Bug management/Bug report life cycle/Need more info

This page outlines implementation options to resolve 36064 ("Provide a way to mark a Bugzilla ticket as 'needs more information'"). Comments and editing welcome.

Needinfo flag

 * Implementation as an extension providing a flag, similar to the existing "Backport_WMF" flag. A checkbox below the comment field is shown (see this screenshot).
 * Used by e.g. bugzilla.mozilla.org and bugzilla.redhat.com.

PRO:
 * needinfo can be filed against specific persons who are expected to provide missing information; needinfo requests addressed to a user are shown on the Bugzilla frontpage under "Requests addressed to me".
 * More obvious way to clear needinfo request: "I am providing the requested information (clears the needinfo request)" checkbox displayed below the comment field of a ticket when the needinfo flag is set.
 * "Because needinfo is a flag and not an exclusive state, these bugs can also simultaneously be marked as NEW, ASSIGNED, etc, where appropriate." (quote from Fedora)

CON:
 * Way harder to exclude needinfo tickets from search results: Requires either using "Custom Search" in the advanced search and setting "Flags | is (not) equal to | needinfo?" or displaying the flag column in search results (cf. RedHat discussion)
 * Code maintenance: bugzilla.mozilla.org-specific extension, not a Bugzilla upstream extension (but support is offered in case of problems)

Needinfo status

 * Implementation as an (open) status (like NEW, ASSIGNED or RESOLVED).
 * Used by e.g. bugs.kde.org (NEEDSINFO), bugzilla.gnome.org, bugzilla.novell.com, bugs.merproject.org (NEEDINFO).

PRO:
 * Way easier to query for and to exclude tickets in NEEDINFO status by setting/excluding it via the "Status" list in Advanced Search.

CON:
 * Not obvious that a user providing missing information is expected to reset the bug status from NEEDINFO to the previous status, whatever the previous status was (might be able to write some custom code to display as a reminder though?) hence observation and more manual resetting of ticket status expected.
 * Needs social convention that comment should address who is expected to provide more information (and how) when setting NEEDINFO status.

Needinfo keyword

 * Used by e.g. bugs.freedesktop.org (see their keywords).

Relevant discussions in other projects

 * Freedesktop.org: Replaced status by keyword
 * Red Hat: Replaced status by flag
 * Mozilla: Add NEEDINFO status and Mozilla: need NEEDINFO status or equivalent solution