Please consider the following:
- job: Backend
steps:
- template: $(ClassLibraryTemplate)
parameters:
projectName: 'Core'
solutionPath: 'Source/Core.sln'
ClassLibraryTemplate is defined as a pipeline variable. But when I run the build, it fails because the variable is not replaced by its value and the template is not found.
Is it not possible to store the template name in a variable ?
For Azure DevOps YAML pipeline, the template get processed at compile time. However, the $(ClassLibraryTemplate) get processed at the runtime. That's why it fails.
More information: Understand variable syntax
You could define variable or parameter in your YAML pipeline, then use template expression. For parameter, you could specify value when queue/run pipeline in pop-up window.
For example:
parameters:
- name: temName
displayName: template name
type: string
default: steps/test.yml
trigger:
- none
variables:
- name: tem
value: steps/build.yml
jobs:
- job: Linux
pool:
vmImage: 'ubuntu-16.04'
steps:
- template: ${{ variables.tem }}
- template: ${{ parameters.temName }}
Related
I'm currently trying to setup my complete build/release pipeline with yaml files.
First I tried with different stages (dev/staging/prod) and it worked.
Now I wanted to add an approval that the deploy doesn't not happen automatically on each system.
Therefore I added an environment in the TFS with an approval check.
But when I try to setup the yaml file I always get an error.
I don't know how to setup this properly.
This is my main yaml file called release-pipeline.yaml
trigger:
- master
pool:
name: POOL
stages:
- stage: BuildSolution
jobs:
- job: BuildSolutionJob
displayName: Build
workspace:
clean: all
steps:
- template: yaml/BuildSolution.yml
- template: yaml/CopyFiles.yml
- template: yaml/PublishArtifact.yml
- stage: DeployOn_STAGING_System
dependsOn: BuildSolution
jobs:
- job: Deploy_STAGING
- template: yaml/Deploy.yml
parameters:
Environment: 'SITE'
Staging: 1
- stage: Deploy_DEV_System
dependsOn: BuildSolution
jobs:
- deployment: Deploy_DEV
environment: ENVCHECK_DEV
strategy:
runOnce:
deploy:
steps:
- template: yaml/Deploy.yml
parameters:
Environment: 'SITE'
ViewDeploy: 1
This is my Deploy.yml file which i want to execute (only some snips):
parameters:
- name: Environment
type: string
- name: ProdSystem
type: number
default: 0
- name: Staging
type: number
default: 0
- name: ViewDeploy
type: number
default: 0
jobs:
- job:
variables:
artifactName: $[stageDependencies.BuildSolution.BuildSolutionJob.outputs['SetVariables.artifactName']]
version: $[stageDependencies.BuildSolution.BuildSolutionJob.outputs['SetVariables.version']]
steps:
- task: PowerShell#2
displayName: Display given parameters
inputs:
targetType: inline
script: >
Write-Host "ArtifaceName: " $(artifactName)
Write-Host "Environment for Deploy: " ${{ parameters.Environment }}
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=isStaging]${{ parameters.Staging }}"
failOnStderr: true
When I try to execute I get the following error:
/release-pipeline.yml: Unexpected value 'parameters'.
How do I need to change this that it will work with the template in both cases, with and without the environment approval check?
I tried https://samlearnsazure.blog/2020/02/05/approvals-in-environments/
and of course different structure for the calling. But nothing helped.
In the tutorials they always have steps below the "deploy" but because I have different sites and environments I want/need the template file to save work.
I found another post which goes in the same direction.
I reworked my complete template so that I can use the approach of this: DevOps template with conditional manual approval job
It's not the same as I wanted, but it works.
My goal was that I don't want to create a environment if I have no checks on this site. Only for sites where I wanted the approval check.
With the above mentioned solution I need to create an environment for each site, independent if I have checks or not.
azure-pipeline.yml
trigger:
- master
parameters:
- name: config
displayName: Execution Environment
type: string
default: QA
values:
- QA
- PreProd
- Prod
pool:
vmImage: 'windows-latest'
The above works perfectly, so in Azure the Execution Environment parameter is shown when I run the pipeline.
If however I attempt to put the parameters in a template as follows:
azure-pipeline.yml
trigger:
- master
extends:
template: parameters.yml
pool:
vmImage: 'windows-latest'
parameters.xml
parameters:
- name: config
displayName: Execution Environment
type: string
default: QA
values:
- QA
- PreProd
- Prod
Then when I run the pipeline the parameter is not shown.
