GitHub Actions Workflow Syntax: name with Examples

Introduction

GitHub Actions is a powerful feature provided by GitHub that allows developers to automate, customize, and execute their software development workflows right in their repositories. One of the key components of GitHub Actions is the Workflow Syntax. In this blog post, we will focus on the name attribute in the GitHub Actions Workflow Syntax, its usage, and examples.

Understanding the `name` Attribute

The name attribute in a GitHub Actions workflow is an optional field that you can use to label your workflow. This label is displayed on GitHub when the workflow is run, making it easier for you to identify different workflows in your repository.

The name attribute is defined at the root of the workflow file and is not associated with any specific job or step within the workflow. It’s a simple string that can be anything you want, but it’s best to choose a name that accurately represents the tasks the workflow performs.

Usage of the `name` Attribute

The name attribute is used at the beginning of your workflow file, right after the on keyword that specifies the event that triggers the workflow. Here’s a basic example of how to use the name attribute:

name: My First Workflow
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Run a one-line script
        run: echo Hello, world!

name: My First Workflow

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:

build:

runs-on: ubuntu-latest

steps:

- name: Checkout code

uses: actions/checkout@v2

- name: Run a one-line script

run: echo Hello, world!

In this example, the workflow is named “My First Workflow”. This name will be displayed on GitHub whenever this workflow is run. The workflow is triggered whenever there’s a push or pull_request event on the repository.

Detailed Example with Explanation

Let’s take a look at a more detailed example:

name: CI/CD Pipeline
on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Setup Node.js environment
        uses: actions/setup-node@v2
        with:
          node-version: 14
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci
      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test

name: CI/CD Pipeline

on:

push:

branches: [ main ]

pull_request:

branches: [ main ]

jobs:

build:

runs-on: ubuntu-latest

steps:

- name: Checkout code

uses: actions/checkout@v2

- name: Setup Node.js environment

uses: actions/setup-node@v2

with:

node-version: 14

- name: Install dependencies

run: npm ci

- name: Run tests

run: npm test

In this example, the workflow is named “CI/CD Pipeline”. This workflow is triggered whenever there’s a push or pull_request event on the main branch of the repository.

The workflow has one job named build that runs on the latest version of Ubuntu. This job has four steps:

Checkout code: This step uses the actions/checkout@v2 action to checkout the repository’s code onto the runner.
Setup Node.js environment: This step uses the actions/setup-node@v2 action to setup a Node.js environment with Node.js version 14.
Install dependencies: This step runs the npm ci command to install the project’s dependencies.
Run tests: This step runs the npm test command to execute the project’s tests.

Conclusion

The name attribute in GitHub Actions Workflow Syntax is a simple yet powerful tool that helps you label and identify your workflows. While it’s an optional attribute, using it effectively can greatly improve your workflow management experience.