Custom Challenges: Frequently Asked Questions
devActivity.com's custom challenges offer a flexible way to recognize specific contributions. Here are answers to common questions about creating, managing, and understanding custom challenges.
How can I create a custom challenge for a specific GitHub issue?
To create a custom challenge, navigate to the 'Rewards' section, then select 'Configure Challenges'. Click 'Create Custom Challenge' and provide the 'GitHub Issue URL' in the 'Configure Custom Challenge Goal' section. You also have the option to create a new GitHub issue directly from this interface if needed.
What elements can I customize for a custom challenge's goal and reward?
You have extensive customization options: you can link a specific GitHub issue, define a unique challenge title, select the eligible assignee(s) for the reward, set a custom XP reward amount, and personalize the achievement badge by choosing its color, icon, or even uploading a custom SVG file for an exclusive design.
Who has permissions to create, view, or manage custom challenges?
Permissions are tiered: Org Admins possess full privileges to view and create custom challenges across the entire organization. Team Managers can view and create challenges specifically for their assigned team(s). Org Contributors have view-only access to custom challenges, while External Contributors do not have access to this feature.
How are contributors notified about custom challenges and their completion?
During the challenge creation process, you can enable the 'Notify all Contributors about this challenge via Email/Slack' toggle to automatically inform team members. Upon successful completion of the linked GitHub issue by the assigned contributor, the defined XP and unique badge are automatically awarded to them.
What are some effective ideas for defining custom challenges and their associated GitHub issues?
Effective ideas include rewarding the resolution of particularly complex or long-standing bugs, recognizing new team members for completing their first 'good first issue', incentivizing the addressing of high-priority security issues, acknowledging significant contributions to documentation, or creating challenges for critical tasks tied to upcoming project milestones.
What is the difference between a custom challenge and a standard automated challenge?
Standard automated challenges are predefined by devActivity.com and are triggered by general GitHub activity patterns (e.g., "Merge 5 Pull Requests"). In contrast, custom challenges are manually defined by Org Admins or Team Managers, linked to specific GitHub issues, and offer personalized recognition with unique rewards and badges for targeted, often non-standard, contributions.
Where will a completed custom achievement be displayed for a developer?
Once a custom challenge is successfully completed, the awarded XP and the unique custom achievement badge will be prominently displayed in the developer's personal 'Rewards' list within devActivity.com. This provides a lasting and visible record of their specific contribution and achievement.
