Howto: Escape $(var) in Azure DevOps YAML - azure

variables:
buildSelected: '1.0.0.1234'
steps:
- powershell: |
Write-Host "Build Selected $(buildSelected)"
Write-Host "Escaped '$(buildSelected)'"
displayName: "Escape variable"
I would like the value 1.0.0.1234 & '$(buildSelected)' to be printed instead of what it's printing now:
Build Selected 1.0.0.1234
Escaped '1.0.0.1234'

Sorry but I'm afraid Azure Devops doesn't provide the feature to escape a pipeline variable. If the variable is used in this format $(var), it will always be replaced with its value when using Write-Host to output it.
As I know in Powershell syntax, only the ` can be used to escape variables. See:
Write-Host "Build Selected `$`(buildSelected)"
Its output : Build Selected $(buildSelected)
Not sure if it's what you need, but escaping pipeline variables with complete $(var) is not supported. Azure Devops will always replace it with its value if it matches the $(var) format.

I had the same problem but in bash and solved it by adding the invisible character named "ZERO WIDTH SPACE" between "$" and "(". This way I can print out "$(Build.SourceVersion)" without it being replaced with the actual value.
I copied the character from https://invisible-characters.com/
---
trigger: none
steps:
- script: |
echo "$​(Build.SourceVersion): $(Build.SourceVersion)"
displayName: Test Pipeline Variable Escaping

Related

How to nest yaml variable expressions?

I want to nest yaml variable expressions in a Azure Devops Pipeline as one step uses the project name separated by spaces and another uses periods ie 'My Project' vs 'My.Project'.
This is what I have currently but the echo is outputting 'My Project' instead of 'My.Project'
- script: echo "projectKey2 is ${{replace(${{ variables.projectName }},' ','.')}}"
You have extra brackets around variables.projectName that should not be there:
- script: echo "projectKey2 is ${{ replace(variables.projectName,' ','.') }}"

variable set in azure pipeline gets corrupted when read in template

variable big_var_01 defined with value '3q4w#V$X3q4w#V$X' by following azure pipeline yaml file gets corrupted to become value '3q4w#V#V' when read back in azure pipeline template
cat parent_scott.yaml
variables:
- name: big_var_01
value: ${{ parameters.big_var_01 }}
parameters:
- name: big_var_01
displayName: "this var wants to get written to then read by templates"
type: string
default: '3q4w#V$X3q4w#V$X'
# CI Triggers
trigger:
branches:
exclude:
- '*'
pool:
vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
# Release Stages
stages:
- template: child_scott_one.yaml
following azure pipeline template variable big_var_01 is read back however its value is corrupted and does not match above assignment
cat child_scott_one.yaml
# Release Stages
stages:
- stage: A
jobs:
- job: JA
steps:
- script: |
echo "here is big_var_01 -->$(big_var_01)<-- "
local_var_01=$(big_var_01)
echo
echo "here is local_var_01 -->$local_var_01<-- "
echo
echo "length of local_var_01 is ${#local_var_01}"
echo
name: DetermineResult
see run of above pipeline
https://dev.azure.com/sekhemrekhutawysobekhotep/public_project/_build/results?buildId=525&view=logs&j=54e3124b-25ae-54f7-b0df-b26e1988012b&t=52fad91f-d6ac-51fb-b63d-00fda7898bb6&l=13
see code at https://github.com/sekhemrekhutawysobekhotep/shared_variables_across_templates
How to make the string variable big_var_01 get treated as a literal evidently its somehow getting evaluated and thus corrupted ... above code is a simplification of my actual azure pipeline where I get same variable corruption issue even when setting up a Key Value secret with value 3q4w#V$X3q4w#V$X which gets corrupted when read back in a pipeline template
here is another pipeline run which explicitly shows this issue https://dev.azure.com/sekhemrekhutawysobekhotep/public_project/_build/results?buildId=530&view=logs&j=ed5db508-d8c1-5154-7d4e-a21cef45e99c&t=a9f49566-82d0-5c0a-2e98-46af3de0d6e9&l=38 on this run I check marked ON pipeline run option: "Enable system diagnostics" ... next I will try to single quote my shell assignment from the azure variable
At some step Azure DevOps or Ubuntu replaced part of your string. So you have:
3q4w#V$X3q4w#V$X = 3q4w#V + $X3q4w + #V + $X
and this part $X3q4w and this $X was replaced with empty string giving you 3q4w#V + #V.
If you run this with \ before $ like here 3q4w#V\$X3q4w#V\$X
This is job Foo.
here is big_var_01 -->3q4w#V$X3q4w#V$X<--
here is local_var_01 -->3q4w#V$X3q4w#V$X<--
length of local_var_01 is 16
I got an error running this on windows-latest however I got correct string:
"This is job Foo."
"here is big_var_01 -->3q4w#V$X3q4w#V$X<-- "
'local_var_01' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
ECHO is off.
"here is local_var_01 -->$local_var_01<-- "
ECHO is off.
"length of local_var_01 is ${#local_var_01}"
ECHO is off.
##[error]Cmd.exe exited with code '9009'.
so it looks like ubuntu replaces it with env variables however, since there is not variables like $X3q4w and $X it replaces with empty string.
Found a solution ... it works if I single quote around the azure variable during bash shell assignment
local_var_01=$(big_var_01) # bad results with value 3q4w#V#V
local_var_02="$(big_var_01)" # bad results with value 3q4w#V#V
local_var_03='$(big_var_01)' # good this gives value 3q4w#V$X3q4w#V$X
my instincts said to not use single quotes knowing its not the bash shell way however once I accepted the fact azure performs some magic ~~helping~~ interstigal layer pre processing in between pipeline source code and fully resolved bash shell execution I took a chance and tried this ... come to find out this is how bash shell blocks variable expansion

