
    234 resolve_new = new -> closed
    235 resolve_new.name = resolve
    236 resolve_new.operations = set_resolution
    237 resolve_new.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    238 resolve_new.set_resolution = invalid,wontfix,duplicate
    239 
    240 resolve = assigned,accepted,reopened -> closed
    241 resolve.operations = set_resolution
    242 resolve.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    243 }}}
    244 
    245 == Advanced Ticket Workflow Customization ==
    246 
    247 If 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.
    248 
    249 But if even that is not enough, you can disable the !ConfigurableTicketWorkflow component and create a plugin that completely replaces it.
    250 
    251 == Adding Workflow States to Milestone Progress Bars ==
    252 
    253 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].
    254 
    255 == Ideas for next steps ==
    256 
    257 New 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.
     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.