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name=PmWiki.HowToGetAssistance
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text=(:Summary: How to seek help and assistance and report PmWiki bugs:)%0a(:keywords getting help, issues:)%0a%0aWhat is a good way to seek assistance from the PmWiki community,%0awith the least possible waste of their time and effort and the quickest positive outcome for respondents?%0a%0aWhen you have an issue with PmWiki, [[Cookbook/]] recipes, or the environment PmWiki is [[PmWiki/Installation|installed]] in, it is worthwhile to undertake some or all of the following preparations and precautions.%0a%0a!!! Review available information%0a* ensure you are, as much as possible, running the [[PmWiki:SiteAnalyzer | current version]] of all PmWiki and recipe software.%0a* review the current [[PmWiki/DocumentationIndex | documentation]] for updates and [[PmWiki:ChangeLog | changes]]%0a* search the [[PITS:PITS | PmWiki Issue Tracking System]] to see if the issue is already known about%0a* search the [[(PmWiki:)mailing lists]]%0a* search [[Site/Search | PmWiki]]%0a* inspect your current environment (see [[PmWiki/DebugVariables#EnableDiag | PHPInfo]])%0a* check the [[PmWiki/troubleshooting]] guide%0a* there is help on specific [[PmWiki:error messages]]%0a* see the [[PmWiki/FAQ]] and [[PmWiki:FAQ candidate]] pages%0a%0aSince a query may relate to any, or all, of%0a* environment ([[Wikipedia:Operating system | OS]], [[(Wikipedia:)web server]], [[http://php.net | PHP]])%0a* PmWiki, or [[Cookbook:/ | recipes]]%0a* functionality of PmWiki or PmWiki documentation%0athe appropriate and accurate information will go a long way to isolating a cause and determining a solution%0a%0a[[#reproduce]]%0a!!! Reproduce the issue%0aThe next step is to reproduce the issue in a different environment if it is feasible.%0a* the PmWiki [[test/]] pages are a good place to do this%0a* consider disabling all recipes in your [[PmWiki/LocalCustomizations | config.php]], then adding them in one at a time until the problem occurs%0a* another useful way is to create a [[PmWiki/WikiGroup | group]] and use a [[PmWiki/GroupCustomizations | group specific customisation]] to diagnose the problem%0a%0a!!! Seek assistance%0aHaving done all of this, and being none the wiser about your issue (although probably somewhat wiser about PmWiki) you could%0a* leave a query on the [[PmWiki:questions]] page%0a* post a message the the PmWiki [[PmWiki/mailing lists]]%0a%0aWhen making a request for help, feel free to%0a* provide a link to the wiki in question, and the problem in particular%0a* have an example of the issue on your wiki, or as a [[test/]] page on PmWiki%0a* provide edit access to the wiki%0a* [[PmWiki:AnalyzeResults#ActionDiag_enabled | set]] the $EnableDiag flag for that page to allow helpers to examine your environment%0a* if performance related, use the [[(Cookbook:)Stopwatch]]%0a* provide, where appropriate, versions of your OS, web server, and PHP%0a* provide, where appropriate, the [[PmWiki:version]] of PmWiki, and [[Cookbook:RecipeCheck | recipes]]%0a* provide one or more test cases%0a* provide links to the documentation you thought pertinent and used in your research (this will also facilitate updating of the documentation)%0a%0aAll of these things will greatly assist and incentivise'^[[http://thefreedictionary.com/incentivise|#]]^' those who wish to help you get to the nub of the problem without having to ask further probing questions. %0a%0a!! PmWiki Issue Tracking System %0aIf the issues turns out to be a [[(Wikipedia:)software bug]], performance issue, change request, enhancement or feature request%0athe PmWiki Issue Tracking System ([[PITS:.|PITS]]) is where you register it.%0a%0aAgain, all the above pertinent information should be placed in the issue report to assist in its resolution.%0a%0a!! See Also%0a* [[http://chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html|How to report bugs effectively]]%0a* [[http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html|How to ask questions the smart way]]%0a* [[http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375/ | How to ask a question]]%0a* [[http://albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html | Core Rules of Netiquette]]%0a%0a%0a>>faq display=none%3c%3c%0a%0a>>%3c%3c%0a%0aCategories: [[!Debugging]] [[!System tools]]%0a
time=1274645839