This page is compiled from frequently-asked questions that WebKit contributors receive on mailing lists, IRC, and other venues. Please read it first to see whether your question has already been answered.
How do I…
report a WebKit bug?
If you believe that you have encountered a bug in the WebKit rendering engine, see the page on reporting bugs.
report a Web Inspector bug?
If you believe that you have encountered a bug in the Web Inspector, see the page on reporting bugs. You can directly file a bug for the Web Inspector by using this link: https://webkit.org/new-inspector-bug
report a Safari bug?
Safari bugs should be filed in Apple's internal bug tracker at https://bugreport.apple.com/ (free "online" account available here).
If you're not sure whether it's a bug in Safari or WebKit, this blog post might help. If you're still not sure or have any questions, feel free to get in touch. If you accidentally mis-file a bug against Safari or WebKit, don't worry! It will be redirected to the appropriate team by contributors who are better able to triage the bug.
get help with a problem in my JavaScript / CSS / HTML?
Most WebKit contributors are focused on fixing bugs and adding features to WebKit and its ports. General web development help is not on-topic in the #webkit IRC channel or mailing lists, and you will probably be ignored. There are many better venues for general help, such as Stack Overflow.
get help with a problem in my code that uses JSContext, WebView, WKWebView or WebKit public APIs?
You should send an email to the webkit-help mailing list.
get help with a problem in my code running on an Android device?
Android is not a supported platform for WebKit, so it is highly likely that you are not actually running WebKit. Once you've identified the browser engine that you are actually using, you should probably start here.
build WebKit for Qt?
Short answer: you can't. The Qt port was removed from the WebKit project in 2013. It cannot be built using WebKit trunk. Thus, WebKit contributors are unlikely to be able to answer any questions about Qt-specific issues.
The Qt project maintains an out-of-tree branch of QtWebKit, but it is deprecated in favor of the Blink-based QtWebEngine. It is recommended you read this blog post for more historical context.
Releases
When will Apple release an updated Safari with WebKit?
Apple does not comment on future releases of Safari, their timing, nor their contents.
Will feature XXX be included in the next release of Safari?
Apple does not comment on future releases of Safari, their timing, nor their contents.
When will bug XXX be fixed?
Developers do not generally plan their bug fixing schedule with sufficient detail to assign a date to a bug fix. Bug priority may also be affected by internal Apple decisions, so it's not possible to predict when a bug will be fixed. If there's no activity on a bug, it's likely that a developer is not working on it.
Even after a bug gets fixed, it's not possible to state when it will ship with Mac or iOS system update. Apple does not comment on future releases of Safari, their timing, nor their contents.
What WebKit SVN revision is included in Safari version XXX?
This information is not publicly available. If you need to report a security concern, see http://www.webkit.org/security/.
Nightly Builds
Why don't WebKit Nightlies don't work on OS X El Capitan (10.11)?
This should be fixed soon. In the meantime, a somewhat onerous workaround can be used to re-enable nightlies.
Why doesn't the version number change in the About Safari window when I'm running a nightly?
The information displayed in the About Safari window is the Safari version number, not WebKit's. It won't change unless the Safari application itself has been upgraded.
Can I replace system WebKit with one from a nightly or local build?
Replacing the WebKit.framework that ships with Mac OS X or any of its components with those from a locally built copy or a nightly build of WebKit is HIGHLY discouraged. Doing so will likely leave your system unusable and cause a tear in the fabric of spacetime—so don't do it!
There are a number of safe ways to test an application against a newer WebKit:
- If you have access to the source code, recompile it to link against the newer frameworks. It might be necessary to link against WebCore.framework while doing this as local builds are not umbrella frameworks.
- The run-webkit-app script located in Tools/Scripts allows an application to run with a locally built copy of WebKit.
- Set the DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH to point to the newer frameworks in your build directory.
Can WebKit automatically update itself?
No, though the page the nightly loads when started will let you know if a newer build is available and give you a link to download it. Many people use the third party NightShift program to update their nightly.
Feedback
If you're not sure where your feedback/suggestion should go, this blog post might help. If you're still not sure or have any questions, feel free to get in touch.
Safari should have feature XXX!
First, that's not a question :) Feedback and feature requests are always appreciated! Safari feature requests should be filed in Apple's internal bug tracker at https://bugreport.apple.com/ (free "online" account available here) while WebKit ones should go in our Bugzilla.
