Changes between Version 2 and Version 3 of TracWorkflow


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Timestamp:
Aug 13, 2019, 3:52:01 PM (5 years ago)
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trac
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  • TracWorkflow

    v2 v3  
    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 === 
    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 {{{#!Workflow width=500 height=240 
    14 leave = * -> * 
    15 leave.operations = leave_status 
    16 leave.default = 1 
    17 accept = new -> assigned 
    18 accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    19 accept.operations = set_owner_to_self 
    20 resolve = new,assigned,reopened -> closed 
    21 resolve.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    22 resolve.operations = set_resolution 
    23 reassign = new,assigned,reopened -> new 
    24 reassign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    25 reassign.operations = set_owner 
    26 reopen = closed -> reopened 
    27 reopen.permissions = TICKET_CREATE 
    28 reopen.operations = del_resolution 
    29 }}} 
    30  
    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. 
    33  
    34 === 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: 
     5The Trac ticket system provides a configurable workflow. 
     6 
     7== The Default Ticket Workflow 
     8 
     9When a new environment is created, a default workflow is configured in your trac.ini. This workflow is the basic workflow, such as specified in [trac:source:/trunk/trac/ticket/workflows/basic-workflow.ini basic-workflow.ini]: 
    3810 
    3911{{{#!Workflow width=700 height=300 
     
    4113leave.operations = leave_status 
    4214leave.default = 1 
     15 
     16create = <none> -> new 
     17create.default = 1 
     18 
     19create_and_assign = <none> -> assigned 
     20create_and_assign.label = assign 
     21create_and_assign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
     22create_and_assign.operations = may_set_owner 
     23 
    4324accept = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> accepted 
    4425accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    4526accept.operations = set_owner_to_self 
     27 
    4628resolve = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> closed 
    4729resolve.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    4830resolve.operations = set_resolution 
     31 
    4932reassign = new,assigned,accepted,reopened -> assigned 
    5033reassign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    5134reassign.operations = set_owner 
     35 
    5236reopen = closed -> reopened 
    5337reopen.permissions = TICKET_CREATE 
     
    5539}}} 
    5640 
    57 == Additional Ticket Workflows == 
    58  
    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. 
    62  
    63 == Basic Ticket Workflow Customization == 
    64  
    65 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. 
     41== Additional Ticket Workflows 
     42 
     43There 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.  
     44 
     45Here are some [trac:WorkFlow/Examples diagrams] of the above examples. 
     46 
     47== Basic Ticket Workflow Customization 
     48 
     49'''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. 
    6650 
    6751Create a `[ticket-workflow]` section in `trac.ini`. 
    6852Within this section, each entry is an action that may be taken on a ticket.  
    6953For example, consider the `accept` action from `simple-workflow.ini`: 
    70 {{{ 
     54 
     55{{{#!ini 
    7156accept = new,accepted -> accepted 
    7257accept.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    7358accept.operations = set_owner_to_self 
    7459}}} 
     60 
    7561The 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`). 
    7662The `accept.permissions` line specifies what permissions the user must have to use this action. 
     
