Manual Workflows in GitHub Actions

1. Introduction

Manual Workflows in GitHub Actions allow developers to run jobs on-demand. This can be particularly useful for tasks that do not need to run automatically on a trigger but instead should be executed at the discretion of the user.

2. Key Concepts

• **Workflow**: A configurable automated process made up of one or more jobs.
• **Job**: A set of steps that execute on the same runner.
• **Step**: An individual task that can run commands, scripts, or actions.
• **Action**: A reusable piece of code that can be used in workflows.
• **Manual Trigger**: The ability to start a workflow manually, typically through the GitHub UI, rather than automatically.

3. Creating a Manual Workflow

To create a manual workflow, you will use the `workflow_dispatch` event in your YAML configuration file.

name: Manual Workflow Example

on:
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Run a script
        run: echo "This is a manual workflow!"
        

In this example:

1. We define a workflow called "Manual Workflow Example".
2. We specify that it can be triggered manually with `workflow_dispatch`.
3. A job named "build" runs on the latest Ubuntu runner.
4. The steps include checking out the code and running a simple echo command.

4. Best Practices

Here are some best practices for using manual workflows:

• Use descriptive names for your workflows and jobs to clarify their purpose.
• Document each step within the workflow to enhance readability and maintainability.
• Limit the number of manual workflows to avoid clutter in the GitHub UI.
• Test workflows thoroughly to ensure they perform as expected before relying on them.
• Utilize inputs for workflows to make them more flexible and user-friendly.

5. FAQ

6. Flowchart Example

graph TD;
    A[Start] --> B{Is manual trigger needed?};
    B -- Yes --> C[Run Workflow];
    B -- No --> D[Skip Workflow];
    C --> E[Complete];
    D --> E;