Changes between Version 9 and Version 10 of TracWorkflow


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Jan 29, 2015, 11:50:39 AM (9 years ago)
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trac
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  • TracWorkflow

    v9 v10  
    11= The Trac Ticket Workflow System =
     2[[PageOutline(2-5,Contents,pullout)]]
    23[[TracGuideToc]]
    3 
    4 The Trac issue database provides a configurable workflow.
     4The Trac ticket system provides a configurable workflow.
    55
    66== The Default Ticket Workflow ==
    77=== Environments upgraded from 0.10 ===
    88When 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:
     9The workflow configured in this case is the original workflow, so that ticket actions will behave like they did in 0.10:
    1210
    1311{{{#!Workflow width=500 height=240
     
    2927}}}
    3028
    31 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?
    32 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.
     29There 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.
    3330
    3431=== Environments created with 0.11 ===
    35 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.
    36 
    37 Graphically, it looks like this:
     32When 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:
    3833
    3934{{{#!Workflow width=700 height=300
     
    5752== Additional Ticket Workflows ==
    5853
    59 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.
    60 
    61 Here are some [http://trac.edgewall.org/wiki/WorkFlow/Examples diagrams] of the above examples.
     54There 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.
     55
     56Here are some [trac:WorkFlow/Examples diagrams] of the above examples.
    6257
    6358== Basic Ticket Workflow Customization ==
     
    6863Within this section, each entry is an action that may be taken on a ticket.
    6964For example, consider the `accept` action from `simple-workflow.ini`:
    70 {{{
     65{{{#!ini
    7166accept = new,accepted -> accepted
    7267accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     
    7873
    7974The available operations are:
    80  - del_owner -- Clear the owner field.
    81  - set_owner -- Sets the owner to the selected or entered owner.
    82    - ''actionname''`.set_owner` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list or a single value.
    83  - set_owner_to_self -- Sets the owner to the logged in user.
    84  - del_resolution -- Clears the resolution field
    85  - set_resolution -- Sets the resolution to the selected value.
    86    - ''actionname''`.set_resolution` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list or a single value. Example:
    87      {{{
     75- **del_owner** -- Clear the owner field.
     76- **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.
     78- **set_owner_to_self** -- Sets the owner to the logged in user.
     79- **del_resolution** -- Clears the resolution field.
     80- **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:
     82 {{{#!ini
    8883resolve_new = new -> closed
    8984resolve_new.name = resolve
     
    9186resolve_new.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
    9287resolve_new.set_resolution = invalid,wontfix
    93      }}}
    94  - leave_status -- Displays "leave as <current status>" and makes no change to the ticket.
    95 '''Note:''' Specifying conflicting operations (such as `set_owner` and `del_owner`) has unspecified results.
    96 
    97 {{{
     88}}}
     89- **leave_status** -- Displays "leave as <current status>" and makes no change to the ticket.
     90- **reset_workflow** -- Resets the status of tickets that are in states no longer defined.
     91'''Note:''' Specifying conflicting operations, such as `set_owner` and `del_owner`, has unspecified results.
     92
     93In this example, we see the `.name` attribute used. The action here is `resolve_accepted`, but it will be presented to the user as `resolve`.
     94
     95{{{#!ini
    9896resolve_accepted = accepted -> closed
    9997resolve_accepted.name = resolve
     
    102100}}}
    103101
    104 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`.
    105 
    106 For actions that should be available in all states, `*` may be used in place of the state.  The obvious example is the `leave` action:
    107 {{{
    108 leave = * -> *
    109 leave.operations = leave_status
    110 leave.default = 1
    111 }}}
    112 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.
    113 If not specified for an action, `.default` is 0.  The value may be negative.
    114 
    115 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.
    116 
    117 While creating or modifying a ticket workflow, `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.
    118 
    119 This can be done as follows (your install path may be different).
    120 {{{
     102For actions that should be available in all states, `*` may be used in place of the state. The obvious example is the `leave` action:
     103{{{#!ini
     104leave = * -> *
     105leave.operations = leave_status
     106leave.default = 1
     107}}}
     108This 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.
     109If not specified for an action, `.default` is 0. The value may be negative.
     110
     111There 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.
     112
     113The 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:
     114{{{#!ini
     115_reset = -> new
     116_reset.name = reset
     117_reset.operations = reset_workflow
     118_reset.permissions = TICKET_ADMIN
     119_reset.default = 0
     120}}}
     121
     122Since [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:
     123{{{#!ini
     124_reset = -> new
     125_reset.name = reset
     126_reset.operations = reset_workflow
     127_reset.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY
     128_reset.default = 0
     129}}}
     130
     131== Workflow Visualization
     132
     133Workflows can be visualized by rendering them on the wiki using the [WikiMacros#Workflow-macro Workflow macro].
     134
     135Workflows 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):
     136{{{#!sh
    121137cd /var/local/trac_devel/contrib/workflow/
    122138sudo ./showworkflow /srv/trac/PlannerSuite/conf/trac.ini
    123139}}}
    124 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).
    125 
    126 An online copy of the workflow parser is available at http://foss.wush.net/cgi-bin/visual-workflow.pl
    127 
    128 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.
     140And 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
     142After you have changed a workflow, you need to restart your webserver for the changes to take effect.
    129143
    130144== Example: Adding optional Testing with Workflow ==
    131145
    132 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.
    133 
    134 {{{
     146By 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.
     147
     148{{{#!ini
    135149testing = new,accepted,needs_work,assigned,reopened -> testing
    136150testing.name = Submit to reporter for testing
     
