Introduction

Kubuntu uses Launchpad to keep track of bugs and their fixes. To file a bug you first need to create an account. For the desktop environment and most applications, the KDE Bug Tracker is also used. Reporting bugs there will get them closer to the actual developer of the application, but be wary of bugs that may be specific to Kubuntu. If you aren't sure, please file bugs in Launchpad first.

Reporting bugs

Crashes

KDE Applications

When a KDE application crashes, you will get a crash dialog:

Click on the backtrace tab. If there are just a bunch of lines saying (no debugging symbols found), or if it says that it could not generate a backtrace, unfortunately this crash report isn't very useful. You can still report it, but you'll likely be asked for more information. See the debugging page for more information. If the backtrace tab does contain information, click Save As... and save the .kcrash file somewhere. Then see Filing bugs at launchpad.net to report the bug.

Debugging Packages

For a good backtrace (3 stars) you will need, at the minimum, to have kdebase-runtime-dbg and kdelibs5-dbg installed. For specific applications:

Non-KDE Applications

The easiest and most effective way to report a bug is with the Apport application. When an application crashes, apport automatically records information about the crash and the system. Apport is disabled by default, to enable it, edit the file /etc/default/apport to say enabled=1 instead of enabled=0. Then, if the crash happens once apport is enabled, a .crash file will be created in /var/crash that you can use to file a report using this command:

apport-cli -c /var/crash/crashfile.crash

This will take you to the Launchpad website where you can enter details about the crash, and debugging information will be attached automatically. This procedure will provide our developers with rich debugging information that will make it easier for them to fix the problem.

User Interface Bugs and Incorrect Functionality

If you want to report a bug on an application that is running and responding, you can file it in the KDE bug tracker from the Help menu via Help -> Report Bug.... This method is preferable than filing a bug directly at the website because of the debugging information it attaches, even for user interface bugs.

Clicking the Launch Bug Report Wizard button will take you to the bugs.kde.org website where you can fill in the details about the bug.

Filing from the command line

You can also file a bug about a package or running program in Launchpad using the command line, like this:

apport-cli -f -p PACKAGE

Lets you file a bug against a known package and automatically include all the useful debug information. Use

apport-cli -f -P PID

If you want to file against a running program with a known Process ID (PID) (see KMenu -> System -> Performance Monitor (KSysGuard)).

Filing bugs at Launchpad.net

If for some reason you cannot file a bug through the Apport tool you can file one via Launchpad (Apport is not available on version 6.10 and older). When doing so please ensure that you have determined which package it should be filed against. Read 'choosing the right package' for guidance.

Writing a useful report

Fill in the description field with as much information as you can, including the release of Kubuntu you are using and steps for someone else to recreate the bug. It is better to have too much information in the description than not enough.

Only describe a single problem per bug report so that each can be followed up on in detail. If you experience several issues file separate reports.

Add supporting attachments to explain or help others reproduce your bug. This might include a screen shot or video capture of the problem or a sample document that triggers the fault.

You can only add attachments after the bug has been filed with a title and description. Use the Add a comment/attachment at the bottom of the page.

For anything hardware related, give precise details about your hardware. Attaching the output of "lspci -vvnn" and "dmesg", after a fresh boot, will help a lot.

Choosing the right package

When not to file a bug

• Support requests should go to support requests in launchpad, the Ubuntu forums, the #kubuntu channel on the Freenode IRC server, or the kubuntu-users mailing list.

• Feature and policy discussions (including suggestions to change defaults) should be discussed on the kubuntu-devel mailing list.

• Development ideas should be posted to http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/ or discussed on the kubuntu-devel mailing list.

• Already filed - Please check if it has already been reported by searching through the existing bugs. If you have further information about an already reported bug, add this information to the existing reported bug, instead of opening a new one.

Getting advice

If you need help in finding the right package or providing appropriate information ask someone on #ubuntu-bugs on the Freenode IRC server or on the bugsquad mailing list.

Further reading

See this guide for general information on writing a good bug report. If you need help with debugging a problem, see DebuggingProcedures and DebuggingKDE.