Azure Pipeline File-based Trigger and Tags

Is it possible to make a build Pipeline with a file-based trigger?
Let's say I have the following Directory structure.
Microservices/
|_Service A
|_Test_Stage
|_Testing_Config
|_QA_Stage
|_QA_Config
|_Prod_stage
|_Prod_Config
|_Service B
|_Test_Stage
|_Testing_Config
|_QA_Stage
|_QA_Config
|_Prod_stage
|_Prod_Config
I want to have just one single YAML Build Pipeline File.
Based on the Variables $(Project) & $(Stage) different builds are created.
Is it possible to check what directory/file initiated the Trigger and set the variables accordingly?
Additionally it would be great if its possible to use those variables to set the tags to the artifact after the run.
Thanks
KR
Is it possible to check what directory/file initiated the Trigger and
set the variables accordingly?
Of course yes. But there's no direct way since we do not provide any pre-defined variables to store such message, so you need additional complex work around to get that.
#1:
Though there's no variable can direct stores the message like which folder and which file is modified, but you could get it by tracking the commit message Build.SourceVersion via api.
GET https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/commits/{commitId}/changes?api-version=5.1
From its response body, you can directly know its path and file:
Since the response body is JSON format, you could make use of some JSON function to parsing this path value. See this similar script as a reference.
Then use powershell script to set these value as pipeline variable which the next agent jobs/tasks could use them.
Also, in your scenario, all of these should be finished before all next job started. So, you could consider to create a simple extension with pipeline decorator. Define all above steps in decorator, so that it can be finished in the pre-job of every pipeline.
#2
Think you should feel above method is little complex. So I'd rather suggest you could make use of commit messge. For example, specify project name and file name in commit message, get them by using variable Build.SourceVersionMessage.
Then use the powershell script (I mentioned above) to set them as variable.
This is more convenient than using api to parse commits body.
Hope one of them could help.
Thanks for your reply.
I tried a different approach with a Bash Script.
Because I only use ubuntu Images.
I make "git log" with Filtering for the last commit of the Directory Microservices.
With some awk (not so a satisfying Solution) I get the Project & Stage and write them into Pipeline Variables.
The Pipeline just gets triggered when there is a change to the Microservices/* Path.
trigger:
batch: true
branches:
include:
- master
paths:
include:
- Microservices/*
The first job when the trigger activated, is the Dynamic_variables job.
This Job I only use to set the Variables $(Project) & $(Stage). Also the build tags are set with those Variables, so I'm able do differentiate the Artifacts in the Releases.
jobs:
- job: Dynamic_Variables
pool:
vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
steps:
- checkout: self
- task: Bash#3
name: Dynamic_Var
inputs:
filePath: './scripts/multi-usage.sh'
arguments: '$(Build.SourcesDirectory)'
displayName: "Set Dynamic Variables Project"
- task: Bash#3
inputs:
targetType: 'inline'
script: |
set +e
if [ -z $(Dynamic_Var.Dynamic_Project) ]; then
echo "target Project not specified";
exit 1;
fi
echo "Project is:" $(Dynamic_Var.Dynamic_Project)
displayName: 'Verify that the Project parameter has been supplied to pipeline'
- task: Bash#3
inputs:
targetType: 'inline'
script: |
set +e
if [ -z $(Dynamic_Var.Dynamic_Stage) ]; then
echo "target Stage not specified";
exit 1;
fi
echo "Stage is:" $(Dynamic_Var.Dynamic_Stage)
displayName: 'Verify that the Stage parameter has been supplied to pipeline'
The Bash Script I run in this Job looks like this:
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
WORKING_DIRECTORY=${1}
cd ${WORKING_DIRECTORY}
CHANGEPATH="$(git log -1 --name-only --pretty='format:' -- Microservices/)"
Project=$(echo $CHANGEPATH | awk -F[/] '{print $2}')
CHANGEFILE=$(echo $CHANGEPATH | awk -F[/] '{print $4}')
Stage=$(echo $CHANGEFILE | awk -F[-] '{print $1}')
echo "##vso[task.setvariable variable=Dynamic_Project;isOutput=true]${Project}"
echo "##vso[task.setvariable variable=Dynamic_Stage;isOutput=true]${Stage}"
echo "##vso[build.addbuildtag]${Project}"
echo "##vso[build.addbuildtag]${Stage}"
If someone has a better solution then the awk commands please let me know.
Thanks a lot.
KR

