GitHub Actions Workshop

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Lab: Environment Variable Scope

Introduction

In this lab, you will learn how to set environment variables at different scopes, including workflow, job, and step levels. You will also learn how to access these environment variables in your workflow.

Estimated Duration: 20-30 minutes

Instructions

Step 1: Create a YAML Workflow Using the Starter File

  1. Navigate to the Environment Variable Scope Starter File.

  2. Copy the content of the starter file:

    name: Env Var Scope

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
  push:
    paths:
      - '.github/workflows/env-var-scope.yml'

  3. In your repository, create a new workflow file under .github/workflows and name it env-var-scope.yml.

  4. Paste the copied content into the new file.

  5. Commit the workflow file to the main branch.

Step 2: Add Environment Variable at Workflow Level

  1. In the env-var-scope.yml file, define a new environment variable at the workflow level with the name WORKFLOW_ENV_VAR and the value Workflow Environment Variable.

Step 3: Update the Workflow to Access and Print Environment Variables

  1. Add a job to your workflow with the name print.

  2. Inside the print job, define the job-level environment variable JOB_ENV_VAR and assign it the value Job Environment Variable.

    jobs:
  print:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      JOB_ENV_VAR: 'Job Environment Variable'

  3. Add a step inside the print job and define the step-level environment variable STEP_ENV_VAR with the value Step Environment Variable.

  4. In the step, print the values of the environment variables: WORKFLOW_ENV_VAR, JOB_ENV_VAR, and STEP_ENV_VAR.

    The final workflow should look like this:

    steps:
  - name: Display Environment Variables
    env:
      STEP_ENV_VAR: 'Step Environment Variable'
    run: |
      echo "WORKFLOW_ENV_VAR: $WORKFLOW_ENV_VAR"
      echo "JOB_ENV_VAR: $JOB_ENV_VAR"
      echo "STEP_ENV_VAR: $STEP_ENV_VAR"

  5. Final workflow should look like this:

    name: Env Var Scope

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
  push:
    paths:
      - '.github/workflows/env-var-scope.yml'

env:
  WORKFLOW_ENV_VAR: 'Workflow Environment Variable'

jobs:
  print:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      JOB_ENV_VAR: 'Job Environment Variable'

    steps:
      - name: Display Environment Variables
        env:
          STEP_ENV_VAR: 'Step Environment Variable'
        run: |
          echo "WORKFLOW_ENV_VAR: $WORKFLOW_ENV_VAR"
          echo "JOB_ENV_VAR: $JOB_ENV_VAR"
          echo "STEP_ENV_VAR: $STEP_ENV_VAR"

Step 4: Commit and Run the Workflow

  1. Commit the changes to the main branch.

  2. Go to the Actions tab in your repository and locate the Env Var Scope workflow.

  3. Trigger the workflow manually by clicking on the Run workflow button.

  4. Once the workflow runs, check the logs to see the printed values of the environment variables.

Summary

Congratulations! You have successfully defined environment variables at different scopes (workflow, job, and step levels) and accessed them in your workflow. You’ve also learned how to print their values during the execution of the workflow.

Additional Resources