Adding an ENUM to represent the issue's current stage. This must be changable as the issue moves through the resolution process. Application.java lines 37-39 don't currently recognize ENTERED, PROGRESSING, or REVIEWING as enums - java is currently trying to resolve them to variables. IssueController.java line 90-93 doesn't recognize the enums I …

Application.java

package com.kyrlach.issuetracker;

import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import org.springframework.boot.CommandLineRunner;
import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;

import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue.Issue;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue.IssueRepository;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.login.User;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.login.UserRepository;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue.Stage;

@SpringBootApplication
public class Application implements CommandLineRunner {

	@Autowired
	private UserRepository userRepository;
	
	@Autowired
	private IssueRepository issueRepository;
	
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(Application.class, args);
    }

	@Override
	public void run(String... arg0) throws Exception {

		User tom = new User("Tom", "Test");
		User ben = new User("Ben", "Secr3t");
		User joel = new User("Joel", "1234");
		userRepository.save(tom);
		userRepository.save(ben);
		userRepository.save(joel);
		issueRepository.save(new Issue("Purple", "doesn't work", "Feature", 2, tom, ENTERED));
		issueRepository.save(new Issue("Blue", "too much work", "Problem", 40, ben, PROGRESSING));
		issueRepository.save(new Issue("Green", "need more", "Enhancement", 5, joel, REVIEWING));
	}
}

Issue.java

package com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue;

import javax.persistence.Entity;
import javax.persistence.GeneratedValue;
import javax.persistence.GenerationType;
import javax.persistence.Id;
import javax.persistence.ManyToOne;

import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.login.User;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue.Stage;


@Entity
public class Issue {
    @Id
    @GeneratedValue(strategy=GenerationType.AUTO)
    private long id;
    private String title;
    private String description;
    private String category;
    private float difficulty;
	private Stage stage;
    @ManyToOne
    private User assignedTo;

    
	public Issue() {}
    
    public Issue(String title, String description, String category, float difficulty, User assignedTo, Stage stage) {
    	this.title = title;
    	this.description = description;
    	this.category= category;
    	this.assignedTo = assignedTo;
    	this.difficulty = difficulty;
    	this.stage = stage;
    	}
    
    public Stage getStage() {
		return stage;
	}

	public void setStage(Stage stage) {
		this.stage = stage;
	}

    public class Process {
    	Stage stage;
    }
    
      public void Process(Stage stage) {
    	  this.stage = stage;
      }

	public long getId() {
		return id;
	}
	public void setId(long id) {
		this.id = id;
	}

	public String getTitle() {
		return title;
	}
	public void setTitle(String title) {
		this.title = title;
	}

	public String getDescription() {
		return description;
	}
	public void setDescription(String description) {
		this.description = description;
	}

    public String getCategory() {
		return category;
    }
        
	public float getDifficulty() {
		return difficulty;
	}
	
	public void setDifficulty(float difficulty) {
		this.difficulty = difficulty;
	}
	
	public User getAssignedTo() {
		return assignedTo;
	}

	public void setAssignedTo(User assignedTo) {
		this.assignedTo = assignedTo;
	}
	
	public void setCategory(String category) {
		this.category = category;
	}
	
	@Override
    public String toString() {
    	return "Issue("+id+","+title+","+description+","+category+","+difficulty+","+assignedTo+","+stage+")";
    }

}

IssueController.java

package com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;

import org.apache.log4j.LogManager;
import org.apache.log4j.Logger;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
import org.springframework.ui.Model;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.ModelAttribute;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMethod;

import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.login.LoginController;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.login.LoginForm;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.login.User;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.login.UserRepository;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue.Stage;


@Controller
@RequestMapping("/issues")
public class IssueController {
	private static Logger logger = LogManager.getLogger(IssueController.class);

	@Autowired
	private IssueRepository issueRepository;
	
	@Autowired
	private UserRepository userRepository;
	
	@RequestMapping(method = RequestMethod.GET)
    public String issues(Model model) {
    	model.addAttribute("issues", issueRepository.findAll());
    	return "issueList";
    }
	
	@RequestMapping(value = "/new", method = RequestMethod.GET) 
	public String newIssue(Model model) {
		model.addAttribute("userList", userRepository.findAll());
		model.addAttribute("issueForm", new IssueForm());
		return "newIssue";
	}
	
	@RequestMapping(value = "/new", method = RequestMethod.POST)
	public String saveIssue(@ModelAttribute IssueForm issueForm, Model model) {
		User assignee = userRepository.findOne(issueForm.getAssignedTo());
		Issue newIssue = new Issue(issueForm.getTitle(), issueForm.getDescription(), issueForm.getCategory(), issueForm.getDifficulty(), assignee, ENTERED);
		issueRepository.save(newIssue);
		return "redirect:/issues";
	}
	
	@RequestMapping(value = "/search", method = RequestMethod.GET) 
	public String newSearch(Model model) {
		model.addAttribute("searchTerms", new IssueSearchForm());
		return "issueSearch";
	}
	