In summary I'm trying to re-use a parameters.yml in different pipelines but extends: template: does not seem to work even though per this link it should:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/pipelines/security/templates?view=azure-devops#set-required-templates
Runtime parameters are something different than templates parameters and having the second in your pipeline will not cause them to show on the UI. There is no way to template runtime parameters. You need to repeat them in each pipeline you expect to have them.
I have a pipeline that compares a feature branch to the latest common master.
The user provides a feature_hash which is then used to determine the common merge-base with the master branch (git_merge_base.merge_base).
For each - the feature and the master branch - I then proceed to check whether the binaries have already been built, and if not built & upload them.
My problem is that I can't seem to pass this "runtime decision" about the merge-base down to the template scope and have the variable evaluated at runtime.
I have read through the documentation but this left me more confused than before.
It looks somewhat like this:
stages:
- stage: determine_merge_base
dependsOn: []
jobs:
- template: ../job_templates/determine_merge_base.yml
parameters:
ref: ${{ parameters.feature_hash }}
- stage: build_master
dependsOn: determine_merge_base
jobs:
- template: ../job_templates/check_if_binary_release_exists.yml
parameters:
ref: "$[stageDependencies.determine_merge_base.DetermineMergeBase.outputs['git_merge_base.merge_base']]"
- template: ../job_templates/build_and_upload_binaries.yml
parameters:
ref: "$[stageDependencies.determine_merge_base.DetermineMergeBase.outputs['git_merge_base.merge_base']]"
- stage: build_feature
dependsOn: []
jobs:
- template: ../job_templates/check_if_binary_release_exists.yml
parameters:
ref: ${{ parameters.feature_hash }}
- template: ../job_templates/build_and_upload_binaries.yml
parameters:
ref: ${{ parameters.feature_hash }}
The ref parameter gets passed through 3 layers of template to be finally used within a step template like this:
- script: |
git_commit="${{parameters['ref']}}"
Where I end up with this error:
stageDependencies.determine_merge_base.DetermineMergeBase.outputs['git_merge_base.merge_base']: syntax error: invalid arithmetic operator (error token is ".determine_merge_base.DetermineMergeBase.outputs['git_merge_base.merge_base']")
Basically, the gist of it is you can't use parameters, as they are evaluated BEFORE runtime (see here).
So, you can only use variables, which you did with $[stageDepencies.<etc>], but you have to go all the way through, meaning at the execution time of your step as well.
You can use variables value for parameters, but only if the value of the variable is known "early enough" (ie pretty much when the whole pipeline starts), like BuildNumber and other similar ones, which is not your case.
So, in your case, I think this below is the way to do it. You can then package all that in your job templates, but the point is to use the variables directly in your templates, and NOT whatever you pass in as parameters. Typically, when I use parameters on my templates it is for default values, or for values known before the pipeline starts. Everything evaluated on-the-flight has to be consumed as variables :
- stage: MyCheckStage
jobs:
- job: MyCheckJob
steps:
- script: |
echo "##vso[task.setvariable variable=CheckValue;isOutput=true]MyValue"
name: MyCheckStep
- stage: MyDecisionStage
dependsOn: MyCheckStage
variables:
CheckValueFromPreviousStage: $[ stageDependencies.MyCheckStage.MyCheckJob.outputs['MyCheckStep.CheckValue'] ]
jobs:
- job: myJob
steps:
- script: |
echo $(CheckValueFromPreviousStage)
I have an java project which have gradle.properties file. Im extracting variables defined in gradle.properties as
##vso[task.setvariable variable=myVariable;]`my script to extract it from gradle.properties`
Then im using template from another repository that needs that variable but I can't use it within task, but when I try use it within - script: echo $variable as a step instead of task it is working.
When i try to use it within task it sees variable as $variable not a value.
Maybe there is a better way to extract variables to azure pipeline instead of using this approach?
Check the error message:
We get the error before the pipeline run the bash task, Since it cannot create the variable parampass, we get the parameters value is $(parampass) instead of the variable value.
Check this doc:
In a pipeline, template expression variables ${{ variables.var }} get processed at compile time, before runtime starts. Macro syntax variables $(var) get processed during runtime before a task runs. Runtime expressions $[variables.var] also get processed during runtime but were designed for use with conditions and expressions.
