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Bug Reporting Guidelines

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Thank you for helping us improve FSCharter! When you find a bug, submitting a clear and complete report is the single most effective way to help us fix it.

We understand that writing a detailed report can feel like extra work, especially when you just want to fly. However, our development team needs to be able to reproduce the bug to understand why it's happening. A good report lets us reproduce the issue and fix it on the first try.

Time spent chasing missing details is time that could be spent fixing the bug or building new features. These guidelines are designed to help you provide all the information we need right from the start, leading to faster fixes for everyone.

Before You Post: Search First!

Before creating a new thread, please use the search function in the #bug-reports Discord forum to see if someone has already reported the same issue.

If you find an existing thread for your bug:

  • Do add your own details as a reply. Include your specific steps, timestamps, and any screenshots you have. This helps us see if the bug is widespread or happens in different ways.

  • Don't just post "me too." This doesn't provide new information and makes it harder for us to find the root cause.

The Golden Rules of Reporting

To keep the forum organized and allow us to track fixes efficiently, please follow these simple rules for every new bug report.

  1. Search First: Always check for duplicates before posting.

  2. One Bug Per Thread: If you've found two different bugs (e.g., a map glitch and a purchasing error), please create two separate threads. This allows us to track, assign, and resolve each issue independently.

  3. Use a Clear Title: Your thread title should be a short, specific summary of the problem. This helps other users find the thread and helps our team prioritize.

    • Good Title: Operations Centre purchase fails at EGCC

    • Good Title: Cannot complete boarding at EHAM

    • Bad Title: Bug or Help my game is broken

  4. Use the Template: All bug reports must use the official template. You can find it here: . The next section explains how to fill it out.

How to Use the Bug Report Template

This template is the most important part of your report. It is designed to gather every piece of information we need to investigate the problem.

Here is a breakdown of each field and why it's important.

Short description

This should be the same as your thread title. A clear, one-sentence summary of the problem.

What did you expect to happen (if not obvious)?

Explain what you were trying to do and what the correct outcome should have been. This provides context. For example, "I expected to see only Long Range Aircraft after applying the filter."

What actually happened?

Describe the bug. Be specific. For example, "After applying the 'Long Range Aircraft' filter, the list still showed GA, Short Range, and Long Range aircraft."

Exact steps you took:

This is the single most important part of your report. Do not summarize. List every single click and action you took, in order, from start to finish.

  • Good Example:

    1. Navigated to the Operations Cockpit.

    2. Clicked the Aircraft Marketplace button.

    3. Clicked the Category filter.

    4. Selected "Long Range Aircraft."

    5. Observed that the list did not update and still showed all aircraft types.

  • Bad Example: "I tried to filter for planes and it didn't work."

When did it happen?

Please provide the exact time and your timezone (e.g., 20:34 GMT+2). This allows us to find the specific event in our server logs, which is often a critical part of the investigation.

How serious is it (choose one)?

This helps us prioritize our work. Please choose one:

  • Cosmetic: A visual-only issue, like a typo, text overlap, or a button in the wrong place. The feature still works.

  • Minor: An inconvenience, but you can still use the feature or there is a workaround. (e.g., "The filter button doesn't work, but the search bar does.")

  • Major: A core feature is broken or unusable. (e.g., "Cannot complete boarding" or "Operations Centre purchase fails.")

  • Blocking: A game-breaking issue that completely stops you from playing. (e.g., "Game crashes on load" or "Cannot log in.")

Please remember to include a screen recording or screenshots.

A picture or video is worth a thousand words. A short screen recording of you following the steps to trigger the bug is the best possible evidence you can provide. At a minimum, please include screenshots showing the error message or the incorrect visual state.

[Image/GIF placeholder: An example of a "good" bug report screenshot, clearly showing an error message with a red circle around it.]

Include a Console Log (Advanced)

If a button doesn't work, a page won't load, or something fails silently, your report can be 100x more helpful if you include a screenshot of the Developer Console.

Think of the console as a "check engine" light for your browser. It shows us hidden error messages (usually in red text) that tell us exactly what part of the code broke. Providing this makes a fix dramatically faster.

Here is how to provide one:

  1. Open the Developer Console: Use the keyboard shortcut for your browser before you trigger the bug:

    • Chrome / Edge: Ctrl+Shift+J (on Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Option+J (on Mac)

    • Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+K (on Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Option+K (on Mac)

    • Safari: You must first go to Safari > Preferences > Advanced and check "Show Develop menu in menu bar." Then, you can press Cmd+Option+C.

  2. A new panel will open. Click the Console tab if it's not already selected.

  3. Trigger the bug: With the console open, repeat the "Exact steps you took" to make the bug happen again.

  4. Take a screenshot: As soon as the bug happens, take a screenshot of your entire browser window. It is critical that we can see any new red error messages that appeared in the console.

  5. Attach this screenshot to your bug report.

[Image/GIF placeholder: A screenshot of the FSCharter interface with the developer console open, highlighting a red error message that appeared after clicking a broken button.]

Template

Copy and paste the below template into your bug report to get started.

**Short description**

[A clear, one-sentence summary of the problem. This should be the same as your thread title.]


**What did you expect to happen?**

[Describe the correct behavior. E.g., "I expected the filter to show only Long Range aircraft."]


**What actually happened?**

[Describe the bug. E.g., "The filter did nothing, and all aircraft types were still visible."]


**Exact steps you took:**

[List every single click in order. Do not summarize.]


**When did it happen?**

[Provide the exact time and your timezone. E.g., "20:34 GMT+2"]


**How serious is it?** [Delete the options that do not apply]

Cosmetic
Minor
Major
Blocking


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Screenshots / Screen Recording [Drag and drop any screenshots or a screen recording of the bug here. This is extremely helpful.]

Console Log (Advanced) [If you have one, drag and drop your console screenshot here. See guidelines for how to get this.]

What Happens After You Post?

Once you've submitted your report, our team will review it.

  • If your report is missing key information or does not use the template: Your thread will be closed with a message linking back to these guidelines. This is not a punishment! It is to maintain order and ensure we can act on the report. You are welcome to re-file the report using the correct template.

  • If your report is a duplicate: Your thread will be closed, and we will post a link to the primary thread where the bug is being tracked. Please add your details to that main thread.

  • If you learn something new after posting: If you discover a workaround or more details, please edit your first post to include the new information. You can also add a new comment to the thread with the update, which will notify the team.

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