Issue tags field

This page describes how to use, when to use, and when not to use the Issue tags field on Drupal project issues.

Mechanics of issue tags

To add a tag to an issue, enter the tag name in the Issue tags field. The field has an autocomplete feature; if your tag already exists, start typing the tag name and it should come up in the list. Using an existing tag is preferable to creating a new tag.

After saving an issue, the tag list will appear in the issue sidebar. Clicking on a tag link will take you to a list of all issues, across all projects, with that tag.

You can also search for issues by tag, or with a combination of tags, using an "Advanced" search. See Searching for issues for more information.

What to use issue tags for

• Tracking issues for initiatives that span multiple projects or multiple components
• Tracking which issues were worked on during a contribution event
• Classifying issues with more detail about the status, especially defining what exactly "needs work". Examples: needs tests or needs documentation
• Tracking project milestones or goals, such as issues that need to be resolved before a certain release can happen
• Classifying issues by other criteria than the hard-coded default fields. For example:
  • Defining how difficult some tasks on certain issues are expected to be, such as Novice issues
  • Tracking (and at times debating) if an issue qualifies as an API change, if it
    breaks the string freeze, etc
  • Classifying an issue as FAQ when another issue is closed as a duplicate of it

Tagging guidelines

When tagging issues, follow these guidelines:

• Reuse an existing tag, if possible, rather than creating a new tag (be sure to check your spelling so it is an exact match)
• If you are using a special issue tag, make sure it is used appropriately
• Do not use # in the name of the tag (the autocomplete has problems with #)
• Do not use tags that duplicate settings in other issue fields, such as Status, Component, Priority, etc.
• Do not remove event-related tags after the event is over, unless no one from the event actually worked on the issue.