Reporting a Problem in Voyant (No Coding Needed)
Open-source only works when users speak up—here’s how to file a clear GitHub issue in minutes.
If you use Voyant (or the Spyral notebook) in teaching or research, you’re already part of an open-source community. The easiest way to help is by opening a GitHub issue—a polite, structured message telling the team what broke or what would make your work easier.
Think of an issue as either:
- Bug report — something didn’t work as expected.
- Feature request — an improvement that would help teaching or research.
You don’t need to understand code; it’s just a web form.
Do I need a special account?
Voyant/Spyral accounts are separate from GitHub. To report a problem, sign in with a free GitHub account (you can create one quickly). After you submit, replies and follow-ups arrive via GitHub notifications.
Quick link to file an issue
Step-by-step (2–3 minutes)
- Open the link above and sign in (or create a free GitHub account).
- Click Bug report if something broke; Feature request if you have an idea.
- Use the search box—if the same issue exists, open it and add a short “I’m seeing this too” comment instead of duplicating.
- Fill the form (like any normal web form). The most helpful details are:
- Where did this happen? Paste the Voyant page/link (specific tool or corpus).
- What did you do? Simple steps (e.g., 1) Opened Terms; 2) Loaded corpus; 3) Clicked …).
- What happened vs what you expected? One–two sentences each.
- Browser & device (e.g., Chrome on macOS; Firefox on Windows).
- Click Submit new issue. You’ll see your issue number (e.g., #1234).
- Optional: drag-and-drop screenshots into a comment after you submit.
If you’re unsure whether it’s a bug or a “how do I…?” question, file a Bug report anyway—the team will re-label it if needed. For general questions, you can also use the Discussions tab on the same GitHub page.
Why your reports matter
Clear issues help the team see patterns, prioritise fixes, and schedule improvements. They also create a transparent record of what changed and why—useful for teaching reproducibility and scholarly workflows. Two minutes of your time can save hours for others—thanks for helping make Voyant better for the whole community.