Support of Hash keys in YAML configuration of `only` (and `skip`)

[AlexWayfer]

Description

It'd be nicer to have a more handful confiuguration.

Context

Current configuration

only: ($CIRRUS_BRANCH == 'master') || changesInclude('Gemfile', 'Rakefile', '.rspec', '**.{rb,yml}')

Wished configuration

only:
  branch: master
  changes:
    - Gemfile
    - Rakefile
    - .rspec
    - '**.{rb,yml}'

Anything Else

GitLab CI: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/#onlyexcept-basic

[fkorotkov]

I don't think we'll add such syntax support to YAML. We are focusing on Starlark support where you'll be able do something like:

load("cirrus", "env", "changes_include")

def generate_tasks(ctx):
  if !should_generate_tasks():
    return []
   ...

def should_generate_tasks():
    if env.get("CIRRUS_BRANCH") == "master":
        return True
   if changes_include('Gemfile', 'Rakefile', '.rspec', '**.{rb,yml}'):
        return True
  return False

Once https://github.com/cirruslabs/cirrus-cli/issues/309 is resolved.

[AlexWayfer]

I don't like it (I don't want to introduce a DSL, a programming language, into config, which can be just simple and "smart", as in the provided example), but… as you wish, of course.

[fkorotkov]

Agreed. But the following syntax is also not clear:

only:
  branch: master
  changes:
    - '**.{rb,yml}'

It can be interpreted in both ways:

• Test only commit to master containing Ruby or YAML files.
• Test each commit to master or to any other branch if commit contains Ruby or YAML files.

With the boolean expressions there is no guessing.

[AlexWayfer]

Agreed. But the following syntax is also not clear:

only:
  branch: master
  changes:
    - '**.{rb,yml}'

It can be interpreted in both ways:

• Test only commit to master containing Ruby or YAML files.
• Test each commit to master or to any other branch if commit contains Ruby or YAML files.

With the boolean expressions there is no guessing.

I can agree. And only: is kind of work-around too. But there is why the documentation.

I think, we can make a nice intuitive syntax, better than from the example. But any boolean logic will not fit into data format (YAML) natively, I guess.

OK, a little thing from my personal project with data in a huge YAML, applied to this example: nested Arrays, the first level is OR, the second — AND. If you need just AND — you should have a root Array of one element. We have Hashes here, so there is even no need for Arrays at the second level. So, it would be like:

only:
  - branch: master
  - changes:
      - '**.{rb,yml}'

For imaginable example like "in master only when there are specific changes, and in any time with more specific changes":

only:
  - branch: master
    changes:
      - '**.{rb,yml}'
  - changes:
      - '.cirrus.y{a,}ml'

I hope you understand. But, again, I understand that some DSL will cover any problem, for example, NOT operator and complex nested logic.

[fkorotkov]

OK, let's keep it open and see if there will inputs from other users. Nested arrays also look a bit magical. 😅

[AlexWayfer]

Nested arrays also look a bit magical.

Such good CI as Cirrus also looks a bit magical, but with proper documentation it's a pleasure to use it! 😅

[fkorotkov]

Closing since we haven't heard similar feedbacks. 😓