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I'm using the github issue tracker for the first time, and I'm trying to manage a set of about 50 open issues. I would like to filter the set using standard Boolean queries over labels. But all I can figure out how to do is AND queries. For example, I can show all issues that are labelled both view/controller and easy meat. But I do not know how to do any of the following queries:

  • Show me all open issues that are labeled view/controller but are not labeled easy meat.

  • Show me all open issues that are labeled either major refactoring or needs thought.

  • Show me every open issue that does not have any label.

I've searched and I've RTFM, and I can't find a way to ask these kinds of queries. Are such queries even possible? If so, how does one ask them?

Norman Ramsey
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2 Answers2

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This is possible since GitHub introduced the advanced filters.

Show me all open issues that are labeled view/controller but are not labeled easy meat.

is:open is:issue label:"view/controller" -label:"easy meat"

Notice the - before label: which says do not give me the issues containing this label.

Show me all open issues that are labeled either major refactoring or needs thought.

This is not supported (using label:A label:B means A and B instead of A or B) but you can do two different queries:

is:open is:issue label:"major refactoring"
is:open is:issue label:"needs thought"

Show me every open issue that does not have any label.

Use the no:label query:

is:open is:issue no:label

As additional info, you can refer to the GitHub documentation. And, https://github.com/issues can be your playgroud–being authenticated, you can search all the issues from repositories you have read access!

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Ionică Bizău
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Not possible, at least using the GitHub Web app only. There may be 3rd party issue-management Web apps that do this (via GitHub API), but I'm not aware of any that do exactly and only what you want. Check out:

http://gissues.com/

http://huboard.com/

http://githubissues.herokuapp.com/

https://zapier.com/zapbook/github/trello/ (trello integration)

There are ways to achieve nearly what you want using formatted issue naming + searching, as described here: https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/129714/how-to-manage-github-issues-for-priority-etc

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Ivan Zuzak
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