Kexi/Testing

started by jstaniek, September 2006

First steps

• Subscribe to mailing list(s) to be aware of the development process and to be able to effectively contact all other people involved in the project.
• For Linux/Unix either
  • Install KEXI package(s), or
  • Get the source code and compile it

It's recommended to work on the newest possible version, with debug information. If you are able to compile it, do it, so you will obtain the newest improvements. Stable version is the one released as version x.y.z, unstable version is the one in git 'master' branch or released as alpha/beta. It is good to make sure that you are not reporting issues that have been already fixed in prior versions.

Do not forget to compile and/or install additional KDb database drivers such as MySQL or PostgreSQL if they are relevant to your tests. SQLite and MS Access database support is currently built-in.

• (optional, if you plan to test translations) Find and install a translation package for KEXI. If you do not have a suitable binary package, get the source translation from https://l10n.kde.org and install them.
• If you want to use KEXI on MS Windows, build it or install from source code.
• After you start KEXI for the first time, you will be able to create a new empty database. Refer to the Handbook] to get information how to do this.
• If you plan to use and test support for server databases, you will need access to a server. It can be your desktop computer, but you'll need to install and configure the database server software on your own. If you lack enough knowledge, ask someone (e.g. a network administrator) to do so.
• You may also want to find example databases as a reference.
  • These databases are saved in self-contained files for your convenience:
    • Simple Database.kexi (click+SHIFT on this to download); If you downloaded KEXI source code, it is also present in src/examples/Simple_Database.kexi.
    • A database with Large data (~600KB, download it and uncompress before use)
  • Example databases on a database server (MySQL, PostgreSQL) useful to test server connections. Will be provided, more information is PLANNED here. Please offer server space if you can, and provide test databases if you have such. They must be legal to use by third-parties..

What to Test?

You can:

• test for crashes or misbehaviour
• locate places where Kexi is ineffective (e.g. for large data sets) or hangs
• test particular functionality and propose entensions, e.g. data importing functions
• compare the application to the competition and identify the most expected features that Kexi currently lacks
• test for usability
• test for accessibility
• test for localizations issues, including support for right-to-left languages, etc. (note: errors in translations to other languages should be reported to a particular translation team)
• locate errors in the Kexi Handbook, report unclear or incomplete paragraphs, outdated or missing screenshots (the above note about translation teams also apply to translated documentation)

How to Report Bugs

• Use the wizard at bugs.kde.org (KDE Bug Tracking System) to submit a bug report or a wish. First check using this query tool if there's already similar bug or wish reported. Carefully read advices on the wizard's pages. Specify your operating system version and Kexi version. Attach an example file (or paste a link to it if the file is large). This helps a lot, and you will get faster and more accurate response.
• Related KDE Bug Tracking System's tools:
  • Report Count by Kexi's Component and Severity
  • Kexi chart for bugs ownership
• Contact Kexi developers by mail or by visiting #kexi and #koffice IRC channels.