Working issues and MRs

Time tracking

We utilize the Time Tracking feature of GitLab in the issues and merge requests we work on. We utilize this time tracking to help with things like defining our hiring model and measuring workload. As you work issues and merge requests, make sure you utilize this feature.

Labeling

Labels help you tag issues, merge requests, and epics within GitLab.

There are two types of labels:

• Project labels: ones existing at the project level only
• Group labels: ones existing at the group level, and are thus inherited to all subgroups and projects within the group

Support Operations uses Group labels so we can apply them to every item we work on. We create them at either the gitlab-com group level or the support-ops group level.

How we use them

We utilize labels on every issue and merge request we work. The exact label to use is determined by what the issue/merge request is for, so refer to the various documentation pages about that topic to determine the correct label to use.

Scoped labels

As per GitLab:

Scoped labels allow teams to use the label feature to annotate issues, merge requests and epics with mutually exclusive labels. This can enable more complicated workflows by preventing certain labels from being used together.

To use a scoped label, it must contain two colons (::) in the title. This makes it so the first part (before the double colons) is a category and the second part (after the double colons) is the label for the category.

Do note only scoped label from a scoped label category can be present at any time. Adding a new one will remove the other one from the scoped label category.

How to create a GitLab label

To create a label at the project level, go to the project in question within GitLab and hover on Project information on the left-hand side of the page. In the submenu that appears, click on Labels.

To create a label at the group level, go to the group in question within GitLab and hover on Group information (or Subgroup information if you are using a subgroup) on the left-hand side of the page. In the submenu that appears, click on Labels.

From here, click the blue New label button in the top-right of the page. On the page this takes you to, you will add a title for your label, a description for your label, and a background color for the label. After you have filled these out, click the blue Create label button to create the label. You will now be able to use that label at the project level (for Project labels) or on all projects/subgroups under the group (for Group labels).

How to edit a GitLab label

To edit a label at the project level, go to the project in question within GitLab and hover on Project information on the left-hand side of the page. In the submenu that appears, click on Labels.

To edit a label at the group level, go to the group in question within GitLab and hover on Group information (or Subgroup information if you are using a subgroup) on the left-hand side of the page. In the submenu that appears, click on Labels.

From here, locate the label you wish to edit and click the pencil icon on the right-hand side of the label box to edit it. Here you can change the title, description, or background color. Keep in mind that changing this will change it on all items the label is present on.

After you are done making your changes, click the blue Save changes button.

How to delete a GitLab label

To delete a label at the project level, go to the project in question within GitLab and hover on Project information on the left-hand side of the page. In the submenu that appears, click on Labels.

To delete a label at the group level, go to the group in question within GitLab and hover on Group information (or Subgroup information if you are using a subgroup) on the left-hand side of the page. In the submenu that appears, click on Labels.

From here, locate the label you wish to delete and click the three vertical dots on the right-hand side of the label box. On the submenu that appears, click the Delete option. This will make a pop-up box appear asking you to confirm the deletion. Keep in mind that doing so will remove the label from all items it exists on. If you are sure you wish to confirm the deletion, click the red Delete label button.

Milestones

In regards to milestones, as per GitLab:

Milestones in GitLab are a way to track issues and merge requests created to achieve a broader goal in a certain period of time.

How we use them

We utilizes milestones on every issue and merge request we work on. As such, you should always ensure an issue or merge request you are working on contains the relevant milestone. Through this, we can see what changes are occurring during any given period of time.

Which milestone to use

The milestone to use is determined by which deployment date we are aiming for.

As an example, if you are aiming to deploy the changes 2023-06-01, you would use the milestone “Support Ops Deployment: 2023-06-01”.

As another example, if you are aiming to deploy the changes 2023-04-15, you would use the milestone “Support Ops Deployment: 2023-05-01”, as that is the next available milestone.

You can find our milestones here.

How to create GitLab milestones

To create a milestone, you would go to the project or group page and then hover over Issues. In the submenu that appears, you would then click Milestones'.

From here, you will click the blue New milestone button at the top-right of the page.

After doing so, you will enter a title for the milestone, a start and end date for the milestone, and a description for the milestone. After doing so, click the blue Create milestone button.

How to edit GitLab milestones

To edit a milestone, you would go to the project or group page and then hover over Issues. In the submenu that appears, you would then click Milestones'.

From here, locate the milestone in question and click on its title.

After doing so, you will then click the white Edit button towards the top-right of the page. Doing so will allow you to edit the title for the milestone, a start and end date for the milestone, and a description for the milestone. After doing so, click the blue Save changes button.

How to close and delete a milestone

To close or delete a milestone, you would go to the project or group page and then hover over Issues. In the submenu that appears, you would then click Milestones'.

From here, locate the milestone in question and click on its title.

After doing so, you can close the milestone by clicking the white Close milestone button at the top-right of the page. You can delete the mileston by clicking the red Delete button (and confirming deletion by clicking the red Delete milestone button that appears on the pop-up box).

Adding issues and merge requests to GitLab milestones

There are a few ways to add an issue or merge request to a milestone. The easiest way is via the issue or merge request itself. On that page, you can do one of the following:

• Make a comment containing the text /milestone %"XXX" (where XXX is the milestone title)
• Click the Edit button to the right of Milestone on the right-hand side of the page and select the milestone to use.