Dealing with Bugs

Python is a mature programming language which has established a reputation for stability. In order to maintain this reputation, the developers would like to know of any deficiencies you find in Python.

It can be sometimes faster to fix bugs yourself and contribute patches to Python as it streamlines the process and involves less people. Learn how to :ref:`contribute <contributing-to-python>`.

Documentation bugs

If you find a bug in this documentation or would like to propose an improvement, please submit a bug report on the :ref:`issue tracker <using-the-tracker>`. If you have a suggestion on how to fix it, include that as well.

You can also open a discussion item on our Documentation Discourse forum.

If you find a bug in the theme (HTML / CSS / JavaScript) of the documentation, please submit a bug report on the python-doc-theme issue tracker.

.. seealso::

   `Documentation bugs`_
      A list of documentation bugs that have been submitted to the Python issue tracker.

   `Issue Tracking <https://devguide.python.org/tracker/>`_
      Overview of the process involved in reporting an improvement on the tracker.

   `Helping with Documentation <https://devguide.python.org/docquality/#helping-with-documentation>`_
      Comprehensive guide for individuals that are interested in contributing to Python documentation.

   `Documentation Translations <https://devguide.python.org/documentation/translating/>`_
      A list of GitHub pages for documentation translation and their primary contacts.

Using the Python issue tracker

Issue reports for Python itself should be submitted via the GitHub issues tracker (https://github.com/python/cpython/issues). The GitHub issues tracker offers a web form which allows pertinent information to be entered and submitted to the developers.

The first step in filing a report is to determine whether the problem has already been reported. The advantage in doing so, aside from saving the developers' time, is that you learn what has been done to fix it; it may be that the problem has already been fixed for the next release, or additional information is needed (in which case you are welcome to provide it if you can!). To do this, search the tracker using the search box at the top of the page.

If the problem you're reporting is not already in the list, log in to GitHub. If you don't already have a GitHub account, create a new account using the "Sign up" link. It is not possible to submit a bug report anonymously.

Being now logged in, you can submit an issue. Click on the "New issue" button in the top bar to report a new issue.

The submission form has two fields, "Title" and "Comment".

For the "Title" field, enter a very short description of the problem; fewer than ten words is good.

In the "Comment" field, describe the problem in detail, including what you expected to happen and what did happen. Be sure to include whether any extension modules were involved, and what hardware and software platform you were using (including version information as appropriate).

Each issue report will be reviewed by a developer who will determine what needs to be done to correct the problem. You will receive an update each time an action is taken on the issue.

.. seealso::

   `How to Report Bugs Effectively <https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html>`_
      Article which goes into some detail about how to create a useful bug report.
      This describes what kind of information is useful and why it is useful.

   `Bug Writing Guidelines <https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=bug-writing.html>`_
      Information about writing a good bug report.  Some of this is specific to the
      Mozilla project, but describes general good practices.

Getting started contributing to Python yourself

Beyond just reporting bugs that you find, you are also welcome to submit patches to fix them. You can find more information on how to get started patching Python in the Python Developer's Guide. If you have questions, the core-mentorship mailing list is a friendly place to get answers to any and all questions pertaining to the process of fixing issues in Python.

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