As a workaround:
pipeline.yml
pool:
vmImage: ubuntu-20.04
resources:
repositories:
- repository: common
type: git
name: organisation/repo-name
variables:
- name: parampass
value: xxx
stages:
- stage: "Build"
jobs:
- job: "Build"
steps:
- template: templatename.yml#common
parameters:
par1: ${{ variables.parampass}}
Result:
Probably you do not provide variable to your template
Example execution of template with provided parameter
- template: my/path/to/myTemplate.yml#MyAnotherRepositoryResourceName
parameters:
projectsToBeTested: $(someVariable)
And example template accepting parameters
steps:
- task: DotNetCoreCLI#2
displayName: 'Just testing'
inputs:
command: test
projects: ${{ parameters.projectsToBeTested}}
Please provide more information if it does not help.
Code looks like this:
pipeline.yml
pool:
vmImage: ubuntu-20.04
resources:
repositories:
- repository: common
type: git
name: organisation/repo-name
stages:
- stage: "Build"
jobs:
- job: "Build"
steps:
- bash: |
echo "##vso[task.setvariable variable=parampass]anything"
- template: templatename.yml#common
parameters:
par1: $(parampass)
templatename.yml
parameters:
- name: par1
steps:
- task: SonarCloudPrepare#1
displayName: SonarCloud analysis prepare
inputs:
SonarCloud: ${{ parameters.par1}}
organization: 'orgname'
scannerMode: 'Other'
extraProperties: |
# Additional properties that will be passed to the scanner,
# Put one key=value per line, example:
# sonar.exclusions=**/*.bin
sonar.projectKey= # same param pass case
sonar.projectName= # same param pass case
Generally, it does not matter if i do have parameters passed or if I'm using the template as if it were part of the pipeline code within. Output is always $(parampass) could not be found or smth
I am trying to use extends as part of my pipeline. I am trying to get the first basic step working from Azure docs ie
# pythonparameter-template.yml
parameters:
- name: usersteps
type: stepList
default: []
steps:
- ${{ each step in parameters.usersteps }}
- ${{ step }}
# azure-pipelines.yml
trigger: none
resources:
repositories:
- repository: CI-CD-Templates
type: git
name: /CI-CD-Templates
ref: refs/heads/master
extends:
template: /pythonparameter-template.yml#CI-CD-Templates
parameters:
usersteps:
- script: echo This is my first step
- script: echo This is my second step
I keep getting the below error:
The directive 'each' is not allowed in this context. Directives are not supported for expressions that are embedded within a string. Directives are only supported when the entire value is an expression
Unexpected value '${{ each step in parameters.usersteps }} - ${{ step }}'
Also after I extend from a template can azure-pipelines.yml also have it's own custom steps ie
# azure-pipelines.yml
resources:
repositories:
- repository: templates
type: git
name: MyProject/MyTemplates
ref: tags/v1
extends:
template: template.yml#templates
parameters:
usersteps:
- script: echo This is my first step
- script: echo This is my second step
steps:
- template: /validation-template.yml#CI-CD-Templates
parameters:
commitMessage: $(commitMessage)
- template: /shared-template.yml#CI-CD-Templates
parameters:
buildArtifactDir: $(buildArtifactDir)
Update
Please refer the response in this DC link-- Yaml extends feature erroring out when looping through steps.
The YAML has a validation task in #pythonparameter-template.yml
Comment out these 2 lines and your YAML will succeed. The template shown here is preventing any tasks to be used. This could be a scenario for someone with specific security requirements.
${{ if eq(pair.key, 'task') }}:
'${{ pair.value }}': error
Are you trying to combine two yml pythonparameter-template.yml azure-pipelines.yml in the same file? It's not supported.
parameters:
- name: usersteps
type: stepList
default: []
steps:
- ${{ each step in parameters.usersteps }}
- ${{ step }}
According to the error Directives are not supported for expressions that are embedded within a string. Directives are only supported when the entire value is an expression Unexpected value '${{ each step in parameters.usersteps }} - ${{ step }}'
You maybe use the wrong format. About the formats you could refer our official doc here--
Template types & usage
Besides, you can make azure-pipelines.yml also have it's own custom steps. But you need to put them under parameters in the pipeline, not like the way you use.
azure-pipelines.yml
trigger:
- master
extends:
template: pythonparameter-template.yml
parameters:
buildSteps:
- bash: echo Test #Passes
displayName: succeed
- bash: echo "Test"
displayName: succeed
- script: echo "Script Test"
displayName: Fail