GH automation tools to explore

[bernhold]

Here's a list of tools I've found to automate various aspects of GitHub workflows. I haven't evaluated any of them. This is just a starting point.

https://github.com/apps/project-bot

https://probot.github.io/apps/minimum-reviews/

https://github.com/marketplace/actions/closes-issues-related-to-a-merged-pull-request

https://probot.github.io/apps/delete-merged-branch/
https://github.com/marketplace/actions/delete-merged-branch
https://help.github.com/en/github/administering-a-repository/managing-the-automatic-deletion-of-branches

https://github.com/marketplace/pr-scheduler

https://github.com/marketplace/actions/github-issue-due-dates-action

https://github.com/boyney123/auto-comment

https://github.com/palantir/bulldozer auto-merge bot
https://github.com/marketplace/mergify
https://github.com/marketplace/auto-merge
https://github.com/marketplace/actions/automatic-merge
https://github.com/marketplace/actions/nightly-merge
https://github.com/marketplace/actions/merge-pal
https://github.com/marketplace/actions/pr-build-merge
https://github.com/marketplace/actions/pr-merge-bot
https://github.com/marketplace/actions/pull-request-merge-command
https://github.com/marketplace/actions/merge-pull-requests
https://github.com/marketplace/actions/pull-request-merginator
https://github.com/marketplace/actions/gitflow-action

https://github.com/marketplace/actions/top-issues-labeler this is not what we need for the Topic Review column, but perhaps some of the code here would be useful for someone constructing a bot that would label issues needing votes and/or move issues that meet our criteria to the Ready for Development column (or closing as not interested). I haven't found any other bots that process reactions.

[bernhold]

Mentioned by @bartlettroscoe in another discussion
https://probot.github.io/apps/deploy/
https://github.com/dessant/label-actions

[bartlettroscoe]

Someone who really know Github actions could likely put together what we need very quickly. It would be good if someone ECP funded would be willing to learn this as service to ECP.

[bernhold]

@bartlettroscoe why close?

[bartlettroscoe]

Sorry, pressed wrong button on accident. Reopening

[markcmiller86]

I found this resource describing github actions in a way and in details other resources don't and which I personally found VERY HELPFULL. It might even be worth a CC article.

[markcmiller86]

Found another resource I found quite helpful in inderstanding how shell code integrates with GHA run: blocks, among other things.

[bartlettroscoe]

Seems like we should write a CC article about GHA with these references.

[markcmiller86]

Seems like we should write a CC article about GHA with these references.

Ok, created #746

[bartlettroscoe]

The more I learn about GHA, the less impressed I am. I will document examples as I go. One example is that you can't prematurely terminate a job in one of the steps without returning a no-zero error code. That would actually be very useful in something like the preview branch workflow. See my comment in actions/runner#662 (comment). If they are going to define a new language (which is what GHA is), then it needs to be full featured or you will be forced to create workflows that have one big set per job and handle all of your own logic in that one step (and it has to be the last step in the job). Otherwise, you can't achieve an early termination of a job with a zero return code.