In this article:
What is the difference between a bug and a missing feature?
Using a screen recording to help report issues.
Best practices for reporting a bug
What is the difference between a bug and a missing feature?
All software can have issues, and the key is to determine the issue.
User Knowledge: The product works, but the user is not sure how to make it work for them.
Missing Feature: The user thinks the software should do something, but the software does not have that capability.
Bug: A feature exists, and the user knows how to use it, but it's not working as expected.
How to report an issue/bug
The most effective way to send information about an issue is to recreate the issue while you are screen recording with the console log open.
What is a console log?
A console log is like a diary that a computer keeps. When a programmer tells the computer to write down what's happening while it runs a program, it writes these notes in its diary, called the console log.
When a program isn't working correctly, programmers look at the console log to see what the computer did step by step. This helps them understand where things went wrong and how to fix the problem. So, a console log is really important because it helps programmers find and fix issues in the software, just like your baking notes help you make the perfect cookies.
What a console log looks like when it is open
How to open a console log
Using these quick keys, you can easily access the console log to see what your computer or browser is doing while running a program or a website.
On a Mac:
1. Using Safari: Press `Command` + `Option` + `C`.
2. Using Google Chrome: Press `Command` + `Option` + `J`
3. Using Firefox: Press `Command` + `Option` + `K`
On a PC:
1. Using Google Chrome: Press `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `J`
2. Using Firefox: Press `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `K`
3. Using Microsoft Edge: Press `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `I`
Using a screen recording tool to help report issues.
We recommend Loom
One of the best tools for recording your screen is Loom, which is free to use. You can get it here.
Limitations of Free Loom and what to do about it
The free tool's limitations are that you can only record for a maximum of 5 minutes and have 25 videos in your folder.
Then, you can delete the videos you share for issues after you know the issue has been resolved.
Best practices for reporting a bug
Open the Console
Start the screen-share Video
Show the before: show what you were doing leading up to the issue. Sometimes, the way you were doing things before the issue explains what might have been a contributing cause.
Recreate the issue: If you can recreate the issue you are having, that helps a lot, as we can see what you are seeing.