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Bug Reporting Guidelines

Updated
 

Overview of Bug Reporting

What is a bug?

A bug is an unexpected issue within the software that affects the users experience, causing failure or deviation from their expected results.

How do I report it?

You can report a bug via the Help Center, selecting "CommunityPro or Linux" as your request type, which will then provide you with the necessary prompts to properly file a bug report.

What do I report?

When encountering a bug, detail the issue clearly—describe what happened, steps to reproduce it, and any error messages received. It is important to include as much information as possible, such as what software was in use, what were the expected results, and what were the actual results that occurred.

Why does this matter?

Your bug reports are crucial for us. They help us identify and fix problems, improving our software's reliability and your user experience. Detailed information allows our support team to address issues more efficiently, leading to faster resolutions and enhancements in our software’s.

Can you be more specific?

For specific guidelines on reporting bugs for CommunityPro®, CommunityPro® 2.0, DL4 (Linux), and CommunityPro Enterprise (Resales), please refer to the relevant sections below.

 

CommunityPro® Bug Reporting Guide

Below are the questions you will be prompted to answer when reporting a bug for CommunityPro®, along with guidance on how to provide the most helpful responses. 

  1. When did you first experience this issue?
    • Please select or enter the date when you first noticed the problem.
    • For example: 2/1/2024 or February 1st, 2024.
  2. What screen were you on when you first experienced this issue?
    • Describe or name the specific screen within CommunityPro® being utilized where the issue occurred.
    •  For example: Web Admin/Email Center
    • Include a screenshot as it provides visual context and may highlight error messages or anomalies not easily conveyed through text.
  3. Who are the groups or actions being affected by this issue?
    • Detail who is impacted by this issue. Whether it’s a specific user group, (e.g., like a particular division or association) or a function within the software performed by another department (e.g., association accounting services being unable to process transactions).
    • For example: Homeowners in Association 123456
  4. Subject
    • Provide a direct and clear one-liner of the issue at hand, including the association or homeowner number (if applicable). Avoid too many detailed and long complex sentences.
    • For example: E-Blast – Assn 123456 – Will Not Send
  5. Description
    • Detail what happened, what action resulted in the bug, what data was used, if any error messages were received, and what the expected results were. Include as many details as you can.
    • Include directions on how to correct the issue if that is known.
    • For example:
      1. What happened: When using the email center on the web admin to send a communication to all Opt-in Homeowners within Association 123456, that included an attachment, after selecting the submit button, no confirmation email was received that it was delivered and the email is not located in the E-blast Folder in the Information Center.
      2. Error Message: None
      3. Steps to Reproduce:
        1. Selected ‘All Opt-in Homeowners’ in the “To” drop-down
        2. Left “From” as is
        3. CC and BCC was left blank
        4. Unchecked “Add Office Manager to email”
        5. Left “Communication Type” as ‘None’
        6. Filled in Subject field with ‘Community Garage Sale’
        7. Attachment: Garage Sale Flyer (PDF)
        8. Added ‘Please see attached Flyer’ in message box
        9. Selected “Send”
      4. Expected Result: That the email was to be sent to all Opt-in Homeowners in the Association that would include the attachment provided. A confirmation email was to be sent to my email and a copy of the e-blast was to be placed in the E-blast Folder in the Information Center.

DL4 (Linux) Bug Reporting Guide

Below are the questions you will be prompted to answer when reporting a bug for DL4 (Linux), along with guidance on how to provide the most helpful responses.  

  1. When did you first experience this issue?
    • Specify the date or time period when the issue first occurred.
    • For example: 2/1/2024 or February 1st, 2024.
  2. What screen were you on when you had this issue?
    • Indicate the specific interface or screen where the problem was observed. If possible, describe any error messages or unusual behavior witnessed.
    • For example: Global Closings Bucket
    • Include a screenshot as it provides visual context and may highlight error messages or anomalies not easily conveyed through text.
  3. What menu and/or steps did you take to get to the screen having the issue?
    • Detail the sequence of actions or commands you executed leading up to the problem. This step-by-step walkthrough is crucial for replicating the issue on our end, allowing us to better understand the context and the potential causes.
    • For example: #MASTER/OPTION 3/MMDDYYYY/OPTION 3/OPTION 2-DIVISIONALLY
  4. Who are the groups or actions being affected by this issue?
    • Explain who is impacted by this issue, whether it's specific user roles, departments, or software-wide functionalities. Identifying the extent of the impact helps prioritize the issue based on its severity and the number of users affected.
    • For example: Accounts Payable can then have accurate funds to pay Vendors. Banking can have accurate records of funds in the bank accounts to reconcile the Association Bank Account.
  5. Subject
    • Provide a direct and clear one-liner of the issue at hand, including the department initials and the association or homeowner number (if applicable). Avoid too many detailed and long complex sentences.
    • For example: AR - Global Closing & Collections Bucket – Stop Statement
  6. Description
    • Detail what happened, what action resulted in the bug, what data was used, if any error messages were received, and what the expected results were. Include as many details as you can.
    • Include directions on how to correct the issue if that is known.
    • For example:
      1. What happened: When running the global closing and collections bucket program, it gave us a stop statement error message.
      2. Error Message: STOP at statement: 1640;1 in: /u/sentry/42/fmt70.3.pro
      3. Steps to Reproduce:
        1. #MASTER/OPTION 3/MMDDYYYY/OPTION 3/OPTION 2-DIVISIONALLY
        2. Enter Date ‘01312024’
        3. Hit RETURN
      4. Expected Result: Payments collected in the bucket from the previous day should post into the Associations Cash Management.

 

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