[[PageOutline]]
'' '''Note:''' This page doesn't belong to the "official" Trac documentation and consists entirely of user contributed comments.''

= Trac Main Features

Exactly what is Trac? What does it do? Do I need Trac? Why is Trac the best /insert class here/ in the field?

== Open source project management tool

Trac is a lightweight project management tool that is implemented as a web-based application, written in the Python programming language. It emphasizes ease of use and low ceremony, and is [wikipedia:Open_source_software open source].

Ideal for managing software developments, it is flexible enough to use for many types of projects. As it's open source, if it doesn't quite fit your needs, you can always make changes yourself, write plugins, or commission someone else to do so.

== Ticket system

''Trac''k the progress of resolving individual bugs, issues, feature requests, and ideas - each with its own [TracTickets ticket] (numbered, as in a waiting room queue system). Easily reconcile overlapping tickets (where more than one person reports the same thing). Search and filter tickets by severity, project component, version or owner (among others). 

== View progress

Trac gives you a number of convenient ways to stay on top of events and changes within a project. You can set milestones, and view a [TracRoadmap roadmap] of progress towards them (as well as historical achievements) in summary. There is a [TracTimeline timeline] of individual changes so you can see the order of events, starting with the most recent. [TracRss Trac supports RSS] for content syndication: allowing people to subscribe to those changes outside Trac itself, as well as [TracNotification email notification].

== Online repository viewing

Trac gives a highly usable browsing and management front-end for [http://subversion.tigris.org/ Subversion], a modern open-source [wikipedia:Version_control version control system]. Trac gives you clear and elegant code highlighting and file comparison, so you can easily see how files differ. Using plugins, Trac also supports other version control software.

== User management

Trac has a simple [TracPermissions permission system] to control what users can and can't access. Permissions can be enhanced with the [th:AccountManagerPlugin] and other plugins.

== Wiki

[TracWiki Built-in documentation server], which can be used for developer or user resources. As it's a [wikipedia:Wiki Wiki], it can be set up to allow shared editing. Uses MoinMoin syntax and links to tickets, reports and source.

Wiki pages can start from a [wiki:PageTemplates template].

== Features provided through plugins

There is a [PluginList range of plugins available] supporting additional features, from anti-spam to Gantt charts and [TimeTracking time tracking]. See also [http://trac-hacks.org Trac-Hacks] for several plugins and hacks.

== Discussion

'''Note''': these are user contributed entries.

=== Things I don't know whether Trac has or not

* '''Q''': Bug categories?
    * '''A''': You can categorize bugs in many ways. Start on TracTicketsCustomFields. There are priorities, severities and keywords you can use for this. Or maybe you can use [http://trac.edgewall.org/demo-0.12/wiki/TracTicketsCustomFields custom fields] for this? 
* '''Q''': Development Calendar? 
    * '''A''': Think so; at least I see one in our test installation. There are also [https://trac-hacks.org/tags/calendar?wiki=on calendar plugins].
* '''Q''': Bug type flow, eg bugs migrate from unconfirmed -> prioritized -> confirmed -> fixed?
     * '''A''': This can be found in trac.ini, see TracWorkflow, and is configurable.
* '''Q''': Is there a "resource planning" possibility? Something that Gantt charts would provide?
     * '''A''': There's a Gantt chart plugin and resource planning plugins at PluginList, check there.

=== Comparisons

To make this page particularly valuable, consider which features Trac sports/lacks in contrast to other popular systems, such as [https://www.bugzilla.org/ BugZilla], JIRA, Confluence, MediaWiki, FogBugz.
Wikipedia hosts a [wikipedia:Comparison_of_issue_tracking_systems comparison of issue (& bug) tracking systems], although Trac's entry is out of date.

If this page covers both its relative strengths and weaknesses, this would be a great page: letting potential users know what they'll get, how much work they'll need to do to get it running, and what competing packages can offer.

=== Rationale

This is a page that answers the first [TracFaq FAQ]: [TracFaq#Whereisthefeaturesummary Where is the features summary].

 * This page would be a '''great''' help for people needing to pick an issue tracking system out of the myriad available.
 * Well, I read this, and it did not help me with my question at all: "Could Trac be useful for me and my Projects?"
   - so true, this page eventually needs a ''total conversion''.
 * I just want to know when one trac can connect to more than one svn repository. thanks!

These points are best dicussed on the MailingList.