Bug#1017024: reportbug: Reportbug cannot properly handle archived bugs (somewhat contrary to documentation)
Package: reportbug
Version: 7.10.3+deb11u1
Severity: normal
X-Debbugs-Cc: debbug.reportbug@sideload.33mail.com
When a bug is archived, reportbug still accepts user input for that
bug, then falls over when the SMTP server blocks the message. There
are a few bugs in this scenario.
(bug 1)
The documentation fails to inform the user. From the man page:
-N BUGNUMBER, --bugnumber BUGNUMBER
Run reportbug against the specified bug report, useful when
following-up a bug and its number is already known.
That paragraph should instruct users that only non-archived bug
numbers will work correctly.
(bug 2)
When the user supplies “-N $archived_bug_number”, reportbug should not
continue the normal process as if the bug is live. It should interrupt
the normal flow and warn the user of consequences. The status quo
wastes the user’s time by letting them compose an undeliverable
message.
(bug 3)
Simply being unable to do anything with an archived bug is a needless
limitation of the reportbug app. There is a /control/ command to
unarchive a bug. So the app should ask the user if they would like to
unarchive the bug. If the user answers “yes”, then it should send a
control msg requesting the unarchival of the bug.
(bug 4?)
This is not really in the app but rather the SMTP server that accepts
bug reports. If a bug report is submitted for an archived bug and it
contains this line:
Control: unarchive $archived_bug_number
the SMTP server should accept the message because the bug comment
contains an embedded request to unarchive the bug.
-- Package-specific info:
** Environment settings:
EDITOR="emacs"
INTERFACE="text"
-- System Information:
Debian Release: 11.4
APT prefers stable-updates
APT policy: (990, 'stable-updates'), (990, 'stable-security'), (990, 'testing'), (990, 'stable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386
Kernel: Linux 5.10.0-16-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU threads)
Kernel taint flags: TAINT_OOT_MODULE, TAINT_UNSIGNED_MODULE
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled
Versions of packages reportbug depends on:
ii apt 2.2.4
ii python3 3.9.2-3
ii python3-reportbug 7.10.3+deb11u1
ii sensible-utils 0.0.14
reportbug recommends no packages.
Versions of packages reportbug suggests:
pn claws-mail <none>
pn debconf-utils <none>
pn debsums <none>
pn dlocate <none>
ii emacs-bin-common 1:27.1+1-3.1
ii file 1:5.39-3
ii gnupg 2.2.27-2+deb11u2
ii postfix [mail-transport-agent] 3.5.13-0+deb11u1
ii python3-urwid 2.1.2-1
pn reportbug-gtk <none>
ii xdg-utils 1.1.3-4.1
Versions of packages python3-reportbug depends on:
ii apt 2.2.4
ii file 1:5.39-3
ii python3 3.9.2-3
ii python3-apt 2.2.1
ii python3-debian 0.1.39
ii python3-debianbts 3.1.0
ii python3-requests 2.25.1+dfsg-2
ii sensible-utils 0.0.14
python3-reportbug suggests no packages.
-- no debconf information
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