Extensions using Jenkins library

[tedinski]

Right now we have duplicated Jenkinsfiles in every extension. This makes it difficult to fix up the build & test process for each extension all at once.

Jenkins pipelines support "shared libraries" : https://jenkins.io/doc/book/pipeline/shared-libraries/

If I understand this documentation correctly, we could do this:

Create a melt-jenkins repo, with the organization suggested in that link (probably just using the vars/ approach).

Then we should be able to import that library by writing:

@Library('github.com/melt-umn/melt-jenkins@master') _

Inside each extension. I suspect we should then have each extension have a Jenkinsfile that looks like this:

@Library('github.com/melt-umn/melt-jenkins@master') _

properties(ablecExtensionDefaultProperties)

buildAbleCExtension("ableC-condition-tables")

I expect our library would have:

• Some default values: ablecExtensionDefaultProperties and silverDefaultProperties for ableC extensions and Silver projects generally. So we don't have to repeat their descriptions and the like.
• buildAbleCExtension written all in one place
• notifyBuild doesn't need repeating everywhere
• Maybe other helpers / refactoring as needed. :) I'd like to use some of these things in refactoring the AbleC Jenkinsfile itself, and as part of writing a Jenkinsfile for Silver (finally) too.

Thoughts?

[krame505]

This would be useful, for sure. Updating these Jenkinsfiles can get ugly...
Another note if we are going to be refactoring these: Some extensions depend on others, so changes in one could cause others to fail. We may want to have extensions that are depended on by others build some of these dependant extensions, similar to how the ableC Jenkinsfile builds other extensions as well.

[ericvanwyk]

This sounds good to me. @tedinski do you want to get started on this?

[tedinski]

I'm on a trip this week, but I'll get it done next week.

[tedinski]

I've posted a start. The functions can be found here:

https://github.com/melt-umn/jenkins-lib/blob/master/vars/melt.groovy

The repo otherwise just a README at the moment, basically.

I haven't started using/testing these yet. Next week. I thought I'd just invite any public comments on what I have there so far. (I'm in the middle of trying to figure out how to make doesJobExist actually work, without just causing security exceptions, but other than that, there's a few things there.)

My plan right now is to get copper, silver and ablec using these. Then add maybe a ablec.groovy next to melt.groovy, and start factoring out what AbleC extensions do there, starting with just skeleton.

[tedinski]

Done. All the extensions are using a shared library now. Even ableC_sample_projects re-uses a lot of code.