Issues
Last updated on 2025-03-13 | Edit this page
Overview
Questions
- How do I specify a change that needs to be made to a file(s)?
Objectives
- Explain why you might want to use Issues.
- Create an Issue.
- Explain the relationship between Issues and Branches
Issues are a feature within GitHub that enables to create a to-do list of tasks for our project. Issues can be used to specify a new feature to be created,describe an issue to be fixed or to provide feedback and share ideas.
They have a number of features that can be used to help you manage a project and can be assigned to to individuals or groups.
Creating an Issue
We can view any existing issues or create a new one via
Issues
on the GitHub toolbar.

There are currently no open issues, to create new Issue
click on New issue
.

In the detail of the Issue we can specify our definition of ‘done’ for this task.

We can also specify what type of task it is using the
Labels
, in this instance it is an
Enhancement
.
Once we are happy with our definition of the issue we can click on
Create
.

Our newly created Issue
is now Open
, and if
appropriate we can Create a branch
for the Issue.
Editing Issues
Issues are a live dialogue of the development or evolution of a task and ideas relating to your project.
They can be edited at any time, and even re-opened once closed if needed.
Dependent on need it is possible to edit both the Issue or individual comments within an Issue.

You can view all open issues through Issues
on the
GitHub toolbar. Click on an Issue to view details.
The Edit
button will enable you to edit details of the
Issue such as the issue name.

The Issue body or any comments can be edited by the the 3 dots
...
.

Create an Issue
Create a new Issue in your GitHub repository.
Can you assign yourself to the issue?
Can you create a new label?
Closing an Issue
Sometimes an issue may be created that we learn is not needed. These
can be deleted via Delete issue
.
However, usually we choose to Close issue
. We would
choose to close an issue either after a task has been completed or a
discussion has come to an end.
To close an issue: - Open the issue to be closed, via
Issues
- Enter a comment to explain why the Issue is to be
closed - Click on Close issue
.
If a branch was created from the issue. The issue will automatically closed when the branch is merged.
Much more detailed information about creating and managing Issues is available via the GitHub documentation: About issues
Key Points
- Issues can be used to plan, discuss, and track work.