Setting job environment dynamically doesn't work when using key-value format

[deepakgc]

Describe the bug
I was trying to set the job environment dynamically so I can use my GitHub production & staging environment secrets in a single workflow.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

name: Set Job Enviroment Dynamically 
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
jobs:
  set_environment:
    outputs:
      my_env: ${{ steps.setenv.outputs.my_env }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - id: setenv
      run: echo "::set-output name=my_env::production"

  use_outputs_environemnt_directly:    
    needs: set_environment
    environment: ${{ needs.set_environment.outputs.my_env }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - name: Testing job environment
      run: echo "Hello From Production Envrionment." 

See failing workflow: failure.yaml

Expected behavior
The environment should be set to production.

What's not working?

I get the below error:
The workflow is not valid. .github/workflows/job-environment-test-ko.yml (Line: 15, Col: 18): Unrecognized named-value: 'needs'. Located at position 1 within expression: needs.set_environment.outputs.en

Workaround found

Using object format for jobs environment fixes the issue

 environment: 
      name: ${{ needs.set_environment.outputs.my_env }}

See successful workflow: success.yaml

[sqljim]

There are a couple of outstanding SO questions that relate to this too:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/66830251/dynamically-setting-the-environment-context-in-github-actions?noredirect=1#comment118150164_66830251

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/65826284/use-dynamic-input-value-for-environment-in-github-actions-workflow-job

At the moment I'm working around it by using an IF statement:

jobs:

  deploy-develop:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [12.x]
    if: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/develop' }}

    environment: develop

    - steps ........


    deploy-main:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [12.x]
    if: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' }}

    environment: main

    - steps ........

But this of course means duplicating most of the code in the workflow.

[yaananth]

Thanks for the report!

We support expressions only in https://docs.github.com/en/actions/reference/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions#example-using-environment-name-and-url with mappings.

environment: blah exists for short form notations, and it doesn't support contexts.

[cornwe19]

Will being able to dynamically specify environment name be added at any point? This makes selecting an environment from a workflow_dispatch event a lot more complicated.

[RevoluPowered]

This issue is causing me to have to duplicate workflow files pointlessly.
I want to do environment: ${GITHUB_REF##*/}

[KodDobra]

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…

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[philomory]

Will being able to dynamically specify environment name be added at any point? This makes selecting an environment from a workflow_dispatch event a lot more complicated.

You already can, you just have to explicitly write it as

environment:
  name: ${{ some.dynamic.expression }}

... rather than environment: ${{ some.dynamic.expression }}, but, the results are exactly the behavior you're asking for.

[felipemouradev]

environment:
  name: ${{ some.dynamic.expression }}

do you have some example ?

[jdschleicher]

i have also had some luck without leveraging the name property using the "format" expression:

    environment: "${{ format('{0}{1}{2}', needs.get-parent-by-tag.outputs.parent_name, '_', 'child_one_environment') }}"

will finish as "dynamicValue_child_one_environment"

[Zambonilli]

environment:
  name: ${{ some.dynamic.expression }}

do you have some example ?

This worked for me.

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      environment:
        required: true
        type: environment
jobs:
  deploy:
name: Deploy
    environment:
      name: ${{ inputs.environment }}