Wrong `BuildingRef` when a prior GitHub action moves HEAD

[vchirikov]

Hi,

I use PR comment commands like /publish with github actions, and as you might know that workflows triggered on issue_comment started from the default branch (master in my case), thus the

https://github.com/dotnet/Nerdbank.GitVersioning/blob/85241588765ce921ac50132841dee932fab3956e/src/NerdBank.GitVersioning/CloudBuildServices/GitHubActions.cs#L23

works wrong.

I have something like this in workflow:

      - name: git checkout / on 'workflow_call'
        if: ${{ inputs.ref != '' }}
        uses: actions/checkout@v3
        with:
          clean: false
          # branch name
          ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
          fetch-depth: 0
...
      - name: Generate version variables
        id: nbgv
        uses: dotnet/nbgv@master
        with:
          setAllVars: true

And I can't do something like echo "GITHUB_REF=refs/heads/$branch" >> $GITHUB_ENV because:

If you attempt to override the value of one of these default environment variables, the assignment is ignored.

Docs

So I can't override the wrong GITHUB_REFvalue and because of that nbgv step generates wrong version info.

Do you have any ideas how to beat this?

cc: @AArnott

[vchirikov]

It will be nice if we could disable cloud logic at all (in version.json for example)

[AArnott]

What do you mean by "disable cloud logic at all"? Are you wanting the nbgv GitHub Action to disregard the environment variables and just return results based on the position of HEAD? That could certainly be done, but CI systems often checkout a detached HEAD, so the publicReleaseRefSpec in version.json wouldn't work properly because that tends to be based on an attached HEAD. That's the chief reason why we look an environment variables in CI systems: it's the only way to know the name of the branch being built.

We could perhaps have an alternate environment variable name that we check first and use that if it's present, so you could define that. But before we go there, would something like this work?

      - name: Generate version variables
        id: nbgv
        uses: dotnet/nbgv@master
        with:
          setAllVars: true
        env:
          GITHUB_REF: ${{ inputs.ref }}

Maybe that syntax would be honored to set the env var just for that task.

I know you mentioned that echo "GITHUB_REF=refs/heads/$branch" >> $GITHUB_ENV wouldn't work for the reason given in the doc, but maybe this alternate syntax would work? Just a shot.

[vchirikov]

Maybe it will work, for now as a workaround I use dotnet nbgv from Bullseye target with my own env variables

[vchirikov]

Ok, now I ran into this in a js repo (without dotnet build project), checked your solution and it doesn't work:

      - name: Forward env variables & checkout fixes
        id: gh
        run: |
          echo -n "" > .env
          env | grep -E '^(GITHUB_|CI)' | grep -E GITHUB_SHA= --invert-match | grep -E GITHUB_REF= --invert-match >> $GITHUB_ENV
          env | grep -E '^(GITHUB_|CI)' | grep -E GITHUB_SHA= --invert-match | grep -E GITHUB_REF= --invert-match >> .env
          sha=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
          echo "GITHUB_SHA=$sha" >> $GITHUB_ENV
          echo "GITHUB_SHA=$sha" >> .env
          branch=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
          echo "GITHUB_REF=refs/heads/$branch" >> $GITHUB_ENV
          echo "GITHUB_REF=refs/heads/$branch" >> .env
          echo -e "\033[38;5;99;5;16msha: $sha\033[0m"
          echo -e "\033[38;5;99;5;16mbranch: $branch\033[0m"
          echo -e "\033[38;5;99;5;16minputs.ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}\033[0m"
          echo "::set-output name=sha::$sha"
          echo "::set-output name=branch::$branch"
          echo "::add-matcher::./.github/eslint-compact.json"
          echo "::add-matcher::./.github/eslint-stylish.json"
          echo "::add-matcher::./.github/tsc.json"

      - name: Generate version
        id: nbgv
        uses: dotnet/nbgv@master
        with:
          setAllVars: true
        env:
          GITHUB_REF: refs/heads/${{ steps.gh.outputs.branch }}
          GITHUB_SHA: ${{ steps.gh.outputs.sha }}

cc: @AArnott

[vchirikov]

As a workaround we can use github-script action:

- name: Generate version
  id: nbgv
  uses: actions/github-script@v6
  with:
    script: |
      const path = require('path');
      const os = require('os');
      process.env.GITHUB_REF='refs/heads/${{ steps.gh.outputs.branch }}';
      process.env.GITHUB_SHA='${{ steps.gh.outputs.sha }}';
      try {
        // install nbgv
        let exitCode = await exec.exec('dotnet', ['tool', 'install', '-g', 'nbgv'], { ignoreReturnCode: true });
        if (exitCode > 1) {
          throw new Error("dotnet tool install failed.");
        }

        // add .dotnet/tools to the path
        core.addPath(path.join(os.homedir(), '.dotnet', 'tools'));

        // collect a JSON string of all the version properties.
        let versionJson = '';
        await exec.exec('nbgv', ['get-version', '-f', 'json'], { listeners: { stdout: (data) => { versionJson += data.toString() } } });
        core.setOutput('versionJson', versionJson);

        // break up the JSON into individual outputs.
        const versionProperties = JSON.parse(versionJson);
        for (let name in versionProperties.CloudBuildAllVars) {
          // Trim off the leading NBGV_
          core.setOutput(name.substring(5), versionProperties.CloudBuildAllVars[name]);
        }

        await exec.exec('nbgv', ['cloud', '-a']);

        // stamp the version on package.json
        await exec.exec('npm', ['version', versionProperties.NpmPackageVersion, '--git-tag-version=false', '--allow-same-version']);
      }
      catch (error) {
        core.setFailed(error.message);
      }

But it's better to add ref/sha inputs to this action.

[AArnott]

It will be nice if we could disable cloud logic at all

I could certainly add an input to the nbgv github action (and tool) to disable cloud recognition. Would that do what you want?

[AArnott]

Actually I guess that wouldn't work for you. The whole point of using this Action is to set env vars, which requires cloud awareness. What you really want I think is a way to override what the cloud says HEAD is pointing at, right?

[AArnott]

@vchirikov Can you please try this in your pipeline? It uses a new environment variable, and instructs the nbgv Action to pull down the newer version of the tool that is still in an open PR. So you wouldn't want to keep this long-term, but it would serve to test the content of dotnet/Nerdbank.GitVersioning#795 and #51.

- name: Generate version
  id: nbgv
  uses: dotnet/nbgv@addFeed
  with:
    setAllVars: true
    toolVersion: 3.6.20-alpha-gaf2d6026c0
    toolFeed: https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/andrewarnott/OSS/_packaging/PublicCI/nuget/v3/index.json
  env:
    IGNORE_GITHUB_REF: true

[vchirikov]

I guess I should use IGNORE_GITHUB_REF: true instead of false :)
With this change GitCommit is correct, but "BuildingRef": "refs/heads/master" is wrong.

https://github.com/vchirikov/gh-vstest-logger/runs/7817834798?check_suite_focus=true#step:5:110