5 - Custom actions

In this lab you will create and use custom actions.

Duration: 15-20 minutes

References:

• Creating actions
• Creating a composite action
• Creating a JavaScript action
• GitHub Actions Toolkit
• actions/github-script

5.1 Use the github-script action to apply a label to an issue

1. Open the workflow file github-script.yml
2. Edit the file and copy the following YAML content at the end of the file: ```YAML apply-label: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps:
   • uses: actions/github-script@v7 with: script: | github.rest.issues.addLabels({ issue_number: context.issue.number, owner: context.repo.owner, repo: context.repo.repo, labels: [‘Training’] }) ```
3. Commit the changes into the main branch
4. Open a new issue or edit an exiting one to trigger the workflow. If the Issues tab is not visible, open your repository settings and enable it.
5. Go to Actions and see the details of your running workflow
6. After the workflow completes, a new label should be applied to your issue

5.2 Use a composite action

1. Open the composite action file /.github/actions/hello-world-composite-action/action.yml
2. Edit the file and copy the following YAML content at the end of the file: ```YAML
   • name: Hello world uses: actions/hello-world-javascript-action@main with: who-to-greet: “$” id: hello
   • name: Echo the greeting’s time run: echo ‘The time was $.’ shell: bash ```
3. Commit the changes into a new feature/lab05 branch
4. Open the workflow file hello-world-composite.yml
5. Edit the file and copy the following YAML content at the end of the file: ```YAML hello_world_job2: runs-on: ubuntu-latest name: A job2 to say hello steps:
   • uses: actions/checkout@v4
   • id: hello-world uses: ./.github/actions/hello-world-composite-action with: who-to-greet: ‘Mona the Octocat from composite action’
   • run: echo random-number from composite action $ shell: bash ```
6. Update the workflow to run on pull_request events

   on:
     pull_request:
     branches: [main]
     workflow_dispatch:    
   

7. Commit the changes into the same feature/lab05 branch
8. Open a new pull request
9. Go to Actions and see the details of your running workflow
10. Complete the pull request and delete the source branch

5.3 Custom JS and Docker actions

1. Study the implementation of the custom action from the folder: /.github/actions/
2. Open the workflow file use-custom-actions.yml
3. Edit the file and copy the following YAML content to update the issue title:

         issue-title: "A joke for you from custom actions workflow" 
   

4. Commit the changes into the main branch
5. Go to Actions and manually trigger the workflow by clicking on Run Workflow button
6. See the details of your running workflow

5.4 (Optional) Create a JavaScript action

1. Follow the guide to create a JavaScript action
   • Creating a JavaScript action
2. Use your action in a workflow ```YAML
   • name: Hello world action step id: hello uses: /hello-world-javascript-action@v1.1 with: who-to-greet: 'Mona the Octocat' ```

5.5 Final

github-script.yml

```YAML name: 05-1. GitHub Script - Thank you on: issues: types: [opened, edited, reopened, labeled] # Limit the permissions of the GITHUB_TOKEN permissions: contents: read issues: write jobs: comment: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/github-script@v7 with: github-token: $ script: | github.rest.issues.createComment({ issue_number: context.issue.number, owner: context.repo.owner, repo: context.repo.repo, body: '👋 Thank you! We appreciate your contribution to this project.' }) apply-label: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/github-script@v7 with: script: | github.rest.issues.addLabels({ issue_number: context.issue.number, owner: context.repo.owner, repo: context.repo.repo, labels: ['Training'] }) ```

hello-world-composite-action/action.yml

```YAML name: 'Hello World Composite Action' description: 'Greet someone' inputs: who-to-greet: # id of input description: 'Who to greet' required: true default: 'World' outputs: random-number: description: "Random number" value: $ runs: using: "composite" steps: - run: echo Hello from composite action $. shell: bash - id: random-number-generator run: echo "random-id=$(echo $RANDOM)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT shell: bash - run: echo "$" >> $GITHUB_PATH shell: bash - name: Hello world uses: actions/hello-world-javascript-action@main with: who-to-greet: "$" id: hello - name: Echo the greeting's time run: echo 'The time was $.' shell: bash ```

hello-world-composite.yml

```YAML name: 05-2. Hello World Composite on: pull_request: branches: [main] workflow_dispatch: jobs: hello_world_job1: runs-on: ubuntu-latest name: A job1 to say hello steps: - id: hello-world uses: githubabcs/hello-world-composite-action@main with: who-to-greet: 'Hello from GH ABCs' - run: echo random-number $ shell: bash hello_world_job2: runs-on: ubuntu-latest name: A job2 to say hello steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4 - id: hello-world uses: ./.github/actions/hello-world-composite-action with: who-to-greet: 'Mona the Octocat from composite action' - run: echo random-number from composite action $ shell: bash ```

use-custom-actions.yml

```YAML name: 05-3. Use Custom Actions (JS & Doker) on: pull_request: types: [labeled] workflow_dispatch: # Limit the permissions of the GITHUB_TOKEN permissions: contents: read issues: write jobs: js-custom-actions: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4 - run: echo "🎉 Running the JS actions" - name: hello-action uses: ./.github/actions/hello-world-js if: $ - name: ha-ha uses: ./.github/actions/joke-action id: jokes - name: create-issue uses: ./.github/actions/issue-maker-js with: repo-token: $ joke: $ issue-title: "A joke for you from custom actions workflow" docker-custom-actions: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4 - run: echo "🎉 Running the Docker actions" - name: hello-action uses: ./.github/actions/hello-world-docker - name: meow uses: ./.github/actions/cat-facts id: cat - name: create-issue uses: ./.github/actions/issue-maker-docker with: repoToken: $ catFact: $ issueTitle: "A cat fact for you from $" ```