How to report issues

If your wiki is not working as expected, shows a blank page, or if you observe any other errors, you should provide as much of the following information as possible to get the help you need.

Reporting format

You will get the best response if you send your help request with the following information (copy and paste into your form, e.g. on SourceForge or via the ERM Ticket system):

Error in widget WidgetName: Unable to load template 'wiki:WidgetName'

Software versions:

Copy and paste the entire information from the table "Installed Software" from your wiki page "Special:Version" if you have access to that page.

Screenshot of installed software info


Bug description

A clear and concise description of what the bug is.


To Reproduce

Steps taken before the error happened


Expected behavior

A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen.


Priority

P1- The wiki does not work at all

P2- Some core functionality of the wiki does not work; many users are affected

P3- All other


Error messages

Information in server logs, browser error messages (Developer tools),


Screenshots

Submit screenshots together with your request if you have any error messages. Remove any sensitive information if necessary.


OS/Browser

Operating system and version:

Browser and version:


Error messages

With server access

If you are a wiki administrator with access to your wiki server, you should provide the following info:

List the variables in LocalSettings.php

Please make sure to not provide any sensitive information, such as login information contained in this file. For more info, see mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:LocalSettings.php.

Send your debug logs

For accessing debugging information, you can follow the guidelines listed atmediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:How_to_debug.

Error messages in the browser (DevTools)

You can also use the network panel and the JavaScript console in your browser's developer tools to track down possible errors.

Network panel error tracking

The following tips apply to Google Chrome.

  1. Press F12 to open the browser's DevTools . It will open to the side or at the bottom of your browser window. To position the pane at the bottom of the window, you can open the customization menu and select the position icon.
    Screenshot of DevTools with customization menu highlighted.
    Positioning the DevTools pane.
  2. Switch to the Network panel.
    Screenshot of Network panel selection
    Network panel
  3. Reload the page (F5). The Network log shows all resources that were requested by the page in separate lines. Every time you click on something, more requests will be logged.
  4. Notice any problems that are listed in red.
    Screenshot of network log with an error
    Errors shown in the network log
  5. Click on the Name of the resource that shows a problem. Take a screenshot and attach it to your help request.
    Screenshot of error details
    Resource error details

JavaScript Console

The Console tab can also provide information about wiki errors. Switch from the Network to the Console tab. By default, it lists both warnings and errors. To simplify the view, deactivate Warnings in the Custom levels dropdown. If any errors are shown, take a screenshot and submit it with your help request.

Screenshot of the console panel with one error message and many warnings.
The Console panel in the DevTools



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