How to perform string manipulation while declaring env vars in GitHub Actions

Question

I have a github repository like the following

johndoe/hello-world

I am trying to set the following environment variables in github actions

env:
  DOCKER_HUB_USERID: ${{ github.actor }}
  REPOSITORY_NAME: ${GITHUB_REPOSITORY#*\/}
  IMAGE_NAME_CLIENT: "$REPOSITORY_NAME-client"
  IMAGE_NAME_SERVER: "$REPOSITORY_NAME-server"

My expected results for these variables are:

johndoe
hello-world
hello-world-client
hello-world-server

But i am getting

johndoe
${REPOSITORY_NAME#*\/}
$REPOSITORY_NAME-client
$REPOSITORY_NAME-server

Looks like the expressions are not being evaluated while declaring the env vars.

How can I achieve the expected behavior?

For the second one, why not ${{github.repository}}, similar to the first one that works? It looks like from here that would work. — Wayne
– Wayne, Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 21:36
${{github.repository}} includes the username... i want to get it without the username — Rakib
– Rakib, Commented Feb 28, 2020 at 12:01

Henrik · Accepted Answer · 2021-12-17 10:04:58Z

31

Shell parameter expansion is not possible outside of a run step.

env:
  REPOSITORY_NAME: ${GITHUB_REPOSITORY#*\/}

Create an extra step to compute the value into a new variable, appending it to the file at $GITHUB_ENV.

      - name: Set env
        run: echo "REPOSITORY_NAME=${GITHUB_REPOSITORY#*\/}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
      - name: Test
        run: echo $REPOSITORY_NAME

Or create a step output.

      - name: Set outputs
        id: vars
        run: echo ::set-output name=repo_name::${GITHUB_REPOSITORY#*\/}
      - name: Test set output
        run: echo ${{ steps.vars.outputs.repo_name }}

Once the computed environment variable REPOSITORY_NAME, or step output steps.vars.outputs.repo_name, exists, they can be used to set other variables like this.

env:
  IMAGE_NAME_CLIENT: ${{ env.REPOSITORY_NAME }}-server
  IMAGE_NAME_SERVER: ${{ steps.vars.outputs.repo_name }}-server

edited Dec 17, 2021 at 10:04

Henrik

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answered Feb 28, 2020 at 5:44

peterevans

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1 Comment

Benoit Blanchon Over a year ago

set-env is deprecated since October 2020. The suggested replacement uses the $GITHUB_ENV file.

Fabiel León · Accepted Answer · 2022-04-01 16:13:41Z

8

Github has changed the way you set environment variables for security reasons, now you have to use this way.

steps:
  - name: Set the environment variable
    run: echo REPOSITORY_NAME=${GITHUB_REPOSITORY#*\/} >> $GITHUB_ENV

then use it like this

  - name: Use the value
    run: echo $REPOSITORY_NAME # This will output repository name

Example of use on env

  - name: Install dependencies And Build Yarn and npm
    uses: fabiel-leon/npm-build@master
    env:
      REPO: ${{ env.REPOSITORY_NAME }}

  - name: Build and push Docker images
    uses: docker/build-push-action@v1
    with:
      tags: ${{ env.REPOSITORY_NAME }}

https://docs.github.com/en/actions/reference/workflow-commands-for-github-actions#setting-an-environment-variable

edited Apr 1, 2022 at 16:13

answered Feb 21, 2021 at 22:11

Fabiel León

1511 silver badge5 bronze badges

1 Comment

Francois Over a year ago

Exactly what I was looking for either use it as ${{ env.REPOSITORY_NAME }} or in a string "This is my string ${{ env.REPOSITORY_NAME }}"

artemnih · Accepted Answer · 2021-08-04 18:55:10Z

4

Like this

IMAGE_NAME_SERVER: "${{ REPOSITORY_NAME }}-server"

answered Aug 4, 2021 at 18:55

artemnih

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Comments

Paul T. Rawkeen · Accepted Answer · 2023-10-16 12:37:03Z

4

New as of this month, still in a 'run' - Deprecating set-env and add-path commands.

echo "action_state=yellow" >> $GITHUB_ENV

I also found that things like uses/with/ref will not take ${action_state} expansion, but they will take ${{ env.action_state }} expansion after being stuffed.

edited Oct 16, 2023 at 12:37

Paul T. Rawkeen

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answered Oct 19, 2020 at 2:36

leemr

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