Issue Category field

Last updated on
17 August 2021

This page describes the standard definitions of the options available for the Category field on Drupal project issues, which mostly apply to projects that are associated with software (Drupal core, contributed modules, contributed themes, etc.). Non-software projects and working groups may use the Category field in a different way; there's a section at the bottom about categories for documentation-related issues.

The issue categories are combined with priorities (critical, major, normal, minor). There is often a fine line between "major task" and "normal bug", or "normal task" and "major feature request". However, it should be easier to compare "major task" and "major bug" using the definitions below.

Bug

A bug is a functional error in the system, which can have any priority from minor to critical. While the definition of 'bug' is commonly understood, here are some examples:

  • A PHP error such as a warning or notice
  • Data loss
  • Regressions in functionality from previous major versions or stable releases (this may include missing functionality or APIs if there is no obvious replacement).
  • Race conditions
  • Memory leaks
  • Scalability issues
  • Incorrect or misleading user interface text
  • Incorrect or misleading documentation
  • Usability issues that prevent people from using functionality (as if it didn't work at all).
  • Accessibility issues that prevent people from using functionality (as if it didn't work at all)

Task

Tasks are not functional bugs, but represent things that 'need to be done'. It is very rare for a task to be critical, however some things have to be done 'before release' that are not strictly functional bugs - this mainly applies to major Drupal core releases only.

For example:

  • Refactoring code to make it more readable, maintainable, or extensible
  • Adding automated tests
  • Refactoring functions for performance (where they are not causing functional errors)
  • Updating code to new APIs
  • Improving coding standards
  • API additions
  • Rewriting user interface strings for brevity and clarity.

Feature request

This is a request for completely new functionality to be added to the project. Feature requests may be major in scope, but should not be marked as critical since a completely new feature should not block a release.

  • New modules (such as the toolbar module in Drupal 7)
  • New subsystems (such as the Field API in Drupal 7)
  • Adding (or removing!) an option from a particular admin form

Before making a feature request for Drupal core, please read Criteria for evaluating proposed changes.

Support request

Support requests are requests for help using the software, and are only answered in some projects. For instance, if you have a support question about the Drupal core software, you will probably not receive timely help by creating an issue in the Drupal core project. Instead, see the Support page on drupal.org to find more appropriate channels.

Sometimes support requests result from misconceptions (which could mean there is a problem that can be addressed in documentation), or they may turn out to be functional bugs. If there are actionable steps to fix the problem, they can be converted to bugs or tasks (for example a task in the documentation component).

Plan

The "Plan" category is used for meta issues that capture process and give an overview to problems that cannot be solved with one issue. Plan issues will often have multiple sub-steps in related "child" issues (issues that have the plan issue in their "Parent" issue relationship field).

Category for Documentation issues

If you are reporting an issue in the Documentation project, the User Guide project, or another working group that deals with documentation, the following categories apply:

  • Use "bug report" for errors on pages (factual, style, etc.).
  • Use "feature request" for requests for new documentation and policy changes.
  • Use "task" for a task request, such as deleting comments from a page.
  • Do not use "support request". If you have a support question, click on "Resources" > "Support" in the Drupal.org header area to find better support options.

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