Cargo Actions: An efficient tool for managing and creating GitHub Actions workflow templates

In software development, continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) are crucial processes. To simplify this process, I developed Cargo Actions, a command-line tool based on the Rust language, which provides efficient workflow template management and creation functionality for GitHub Actions.

The main functions of Cargo Actions include:

1. User authentication and login: Securely integrate with GitHub via the OAuth 2.0 protocol, allowing users to log in to Cargo Actions using their GitHub accounts.
2. Workflow initialization: Support for initializing a workflow from a GitHub repository or template ID, providing a flexible way to integrate GitHub Actions workflows.
3. Template upload and sharing: Users can upload their own created workflow templates to the Cargo Actions platform and share them with other users.
4. Personalized template management: Allow users to manage their uploaded and favorite templates, facilitating the quick launch of familiar or commonly used workflow configurations.

Installation

Run the following command in the terminal:

cargo install cargo-actions

Usage

Initialization

Create a project using the GitHub repository URL, and you can omit the https://github.com/ prefix. By default, the workflow template in https://github.com/yexiyue/cargo-actions will be used.

Using the abbreviated form, the rule (User/Repo) is:

cargo actions init yexiyue/cargo-actions

Using the URL form:

cargo actions init https://github.com/yexiyue/cargo-actions.git

Using the SSH form:

cargo actions init [e-mail]:yexiyue/cargo-actions.git

You can also use the workflow on the Cargo Actions platform.

Copy the favorite workflow template to the terminal. For example:

cargo actions init 1 -i

Upload Template

If you want to upload your own workflow to the Cargo Actions platform, please log in first.

cargo actions login

Then prepare a workflow template.

A standard workflow template should have the following files:

• cargo-action.json: Configuration file used to prompt the user for input
• Template name.yaml.hbs: Template file
• README.md (optional)

cargo-action.json configuration field description

Field Name	Type	Description
name	string	Template name
description	string	Short description of the template
path	string	Template file path, default ${name}.yaml.hbs
prompts	Prompt[]	Defines the command-line interactive input items
success_message	string	Success message after template creation

Prompt configuration instructions

There are 4 types of prompts:

1. type: "input"

Field Name	Type	Description
field	string	Field name (corresponding to the variable name in the template)
prompt	string	Input prompt
default	string	Default value

1. type: "confirm"

Field Name	Type	Description
field	string	Field name (corresponding to the variable name in the template)
prompt	string	Input prompt
default	bool	Default value

1. type: "select"

Field Name	Type	Description
field	string	Field name (corresponding to the variable name in the template)
prompt	string	Input prompt
default	number	Index value of the default option
options	{value: any, label: string}[]	Option list, where label is the prompt value and value is the value used in the template at the end

1. type: "multiselect"

Field Name	Type	Description
field	string	Field name (corresponding to the variable name in the template)
prompt	string	Input prompt
default	number[]	Array of index values of default options
options	{value: any, label: string}[]	Option list, where label is the prompt value and value is the value used in the template at the end

Example:

{
  "name": "web-deploy",
  "description": "Build a web application to Github Pages",
  "prompts": [
    {
      "type": "select",
      "field": "toolchain",
      "prompt": "Please select a package management tool",
      "default": 0,
      "options": [
        {
          "label": "npm",
          "value": "npm"
        },
        {
          "label": "yarn",
          "value": "yarn"
        },
        {
          "label": "pnpm",
          "value": "pnpm"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "type": "confirm",
      "field": "enable_cache",
      "prompt": "Enable caching",
      "default": true
    },
    {
      "type": "input",
      "field": "node_version",
      "prompt": "Please enter the node version number",
      "default": "node"
    },
    {
      "type": "input",
      "field": "folder",
      "prompt": "Web project path",
      "default": "."
    },
    {
      "type": "input",
      "prompt": "Build artifact directory (relative to the web project path)",
      "field": "target_dir",
      "default": "dist"
    },
    {
      "type": "confirm",
      "prompt": "Copy index.html to 404.html to support spa",
      "field": "copy_index",
      "default": false
    }
  ]
}

The template file is rendered using handlebars, and the template syntax can be referred to Handlebars (handlebarsjs.com).

Template file example:

name: web on: push: branches: - "master" workflow_dispatch: jobs: deploy:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest permissions: contents: write concurrency: group:
{{#raw}}$\{{ github.workflow }}-$\{{ github.ref }}{{/raw}}
steps: - name: Checkout repository uses: actions/checkout@v4
{{#if (eq toolchain "pnpm")}}
  - name: Install pnpm run: npm install -g pnpm
{{/if}}
- name: Sync node version and setup cache uses: actions/setup-node@v4 with:
node-version: "{{node_version}}"
{{#if enable_cache}}
  {{#if (eq toolchain "pnpm")}}
    cache: "{{folder}}/pnpm-lock.yaml"
  {{/if}}
  {{#if (eq toolchain "npm")}}
    cache: "{{folder}}/package-lock.json"
  {{/if}}
  {{#if (eq toolchain "yarn")}}
    cache: "{{folder}}/yarn.lock"
  {{/if}}
{{/if}}
- name: Install dependencies run: | cd
{{folder}}
{{toolchain}}
install - name: Build run: | cd
{{folder}}
{{toolchain}}
build
{{#if copy_index}}
  cp
  {{target_dir}}/index.html
  {{target_dir}}/404.html
{{/if}}
- name: Deploy uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v4 with:
{{#raw}}github_token: $\{{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}{{/raw}}
publish_dir:
{{folder}}/{{target_dir}}

Note:

Expressions in {{{{raw}}}} {{{{/raw}}}} will not be escaped.

Before uploading, you can use the check command to verify if the workflow template is working properly.

cargo actions check

Then use the upload command to upload the workflow template.

cargo actions upload

Using the created template

You can quickly use your own created workflow template with the following command, note that you need to log in.

cargo actions mine

You can also view the workflow template you created in the Cargo Actions platform Personal Center.

Using the favorite template

cargo actions favorite

This command is similar to the mine command, and allows you to select a workflow from the templates you favorited on the Cargo Actions platform for initialization.

View more usage with the following command

cargo actions --help

Conclusion

If you are interested in Cargo Actions, welcome to visit my GitHub repository for more information.

At the same time, if you find this tool helpful, don't forget to give it a like! Your support is the driving force for me to continuously update and improve.