Thunderbird:Testing: Difference between revisions

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<small>[[Thunderbird:Home|<< Back to Thunderbird Home Page]]</small>
<small>[[Thunderbird:Home|<< Back to Thunderbird Home Page]]</small>


You can help, even if you have no prior experience helping. You help another user, or help make Thunderbird better and enjoy the satisfaction that you have contributed to improving Thunderbird.
You can help improve Thunderbird and other users - no prior experience is necessary.
Below are just a few ways you can contribute to the Quality of Thunderbird.  
__FORCETOC__
== '''Easy:''' ==


Below are just a few ways you can contribute to the Quality of Thunderbird. Each item has a specific page with more details.
These activities are simple, takes the least amount of time, and doesn't require any special skill.  


== '''Easy:''' Testing ==
=== Beta testing ===


This activity is simple, takes the least amount of time, and doesn't require any special skill.  
Before Thunderbird is released to the general public, it goes through beta testing. To participate in this effort you'll need to run a [https://www.thunderbird.net/download/beta/ Beta version] which is different from the standard release version of Thunderbird.
 
The [https://www.thunderbird.net/download/beta/ Beta web page] has advice and links to many helpful resources, including a beta topicbox group for advice and assistance.
<small>The text below was moved from [[Thunderbird:Testing/Testing]]</small><!-- Moved from testing/testing -><!-- More information [[Thunderbird:Testing/Testing|here]] if you want to help with the testing activity. --><!-- <center>Quality through testing
 
One of the easiest way to help make Thunderbird a great product is by testing it.
 
Here are several different ways you can help.</center>
=== Keywords ===
* testace<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_case]</ref>
-->
=== Punctual testing ===
This may be the easiest way to participate, learn how to do more - and get more confident about helping. To help here, just subscribe yourself to the [https://mail.mozilla.org/listinfo/thunderbird-testers Thunderbird-testers] mailing list. This is a read-only mailing list with one or two messages per month. We usually send detailed instructions on what to do and test and how to get help when you sign up for one of those events.
 
Once on the mailing list just read the emails coming in. They'll either ask for volunteers for a shared event or will give very specific instructions on how to test a new feature on which we want a lot of coverage. When we ask for volunteers we'll usually use the following tools for testing :
 
* [https://moztrap.mozilla.org/ MozTrap] to manage our [https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Test_case testcase]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org Bugzilla] to manage our defects and [https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Software_bug bugs]
 
Having accounts on both on these systems is needed in order to participate.


=== Finding regressions ===
=== Finding regressions ===
While testing you might find some portions of Thunderbird that used to work, but do not work anymore. These are called [[ Thunderbird:Testing/Regression|regressions]].
While testing or searching bugzilla you might find some portions of Thunderbird that previously worked but do not work anymore. Bug reports will have the '''regression''' keyword.  
 
=== Daily testing ===
 
To participate in this effort, you'll need to run a version different from the standard release version of Thunderbird linked on the mozilla.com website.
 
Daily testing is can be done with [https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/channel/ "newer" versions of Thunderbird] that needs testing. Mozilla produces updates of these versions of Thunderbird every night, with new fixes, but also sometimes causing new bugs.
 
* We need many people on the stable branch - as its name implies, the stable branch only contains fixes and doesn't see any new features. But by using these builds, you'll help make sure that we don't introduce new bugs in the next security and stability release. To use these, either:
*# Download one stable nightly build and update it regularly
*# Or switch your update channel to beta instead of release.
* We also need people to use Alphas and Betas of the next major release. To run these just download one when they are announced and just keep using them.
* And finally we also need people to run trunk builds. These builds will contain all the new features of the next major release of Thunderbird and you don't need to wait for the next beta to see them. These builds are less stable than the others and get broken once in a while (I would say maybe once or twice per calendar year).
*# We also announce major issues when we are aware of them on [https://mail.mozilla.org/listinfo/tb-planning Tb-planning] - Some coverage about less critical issues is available on the [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewforum.php?f=29 Daily build thread at Mozillazine]
 
When doing daily testing, it's a good idea to have an account on  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org Bugzilla] to log the issues you find (and please make sure to search bugzilla before filling new defects)


=== Maintaining the Test cases ===
For these bugs it is very helpful to know the "regression range", the 1-day range of changes that broke Thunderbird.  A bug whose regression range has not been determined also has a bugzilla keyword '''regressionrange-wanted'''.


