Protocol for submitting bugs and errors in JavaScript API

[KenDoman]

If I find a repeatable bug or issue in the ArcGIS JavaScript API, what are the best practices I can follow to submit an issue? It's a little harder to figure out with a not-so-open source library like this. I've thought of a few suggestions, like:

• A description of what you're trying to do
• A small public application that makes the issue repeatable, maybe something hosted on:
  • jsBin
  • jsFiddle
  • CodePen
• Steps you've already taken to investigate the issue

Any other ideas?

[SteveCole]

All of the things you've listed are a great help for ESRI when they look at the issue brought forward. I believe the "official" method for raising bug issues is to submit it via ESRI's request for support. IMO, the downside to this current system is that you must be the "official" contact designated with ESRI in order to submit that issue. I work for a county and I'm not the designated contact so I had to have someone else initiate the bug submittal and then list me as the contact.

In my example, ESRI followed up fairly quickly with someone on the dev team to look into the issue I thought might be a bug.

[KristianEkenes]

Ken,

Steve is correct. ESRI support is the official way to report bugs. That way the issue can get verified and immediately reported to the dev teams via our tracking system. This creates an issue whose progress can be tracked by the person who submitted the issue. All of your points are good too. Having a description along with a simple sample and repro steps are extremely helpful.

Posting the issue in GeoNet is helpful to because it keeps it on our radar and we can easily provide you with temporary workarounds if there are any or identify potential user error. It also helps us understand where people struggle with the API, which may indicate room for improvement in our samples and documentation.

So having the issue in GeoNet is great, but to make sure an actual bug is addressed, you must go through ESRI support. Hope that helps!

[SMauri]

Hi Kristian Ekenes‌,

can you explicit a bit more your answer?

I can't find any "submit bug request" section or something like this in Esri Support page. Also nothing also in Support Developer section for Javascript.

Am I missing something?

Thank you

Stefano

[KristianEkenes]

I took this screenshot from the link you provided. I think the steps are straightforward after clicking the button circled below. If it's still confusing, then call the number next to the button and the support analyst will be able to help you. I don't work in support, so I don't know all of the required steps, but others on this forum have and may be of more help in this process.

[Noah-Sager]

Kristian is correct. Esri Technical Support is the best place to start if you think you have uncovered an issue with the software. If that issue turns out to be a bug, Support can log it as such. Here is another handy link for your convenience:

Contact Tech Support

Esri Support Contact Tech Support 

[SMauri]

Absolutely ? Sager‌, but only when I'm sure that the problem is actually a bug and not my fault.

As long as I'm not sure of that and it's not only a my problem, Geonet is the only place to verify if this issue is really a bug, doesn't it?

So I think it's an ESRI staff competence to certify that this is a BUG and after that I can notify this to Contact tech support in Italy.

Otherwise what would be the sense of writing on Geonet?

Stefano

[Noah-Sager]

Well, I am not 100% sure how Technical Support works in Italy, but I can give you my thoughts about GeoNet and Technical Support at Esri Inc.:

GeoNet is an online community where people can share ideas about GIS, projects, Esri Software, and technical issues. It’s a place for collaboration, co-creation, idea sharing, and problem solving. People ask questions about the best way to accomplish tasks, or ask about known issues, or write posts asking for help if they are having trouble getting something done. Esri staff moderate the posts as best as we can, but it is more of a collaborative online community. A popular use case is for users to first search GeoNet for an issue to see if other users are having it or if they can solve it with feedback on another thread, instead of calling Technical Support first.

Technical Support is a place that people can call or email if they have questions or are having problems with Esri software. Analysts in Technical Support can provide assistance using our software as explained in our documentation, or test reproducible cases when there are problems and log bugs as appropriate.

I hope this provides some clarity. In short, GeoNet is a free online community to discuss and ask for help (e.g. an online forum), and Technical Support is (usually) a paid service as part of a maintenance program or bought separately to get expert advice with Esri software and get bugs logged as appropriate.

[SMauri]

Maybe you're right, but this is not the behavior of some ESRI staff member like Philip Wilson‌ ,who take care of people like me (an ESRI customer and also a member of a business partner in Italy), check the presence of on open issue in his competence area and enter user's comment to the open issue, like in this post Poor Performance on Mobile 

Great job Philip Wilson‌ and thank you so much for your efforts.

This is a great service and an additional value!

Best regards

Stefano