    162176The new `reviewing` state along with its associated `review` action looks like this:
    163177
    164 {{{
     178{{{#!ini
    165179review = new,assigned,reopened -> reviewing
    166180review.operations = set_owner
     
    170184Then, 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:
    171185
    172 {{{
     186{{{#!ini
    173187accept = new,reviewing -> assigned
    174188[…]
     
    178192Optionally, 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.
    179193
    180 {{{
     194{{{#!ini
    181195reassign_reviewing = reviewing -> *
    182196reassign_reviewing.name = reassign review
     
    187201The full `[ticket-workflow]` configuration will thus look like this:
    188202
    189 {{{
     203{{{#!ini
    190204[ticket-workflow]
    191205accept = new,reviewing -> assigned
     
    215229== Example: Limit the resolution options for a new ticket ==
    216230
    217 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.
    218 
    219 {{{
     231The 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
    220234resolve_new = new -> closed
    221235resolve_new.name = resolve
     
    231245== Advanced Ticket Workflow Customization ==
    232246
    233 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.
     247If 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.
    234248
    235249But if even that is not enough, you can disable the !ConfigurableTicketWorkflow component and create a plugin that completely replaces it.
     
    237251== Adding Workflow States to Milestone Progress Bars ==
    238252
    239 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].
    240 
    241 == some ideas for next steps ==
    242 
    243 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 [http://trac-hacks.org/wiki/AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin] as it provides experimental operations.
    244 
    245 If you have a response to the comments below, create an enhancement ticket, and replace the description below with a link to the ticket.
    246 
    247  * the "operation" could be on the nodes, possible operations are:
    248    * '''preops''': automatic, before entering the state/activity
    249    * '''postops''': automatic, when leaving the state/activity
    250    * '''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.
    251 ''This appears to add complexity without adding functionality; please provide a detailed example where these additions allow something currently impossible to implement.''
    252 
    253  * operations could be anything: sum up the time used for the activity, or just write some statistical fields like
    254 ''A workflow plugin can add an arbitrary workflow operation, so this is already possible.''
    255 
    256  * set_actor should be an operation allowing to set the owner, e.g. as a "preop":
    257    * either to a role, a person
    258    * entered fix at define time, or at run time, e.g. out of a field, or select.
    259 ''This is either duplicating the existing `set_owner` operation, or needs to be clarified.''
    260 
    261  * Actions should be selectable based on the ticket type (different Workflows for different tickets)
    262 ''Look into the [http://trac-hacks.org/wiki/AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin]'s `triage` operation.''
    263 
    264  * I'd wish to have an option to perform automatic status changes. In my case, I do not want to start with "new", but with "assigned". So tickets in state "new" should automatically go into state "assigned". Or is there already a way to do this and I just missed it?
    265 ''Have a look at [http://trac-hacks.org/wiki/TicketCreationStatusPlugin TicketCreationStatusPlugin] and [http://trac-hacks.org/wiki/TicketConditionalCreationStatusPlugin TicketConditionalCreationStatusPlugin]''
    266 
    267  * I added a 'testing' state. A tester can close the ticket or reject it. I'd like the transition from testing to rejected to set the owner to the person that put the ticket in 'testing'. The [http://trac-hacks.org/wiki/AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin] is close with set_owner_to_field, but we need something like set_field_to_owner.
    268 
    269  * I'd like to track the time a ticket is in each state, adding up 'disjoints' intervals in the same state.
     253If 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
     257New 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.