	@RequestMapping(value = "/search", method = RequestMethod.POST)
	public String submittedData(@ModelAttribute IssueSearchForm searchTerms, Model model)	{
		logger.info(searchTerms);
		List<String> categoriesA = searchTerms.getCategories();
		logger.info(categoriesA);
		if (categoriesA == null){
			categoriesA = new ArrayList<String>();
		    categoriesA.add("Feature");
		    categoriesA.add("Problem");
		    categoriesA.add("Enhancement");
		}
		List<Float> difficultiesB = searchTerms.getDifficulties();
		logger.info(difficultiesB);
		if(difficultiesB == null) {
		  difficultiesB = new ArrayList<Float>();
		  difficultiesB.add(0f);
		  difficultiesB.add(0.5f);
		  difficultiesB.add(1f);
		  difficultiesB.add(2f);
		  difficultiesB.add(3f);
		  difficultiesB.add(5f);
		  difficultiesB.add(8f);
		  difficultiesB.add(13f);
		  difficultiesB.add(20f);
		  difficultiesB.add(40f);
		  difficultiesB.add(100f);
		 }
		List<Stage> stagesC = searchTerms.getStage();
		if (stagesC == null){
			stagesC = new ArrayList<Stage>();
		    stagesC.add(ENTERED);
		    stagesC.add(PROGRESSING);
		    stagesC.add(REVIEWING);
		    stagesC.add(ACCEPTED);
		}
		logger.info(categoriesA);
		logger.info(difficultiesB);
		List<Issue> searchResults = issueRepository.findByTitleLikeAndDescriptionLikeAndCategoryInAndDifficultyInAndStageIn("%" + searchTerms.getTitle() + "%","%" + searchTerms.getDescription() + "%", categoriesA, difficultiesB, stagesC);
		model.addAttribute("issues", searchResults);
		logger.info(searchResults);
		return "issueList";	
	}

}

IssueRepository.java

package com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue;

import java.util.List;

import org.springframework.data.repository.CrudRepository;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue.Stage;


public interface IssueRepository extends CrudRepository<Issue, Long> {
		
	List<Issue> findByTitleLikeAndDescriptionLikeAndCategoryInAndDifficultyInAndStageIn(String title, String description, List<String> categories, List<Float> difficulties, List<Stage> stage);

}

issueSearch.html

<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html xmlns:th="http://www.thymeleaf.org">
	<head>
	    <title>Issue Tracker -- Search</title>
	    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
	    <link rel="stylesheet" href="http://yui.yahooapis.com/pure/0.6.0/pure-min.css" />
	</head>
    <form th:object="${searchTerms}" th:action="@{/issues/search}" action="#" method="post">
	  <body>
		<table class="pure-table pure-table-striped">
			<tbody>
			    <tr>
			        <label for="findByTitleLike">Title</label>
			    	  <textarea th:field="*{title}">Search Title</textarea>
			    	<label for="findByDescriptionLike">Description</label>
			    	  <textarea th:field="*{description}">Search Description</textarea>
			    	<label for="categories">Search these Categories</label>
	    		      <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{categories}" th:value="Feature" />New Feature Requests
	    		      <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{categories}" th:value="Problem" />Reported Problems
	    		      <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{categories}" th:value="Enhancement" />Enhancement Requests	    		      
			    	<label for="listDifficultiesIn">Difficulties</label>
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value="0" />0
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value=".5"  />.5
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value="1" />1
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value="2" />2
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value="3" />3
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value="5" />5
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value="8" />8
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value="13" />13
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value="20" />20
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value="40" />40
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{difficulties}" th:value="100" />100
			    	<label for="stage">Stage</label>
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{stage}" th:value="ENTERED" />Issues just entered
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{stage}" th:value="PROGRESSING" />Issues in progress
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{stage}" th:value="REVIEWING" />Issues being reviewed
			    	  <input type="checkbox" th:field="*{stage}" th:value="ACCEPTED" />Issues that have been accepted
			    </tr>
			</tbody>
		</table>
		<button type="submit" class="pure-button pure-button-primary">Search</button>
	  </body>
    </form>
</html>

IssueSearchForm.java

package com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue.Stage;


public class IssueSearchForm {
	private String title;
	private String description;
	private List<String> categories;
	private List<Float> difficulties;
	private List<Stage> stage;
	
	public IssueSearchForm () {
		this.title = null;
		this.description = null;
		this.categories = new ArrayList<String>();
		this.difficulties = new ArrayList<Float>();
		this.stage = new ArrayList<Stage>();
		}
	
	public List<Stage> getStage() {
		return stage;
	}

	public void setStage(List<Stage> stage) {
		this.stage = stage;
	}

	public String getTitle() {
		return title;
	}

	public void setTitle(String title) {
		this.title = title;
	}

	public String getDescription() {
		return description;
	}

	public void setDescription(String description) {
		this.description = description;
	}

	public List<String> getCategories() {
		return categories;
	}

	public void setCategories(List<String> categories) {
		this.categories = categories;
	}

	public List<Float> getDifficulties() {
		return difficulties;
	}

	public void setDifficulties(List<Float> difficulties) {
		this.difficulties = difficulties;
	}
	

	@Override
    public String toString() {
    	return "IssueSearchForm("+title+","+description+","+categories+","+difficulties+","+stage+")";
	}
}

Stage.java

package com.kyrlach.issuetracker.issue;

public enum Stage {
	ENTERED, PROGRESSING, REVIEWING, ACCEPTED
}