Question
Answer and Explanation
To print a collapsed multiline command in GitLab CI/CD pipelines, you can use the 'fold' command. GitLab's 'fold' command allows you to group multiple lines of output into a collapsible section in the job log. Here's how you can do it:
1. Using GitLab's 'fold' Command:
GitLab provides a built-in mechanism to collapse sections in the job log. You can use the following syntax:
#!/bin/bash
echo "::fold::Start of multiline command"
echo "Line 1 of the command"
echo "Line 2 of the command"
echo "Line 3 of the command"
echo "::fold::End of multiline command"
2. Explanation:
- The ::fold::Start of multiline command line marks the beginning of the collapsible section. Replace "Start of multiline command" with a descriptive title.
- The ::fold::End of multiline command line marks the end of the collapsible section. Make sure the title matches the starting title for proper folding.
- Any output between these two lines will be collapsed into a single collapsible section in the GitLab job log.
3. Example GitLab CI Configuration (.gitlab-ci.yml):
job:
stage: build
script:
- |
#!/bin/bash
echo "::fold::Multiline Command Example"
echo "Running a complex command..."
echo "Executing step 1..."
echo "Executing step 2..."
echo "Executing step 3..."
echo "::fold::Multiline Command Example"
- echo "Job finished"
4. Important Considerations:
- Ensure the "Start" and "End" fold markers have the same text for GitLab to correctly identify the collapsible section.
- This works best with shell scripts (#!/bin/bash or similar) in your GitLab CI configuration.
5. Alternative Method (Using ANSI Escape Codes):
- GitLab also supports ANSI escape codes, but the 'fold' command is the recommended and more straightforward approach.
By using the 'fold' command, you can make your GitLab CI job logs more readable by collapsing verbose output into manageable sections. This helps in debugging and monitoring the pipeline execution.