link bugs/issues to revisions and to files changed

Question

I use TortoiseHG and whenever I commit, I put a lot of comments in the commit message. For example, revision 89 message may be:

parser.py:
  bug fix:
    incorrectly applied overrides

analyze.py:
  new feature:
    print all suspicious records

numpy_wrapper.py:
  refactoring:
    import numpy is now conditional, and encapsulated in numpy_wrapper

I want to enter these comments in some issue tracking system instead, but have the ability to link each issue with:

• the revision it was observed in (if a bug) or proposed in (if a feature)
• the revision it was fixed (if a bug) or added (if a feature)
• the file(s) affected by the change

I then want to be able to look at any revision, and see what issues were observed/fixed in this revision.

Or to look at any file, and see which changes in the file were due to which issue.

What systems should I look into? (I am using TortoiseHG on Windows.)

Answer 1

We use Redmine which we installed using the Bitnami Windows Application Stack. We also use TurtleMine to get a list of Redmine issues in TortoiseHg when committing.

Redmine has all the features that you want when configured appropriately:

1. You can add versions to projects and can then add a custom field to allow users to say which version a bug was found in.
2. Redmine has a target version field for new issues that can be used for your second requirement. If you'd prefer a target version and a fixed version then you can add another custom field for that.
3. It does this out of the box - if you enter "refs #123" or "references #123" in the commit message then the issue page will show all commits that referenced it. TurtleMine puts "Issue #123" but you can add "issue" as a keyword to watch out for so it works with Redmine.

Answer 2

There are a number of systems out there that will do exactly what you need, however it all depends on if you will be hosting it yourself or having it hosted for you.

I personally use a self hosted RedMine server that I have installed myself for better control and management. I have some installation notes available publicly here.