What would be a good Coldfusion-based bug tracking software?

Question

What I am looking for is a tool that easily or automatically sends coldfusion error messages to their system.

Then I can use the web-based interface, to manage priorities, track who fixed what and so forth.

But I want to use this to help us deal with errors better, but also to show the importance of a bug tracking system to my fellow works.

System Requirements: Apache, Windows, Coldfusion 8 Standard, Sql Server 2005.

Financial Requirements: Free or Open Source

Goal Or Purpose: To encourage my fellow workers to want and use a bug tracking system.

Does this re-write make more sense?

Thanks

Craig

Answer 1

Hard question to answer not knowing what kind of restrictions are there? Do you have any permissions to install anything? Also most bug-tracking systems require some kind of database support.

I have a suggestion. You can put in place a basic bug-tracking system, that just allows people to create tickets, and allows you/someone else to close it.

More Windows based tools are mentioned here http://stackoverflow.com/questions/870776/looking-for-good-open-source-bug-tracking-sofware-for-windows

Any reason why coldfusion specifically?

Answer 2

I really like Fogbugz from the makers of Stack Overflow. For one user it's quite reasonably priced. I enter some bugs manually and have others emailed in.

Answer 3

A lot of bug tracking software will expose SOAP methods for entering data into them.

For example, we used Axosoft's OnTime and that exposed some WSDL pages that I consumed in my application. I was told that Jira did as well.

Answer 4

Wiki has a list of issue tracking software, maybe this list could help. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_issue_tracking_systems

You may be able to find a hosted service and use either email or web services to create the ticket using onError. With that said, a simple issue tracking app could be created for your site using the same DB used to drive the content. 2 or 3 tables would take care of the data storage and you're already using CF so the application layer is already there.

HTH.

Answer 5

There are few in CF411 list: Bug Tracking/Defect Tracking/Trouble Ticket/Help Desk Tools Written in CFML

Answer 6

I have been heavily using this type of a setup for several years by email only, and the last 3 years with a Bug Tracking Software.

I must say, the bug tracking software has made my life so much more peaceful. Nothing is left, forgotten, or slips through the cracks. It's easy to find trends in errors, and remember "all the times" it happened.

Our setup is like this:

1) Coldfusion + Appropriate framework with error reporting - It doesn't matter what you use. I have used Fusebox extensively and am making the transition to ColdBox. Both are very capable, in addition to Mach-II, FW/1, Model-Glue, etc. The key part you have to find in them is their ability to catch "onError", usualy in the application CFC.

2) Custom OnError Script - Wherever an error occurs, you want to capture the maximum amount of information about that error and email it in. What we do is, when an error occurs, we log the user out with a message of "oops, log in again". Before logging them out, the application captures the error and emails it to Fogbugz. Along with it, at the top we include the CGI variables for the IP address, browser being used, etc. Over time you will find the things you need to add.

3) Routing in Fogbugz. A 2 user version of Fogbugz is free, and hosted online. There are two main ways to submit bugs. One is to email one in at a time. So if an error happens 2000 times, you get 2000 emails, and 2000 cases. Not always the best to link them together, etc. They have a feature called BugzScout, which is essentially an HTTP address that you do a form post to with cfform with all of the same information you would have put into the email. There's plenty of documentation on this and something I've always wanted to get around to. I had a scenario of 2000 emails for the first time happen a few weeks ago so I'll be switching over to this.

Hope that helps. Share what you ended up doing and why so we all can learn too!

Answer 7

We use HopToad. There is another bug-tracking app called LightHouse that integrates with HopToad so you can easily create a [bug] ticket from an incoming exception. HopToad has an API of which there are many clients, you want the CF based one:

http://github.com/timblair/coldfusion-hoptoad-notifier

Even if you dont use HopToad and you end up using a different service or roll your own, if you needed to write your own API client you could leverage the code or pattern(s) of the above HopToad client.

Answer 8

I'm surprised no one mentioned LighthousePro (http://lighthousepro.riaforge.org). Open source - 100% free - and ColdFusion. As the author I'm a bit biased though. :)

Answer 9

A lot of good information from everyone, and I really do appreciate the efforts given. But not the answer i was looking for. Which maybe means, that what i want does not exist, yet.

So i may have to roll my own solution...Or maybe integrate with another existing app...

Thank You all.