Submitting a Bug

Submission of Bugs

In some circumstances, the components of the system might not perform as expected. This is not intentional, but in any case it is best to Submit a Bug.

chevron-rightWhat is a Bug?hashtag
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Bug

🪰A bug is any unintended behavior in a system that causes it to work differently from what was expected.

It doesn’t necessarily mean the system is broken outright — sometimes it’s subtle, like incorrect data display, or sometimes more severe, like a crash

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Causes of a Bug

🪰Bugs can appear for many reasons, including but not limited to:

  • 📝Misconfigurations → settings or environment variables aren’t aligned correctly.

  • 📈Visualization/Display issues → data is processed correctly, but presented incorrectly.

  • Application logic errors → mistakes in how code handles certain cases.

  • 🔗Integration mismatches → different systems or services interpret data differently.

  • 🍱Edge cases → unusual but valid scenarios that weren’t fully anticipated.

In these cases, bugs happen — they’re a normal part of complex systems.

🔑The key is recognizing that they may stem from multiple layers — not just bad code.

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Reporting vs. Dismissing a Bug

✅It is always good practice to notify administrators, stakeholders, or developers of unintended errors that might occur in the application.

💼In the case that a bug was already submitted, it is completely safe to dismiss this bug.

📤Otherwise, please proceed with Submitting a Bug


Submitting a Bug

Submitting a bug is the process of providing feedback about an error or weird behaviour within the system.

This feedback helps to further recreate the scenario and/or further diagnose the cause and source.

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Do Not Submit PHI in Bug Reports


Different Workflows to Submit a Bug

In order to submit a bug, there are two separate workflows:

  1. 💳Submitting via an Error Modal, or

  2. 📤Submitting a bug by navigating to System->Submit Bug, or


Submitting a Bug: via Error Modal

There are some occasions where an error is encountered during a workflow or operation in the application.

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When does this Display?

When an error occurs, an error modal (or dialog) is presented with the associating error.

💼In any case, there is always an opportunity to either:

  1. Report a Bug, or

  2. Dismiss

chevron-rightError Modal Explainedhashtag
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Understanding Components of the Error Modal

If interested, the Error Modal can be broken down into smaller components which makes the error easier to understand:

  1. 🗒️Description

    • This is a brief message indicating what error was encountered while using the application

  2. ❌Exception

    • This is a collapsible component. The component can be expanded by clicking on the chevron > or text beside the chevron >

    • This is a more detailed message of the exception that was encountered by the application

    • This is useful for both administrators, stakeholders, and developers of the applications to further diagnose the type of error encountered

  3. 💬Explanation

    • This is a collapsible component. The component can be expanded by clicking on the chevron > or text beside the chevron >

    • This is a explanation of the exception, or a even more detailed description

    • This is more useful to the administrator, stakeholder, or developer of the application

  4. ⌨️Controls

    • 📤Report Bug button

      • When clicked, this will redirect to the Submit Bug page and provide the error encountered with the information filed with the bug report

    • 🆗Ok button

      • When clicked, this will dismiss the error encountered and close the Error Modal.


Submitting a Bug: via System -> Submit Bug

🚧 Submitting a Bug can be done by doing the following:

1

Navigate to System → Submit Bug.

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2

Enter the description of the bug into the Description Field.

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Description

This should be a short description that briefly explains:

  • Which part of the system or feature is affected

  • Any components, services, or modules involved

  • The inputs, conditions, or actions that trigger the issue

  • Any related functionality that might be impacted

Keep it clear and concise so others can quickly understand the scope of the bug without needing full technical details.

It’s usually a good idea to follow the 4 W’s approach: Who, What, When, and Where.

chevron-rightExamples of Descriptionhashtag
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Bad Example of Description

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Another Bad Example of Description

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Great Example of Description

3

Enter the steps done which led to the error in the Steps to Reproduce field

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Steps to Reproduce

Steps to Reproduce describes what was done (in exact order) so others can reproduce the error/behavior.

Focus on the discrete details that led to the How.

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Bad Example of Steps to Reproduce

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Great Example of Steps to Reproduce

4

(Optional) Check the Attach my log file box.

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Attach my log file

✅This checkbox enables/disables sending log files from the server surrounding the time the error occurred.

⌚This helps diagnose timing issues or related services revealed in the logs.

5

(Optionally) Check the Attach my configuration file box

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Attach my configuration file

✅This checkbox enables/disables sending the configuration file used in the server to provide more information about how the application was configured.

📝This helps diagnose potential configuration-related issues that may have caused the bug.

👥Developers and other admins can use this to reproduce the error.

6

Click the Submit button.

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