A main part of our manual and community driven testing relies on test cases .<ref name="testcase">https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Test_case</ref>. What we do is we publish a call for help from volunteers and then split the test cases between those volunteers.
You can find the regression range using a wonderful semiautomated tool called [https://mozilla.github.io/mozregression/ mozregression], and hopefully identify the code which caused the regression behavior.


This means :
== '''Moderate:''' ==


* Adding tests
=== Performance Profiles ===
* Editing tests
* Removing obsolete tests


Not too technical, but a good level of English is needed.
Bugs which are performance related, with the "perf" keyword, can be profiled using a tool which traces the code being used.  [https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiling-thunderbird-performance This page] has details on running the tool.  More information to come.


<!-- == References ==
=== Maintaining Thunderbird's bug reports ===
<references/> -->
[https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/ Bugzilla] is the database / tool that tracks reported defects. Working in this area requires some experience using Thunderbird, and the ability to determine what the user reporting a problem might be seeing. You don't need great technical skill. It just takes a little time. More information on this activity can be found [[Thunderbird:Testing/bugzilla|here]].


== '''Moderate:''' Maintaining the bug database ==
== '''Difficult:''' ==


The bug database aka [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org bugzilla] is the tool used track defects.  The bug database is open to anyone who wants to help developers know about issues with Thunderbird.
=== Daily build testing ===


Work in this area requires some experience just using Thunderbird (just a few months), and the ability to determine what the user reporting a problem might be seeing. You don't need great technical skill. It just takes a little time.
This requires running [https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/channel/ Daily version] which is different from the standard release version of Thunderbird.  Daily is a difficult environment, because you get a new version almost every day, with updated code.  Sometimes the daily build is broken by bugs. Otherwise, the challenges are similar to running a beta version. The [https://thunderbird.topicbox.com/groups/daily daily topicbox group] is available for advice and assistance.


More information on this activity can be found [[Thunderbird:Testing/bugzilla|here]].
<!-- == '''Challenging:''' Writing automated tests ==
<!-- == '''Challenging:''' Writing automated tests ==


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More information on writing tests is available here.-->__NOTOC__
More information on writing tests is available here.-->__NOTOC__
== Find us by IRC ==
== Ask questions on Matrix ==
If you want to know more, just type '''/join [http://www.mibbit.com/chat/?server=irc.mozilla.org&channel=%23tb-qa #tb-qa]''' at IRC chat on [http://irc.mozilla.org/ irc.mozilla.org] and ask us all sorts of questions. Bear in mind that we might take a few minutes to answer - so please be patient.
If you want to know more, ask in the Thunderbird support topic ''#thunderbird:mozilla.org'' on [https://wiki.mozilla.org/Matrix Matrix]. Bear in mind volunteers may not respond immediately, so please be patient.


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Latest revision as of 16:25, 15 January 2024

<< Back to Thunderbird Home Page

You can help improve Thunderbird and other users - no prior experience is necessary. Below are just a few ways you can contribute to the Quality of Thunderbird.

Easy:

These activities are simple, takes the least amount of time, and doesn't require any special skill.

Beta testing

Before Thunderbird is released to the general public, it goes through beta testing. To participate in this effort you'll need to run a Beta version which is different from the standard release version of Thunderbird. The Beta web page has advice and links to many helpful resources, including a beta topicbox group for advice and assistance.

Finding regressions

While testing or searching bugzilla you might find some portions of Thunderbird that previously worked but do not work anymore. Bug reports will have the regression keyword.

For these bugs it is very helpful to know the "regression range", the 1-day range of changes that broke Thunderbird. A bug whose regression range has not been determined also has a bugzilla keyword regressionrange-wanted.

You can find the regression range using a wonderful semiautomated tool called mozregression, and hopefully identify the code which caused the regression behavior.

Moderate:

Performance Profiles

Bugs which are performance related, with the "perf" keyword, can be profiled using a tool which traces the code being used. This page has details on running the tool. More information to come.

Maintaining Thunderbird's bug reports

Bugzilla is the database / tool that tracks reported defects. Working in this area requires some experience using Thunderbird, and the ability to determine what the user reporting a problem might be seeing. You don't need great technical skill. It just takes a little time. More information on this activity can be found here.

Difficult:

Daily build testing

This requires running Daily version which is different from the standard release version of Thunderbird. Daily is a difficult environment, because you get a new version almost every day, with updated code. Sometimes the daily build is broken by bugs. Otherwise, the challenges are similar to running a beta version. The daily topicbox group is available for advice and assistance.


Ask questions on Matrix

If you want to know more, ask in the Thunderbird support topic #thunderbird:mozilla.org on Matrix. Bear in mind volunteers may not respond immediately, so please be patient.


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