Merge pull request #2698 from tmerr/next

[i3/i3] / docs / debugging

diff --git a/docs/debugging b/docs/debugging
index 894a873b10b1111b3bea5bc2c97fff60b275c1d3..7be7c8e5b37f2d4cd44134c30b9b6f32f4a3ea0a 100644 (file)
--- a/docs/debugging
+++ b/docs/debugging
@@ -67,8 +67,44 @@ fly:
 i3-msg 'debuglog on; shmlog on; reload'
 ---------------------------------------
 
+== Reproducing the problem
+
+Before submitting an issue, please make sure to close down on the problem as
+much as you can yourself. Here are some steps you should consider:
+
+* Find a deterministic, reliable way to reproduce the problem and provide it
+  with your bug report.
+* Try using the default i3 config to reproduce the problem. If the issue does
+  not appear with the default config, gradually adapt it to track down what 
+  change(s) to the config introduce the problem.
+* Reproduce the problem with a minimal setup, i.e., only use as few applications,
+  windows and steps as necessary.
+* In addition, try to stick to applications that are common and, even more
+  importantly, free / open source.
+* Before obtaining the log file, restart i3 in-place, execute the steps to
+  reproduce the problem and then save the logs. This keeps the log file as
+  small as possible and necessary.
+
+Please be aware that we cannot support compatibility issues with closed-source
+software, as digging into compatibility problems without having access to the
+source code is too time-consuming. Additionally, experience has shown that
+often, the software in question is responsible for the issue. Please raise an
+issue with the software in question, not i3.
+
 == Obtaining the debug logfile
 
+[CAUTION]
+================================================================================
+Logs may contain sensitive information, so please inspect the log before
+submitting it. Logs may be viewed by anyone, once posted. If you choose to
+redact the log, make an effort not to discard information which may be relevant
+to the issue you are reporting.
+
+The best way to avoid submitting such information is to only run the necessary
+steps to reproduce the behavior when saving the log file. This will also make
+analyzing the log file easier.
+================================================================================
+
 No matter whether i3 misbehaved in some way without crashing or whether it just
 crashed, the logfile provides all information necessary to debug the problem.
 
@@ -124,10 +160,11 @@ length limitations) or flood kicks.
 
 == Debugging i3bar
 
-To debug i3bar problems, add +verbose yes+ to all +bar {}+ blocks in your i3 config
-and then restart all i3bar instances like this:
+To debug i3bar problems, add +verbose yes+ to all +bar {}+ blocks in your i3
+config, reload your config and then restart all i3bar instances like this:
 
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+$ i3 reload
 $ killall i3bar
 $ for c in $(i3-msg -t get_bar_config | python -c \
       'import json,sys;print("\n".join(json.load(sys.stdin)))'); do \