    7864 
    7965The 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      {{{ 
     66- **del_owner** -- Clear the owner field. 
     67- **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. 
     68 - ''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. 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. 
     69- **set_owner_to_self** -- Sets the owner to the logged in user. 
     70- **may_set_owner** -- Sets the owner to the selected or entered owner. Defaults to the existing owner. //(Since 1.1.2)//.  
     71- **del_resolution** -- Clears the resolution field. 
     72- **set_resolution** -- Sets the resolution to the selected value. 
     73 - ''actionname''`.set_resolution` may optionally be set to a comma delimited list or a single value. Example: 
     74 {{{#!ini 
    8875resolve_new = new -> closed 
    89 resolve_new.name = resolve 
     76resolve_new.label = resolve 
    9077resolve_new.operations = set_resolution 
    9178resolve_new.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    9279resolve_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 {{{ 
     80}}} 
     81- **leave_status** -- Displays "leave as <current status>" and makes no change to the ticket. 
     82- **reset_workflow** -- Resets the status of tickets that are in states no longer defined. 
     83'''Note:''' Specifying conflicting operations, such as `set_owner` and `del_owner`, has unspecified results. 
     84 
     85In this example, we see the `.label` attribute used. The action here is `resolve_accepted`, but it will be presented to the user as `resolve`: 
     86 
     87{{{#!ini 
    9888resolve_accepted = accepted -> closed 
    99 resolve_accepted.name = resolve 
     89resolve_accepted.label = resolve 
    10090resolve_accepted.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    10191resolve_accepted.operations = set_resolution 
    10292}}} 
    10393 
    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 {{{ 
     94In this example, we see the `.label` attribute used.  The action here is `resolve_accepted`, but it will be presented to the user as `resolve`. The `.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//). 
     95 
     96For actions that should be available in all states, `*` may be used in place of the state. The obvious example is the `leave` action: 
     97{{{#!ini 
    10898leave = * -> * 
    10999leave.operations = leave_status 
    110100leave.default = 1 
    111101}}} 
    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 {{{ 
     102 
     103This 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. 
     104If not specified for an action, `.default` is 0. The value may be negative. 
     105 
     106The 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: 
     107{{{#!ini 
     108create = <none> -> new 
     109create.default = 1 
     110 
     111create_and_assign = <none> -> assigned 
     112create_and_assign.label = assign 
     113create_and_assign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
     114create_and_assign.operations = may_set_owner 
     115}}} 
     116 
     117 
     118There is one hard-coded constraints 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. 
     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.label = 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.label = 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 
    121147cd /var/local/trac_devel/contrib/workflow/ 
    122148sudo ./showworkflow /srv/trac/PlannerSuite/conf/trac.ini 
    123149}}} 
    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. 
    129  
    130 == Example: Adding optional Testing with Workflow == 
    131  
    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 {{{ 
     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 
    135159testing = new,accepted,needs_work,assigned,reopened -> testing 
    136 testing.name = Submit to reporter for testing 
     160testing.label = Submit to reporter for testing 
    137161testing.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    138162 
    139163reject = testing -> needs_work 
    140 reject.name = Failed testing, return to developer 
     164reject.label = Failed testing, return to developer 
    141165 
    142166pass = testing -> closed 
    143 pass.name = Passes Testing 
     167pass.label = Passes Testing 
    144168pass.operations = set_resolution 
    145169pass.set_resolution = fixed 
    146170}}} 
    147171 
    148 === How to combine the `tracopt.ticket.commit_updater` with the testing workflow === 
     172=== How to combine the `tracopt.ticket.commit_updater` with the testing workflow 
    149173 
    150174The [[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. 
     
    156180Have 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. 
    157181 
    158 == Example: Add simple optional generic review state == 
     182== Example: Add simple optional generic review state 
    159183 
    160184Sometimes 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. 
     
    162186The new `reviewing` state along with its associated `review` action looks like this: 
    163187 
    164 {{{ 
     188{{{#!ini 
    165189review = new,assigned,reopened -> reviewing 
    166190review.operations = set_owner 
     
    168192}}} 
    169193 
    170 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: 
    171  
    172 {{{ 
     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 
    173197accept = new,reviewing -> assigned 
    174198[…] 
     
    176200}}} 
    177201 
    178 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. 
    179  
    180 {{{ 
     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 
    181205reassign_reviewing = reviewing -> * 
    182 reassign_reviewing.name = reassign review 
     206reassign_reviewing.label = reassign review 
    183207reassign_reviewing.operations = set_owner 
    184208reassign_reviewing.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
     
    187211The full `[ticket-workflow]` configuration will thus look like this: 
    188212 
    189 {{{ 
     213{{{#!ini 
    190214[ticket-workflow] 
     215create = <none> -> new 
     216create.default = 1 
     217create_and_assign = <none> -> assigned 
     218create_and_assign.label = assign 
     219create_and_assign.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
     220create_and_assign.operations = may_set_owner 
    191221accept = new,reviewing -> assigned 
    192222accept.operations = set_owner_to_self 
     
    209239reassign_reviewing = reviewing -> * 
    210240reassign_reviewing.operations = set_owner 
    211 reassign_reviewing.name = reassign review 
     241reassign_reviewing.label = reassign review 
    212242reassign_reviewing.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
    213243}}} 
    214244 
    215 == Example: Limit the resolution options for a new ticket == 
    216  
    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 {{{ 
     245== Example: Limit the resolution options for a new ticket 
     246 
     247The 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. 
     248 
     249{{{#!ini 
    220250resolve_new = new -> closed 
    221 resolve_new.name = resolve 
     251resolve_new.label = resolve 
    222252resolve_new.operations = set_resolution 
    223253resolve_new.permissions = TICKET_MODIFY 
     
    229259}}} 
    230260 
    231 == Advanced Ticket Workflow Customization == 
    232  
    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. 
     261== Advanced Ticket Workflow Customization 
     262 
     263If 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. 
    234264 
    235265But if even that is not enough, you can disable the !ConfigurableTicketWorkflow component and create a plugin that completely replaces it. 
    236266 
    237 == Adding Workflow States to Milestone Progress Bars == 
    238  
    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. 
     267== Adding Workflow States to Milestone Progress Bars 
     268 
     269If you add additional states to your workflow, you may want to customize your milestone progress bars as well. See [TracIni#milestone-groups-section TracIni]. 
     270 
     271== Ideas for next steps 
     272 
     273Enhancement 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. Also look at the [http://trac-hacks.org/wiki/AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin AdvancedTicketWorkflowPlugin] as it provides experimental operations.