Define a GitHub issue template to avoid support questions

[javiereguiluz]

We're getting a lot of issues that are in fact support questions. Should we give a try at defining a GitHub Issue template to try to minimize this problem?

The text contents are temporary. This is how they'd look:

[wouterj]

👎 For me, any boilerplate stuff I have to remove before I can actually start reporting my issue will make me report less issues. Issue templates are templates and not informative texts, imo.

[javiereguiluz]

For what is worth, it's almost impossible to find a popular GitHub repository without an issue template:

[chalasr]

I'm 👍 for having an issue template, but (as pointed by @wouterj) for the same kind of templates we have for pull requests, helping to determinate if it is a bug report, a feature request, which version is concerned... So maintainers (especially @javiereguiluz) don't have to manually add labels on all issues. It should help to avoid support issues as well, as we are forced to define a concrete type (i.e. feature request or bug report, if it can't be in these two choices, then it's a support issue).

[sstok]

FYI, you can use html comments <!-- --> to hide instructions, Sonata does this for example.
They only show-up when editing but not when you post them.

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sonata-project/dev-kit/master/project/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md

It would also be a good idea to use a questioner for issues:
Types (bug, feature), Symfony version, php version, etc.

[ro0NL]

So why not both?

<!--
* Some
* Guidelines..
-->

| Q             | A
| ------------- | ---

Issue templates are templates and not informative texts

This is a value used by default for each new issue. How is that not a template?

[wouterj]

This is a value used by default for each new issue. How is that not a template?

Well, the proposed "template" is not a template at all. It just informs you that you shouldn't submit support questions. This is "informative text", which I'm against.

Please note that I'm not against introducing a Q/A table for issues. That's a great example of a template. (it indicates what type of issues Symfony wants in a template way and it doesn't formalize the way people type their feature requests too hard)

[ro0NL]

Ok, we interpret it differently :) From github's pov this is a issue template, whatever the file contents are. Anyway im 👍 on whatever helps creating better issues.

Lets focus on the QA first then? What about;

• Bug report yes/no
• Feature request yes/no
• Symfony version x.y.z
• PHP version x.y

More or less like @chalasr proposed.

[wouterj]

I like it. I think we shouldn't add to much stuff in there. When looking at other issue templates, it seems like the proposed items covered the commonly used items.

So:

| Q                | A
| ---------------- | -----
| Bug report?      | yes/no
| Feature request? | yes/no
| Symfony version  | x.y.z
| PHP version      | x.y.z

[HeahDude]

No need for a template when we have Carson :) What about:

<!--

Thanks for supporting Symfony!

* Issues are used for reporting bugs and requesting new features.

  To define which it is, just add "[Bug]" or "[Feature]" before the title of this issue.

  You can also target some specific component(s) with braces, i.e "[Form]" or "[Security]".

  When a bug is suspected, please mention the version of Symfony and PHP you're using.

  If some simple unit test are not enough, you can try to fork symfony/symfony-standard
  and add the minimum of code to reproduce your scenario.

* If you have a question about using Symfony, please check https://symfony.com/support

-->

?

[javiereguiluz]

I've just closed two support issues that may have not existed if we had explain to users that issues are not the way to ask questions: #20293 and #20318.

By the way, I don't like it at all to create a template where the bug reporter must fill in a lot of information. In that case I'd agree with this Wouter comment.

[ro0NL]

I like @HeahDude's idea to use carson [Bug/FR/Feature(Request)] for automatic labels. Which indeed requires no further template, just some general info. I think it's the most friendly/accessible, yet useful way to handle it.

[nicolas-grekas]

I don't like adding labels in issue titles, they are too often redundant with the title and clutter reading IMHO.

IMHO again, the short comment is a nice idea, looks like a perfect contextual help to me.

My 2cts:

| Q                | A
| ---------------- | -----
| Bug report?      | yes/no
| Feature request? | yes/no
| BC Break report? | yes/no
| RFC?             | yes/no
| Symfony version  | x.y.z

<!--
- Please fill in this template according to your issue.
- For support request or how-tos, please visit https://symfony.com/support
- Otherwise, replace this comment by the description of your issue.
-->

[fabpot]

I like @nicolas-grekas suggestion.

[nicolas-grekas]

👍

[stof]

👍

[fabpot]

Thank you @javiereguiluz.