How to change string from variable in yml file?

I have a yml file used by an Azure pipeline for configuration.
variables:
CHANGE_URL : $(System.PullRequest.SourceRepositoryURI)/pull/$(System.PullRequest.PullRequestNumber)
The resulting variable CHANGE_URL is: https://github.com/username/project-boilerplate.git/9
The values are coming from Azure's predefined system variables. I'm trying to remove the '.git' from this string. I tried
CHANGE_URL : sed 's/...$//' <<< $(System.PullRequest.SourceRepositoryURI) but that did not work. I'm not sure how much control I have with yml files.
you need to have a script step that does that:
- bash: |
value=$(sed 's/...$//' <<< $(System.PullRequest.SourceRepositoryURI))
echo "##vso[task.setvariable variable=CHANGE_URL]$value"
and then in your subsequent steps you'd have a variable CHANGE_URL with the value you needed

Escape char in Gitlab Secret Variables

I have a secret var :
But when I do - echo %MySecretVar%, runner displays foo only
How can i escape special chars like ! in Gitlab Secret Vars ?
I had the same problems with Gitlab, job running on windows, but I assume it will reproduce on Linux as well, because it seems Gitlab parsing issue or relay weird escaping.
So I have set environment variable
APPPOOL_PWD: 'blabla!foo$bar'
and output of echo %APPPOOL_PWD% or echo $APPPOOL_PWD was 'blabla'
The Gitlab seems to be was eating out the exclamation mark sign ! and dollar sign $. To avoid it as proposed in comment for exclamation mark I have used ^^ and for dollar sign I have used $$ as proposed in the Gitlab variables documentation.
So following variable works well:
APPPOOL_PWD: 'blabla^^!foo$$bar'
and output of the echo command in this case would be 'blabla!foo$bar'.
I was able to use a value with special characters this way:
Define Gitlab CI variable FOO with special characters in the value, e.g. ?!asdf&%fghjkl
In .gitlab-ci.yml define:
variables:
bar: '"%FOO%"'
script:
- echo %bar%
This way the variable will stay exactly the way it is typed in your CI variable field.
I'm using Windows batch shell. If you use another shell for script running, the syntax is a little different from %bar%. Check out the syntax here: Gitlab CI reference
I am using GitLab 15.3.3-ee and I don't see any issue with the ! it get's passed through. However for $ you will have to use extra $ as escape character, just like mentioned in the first comment.

Resources