`if` condition in composite action misbehaves with `uses`

[novascreen]

Bug report info

act version:            0.2.65
GOOS:                   darwin
GOARCH:                 arm64
NumCPU:                 10
Docker host:            DOCKER_HOST environment variable is not set
Sockets found:
        $HOME/.docker/run/docker.sock
Config files:           
        /Users/.../Library/Application Support/act/actrc:
                -P ubuntu-latest=catthehacker/ubuntu:act-latest
                -P ubuntu-22.04=catthehacker/ubuntu:act-22.04
                -P ubuntu-20.04=catthehacker/ubuntu:act-20.04
                -P ubuntu-18.04=catthehacker/ubuntu:act-18.04
        .actrc:
                --container-architecture=linux/amd64
                --container-daemon-socket -
                -P arc-rs-dind=catthehacker/ubuntu:act-latest
Build info:
        Go version:            go1.22.5
        Module path:           command-line-arguments
        Main version:          
        Main path:             
        Main checksum:         
        Build settings:
                -buildmode:           exe
                -compiler:            gc
                -ldflags:             -X main.version=0.2.65
                DefaultGODEBUG:       httplaxcontentlength=1,httpmuxgo121=1,tls10server=1,tlsrsakex=1,tlsunsafeekm=1
                CGO_ENABLED:          1
                CGO_CFLAGS:           
                CGO_CPPFLAGS:         
                CGO_CXXFLAGS:         
                CGO_LDFLAGS:          
                GOARCH:               arm64
                GOOS:                 darwin

Error: Cannot connect to the Docker daemon at unix:///var/run/docker.sock. Is the docker daemon running?

Command used with act

act pull_request -v \
  -e .act/event.json \
  -W .github/workflows/test-workflow.yml

Describe issue

I'm passing a secret as an input to a composite action. In the composite action I want to run a third party action with uses based on whether the input is defined or not.

When I use an if condition on a shell step it works correctly, however on the step that uses the third party action the expression is suddenly evaluated to false.

Link to GitHub repository

No response

Workflow content

name: Test Workflow

on:
  pull_request:

jobs:
  test-job:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - if: ${{ secrets.TEST_SECRET == '' }}
        run: echo "Secret undefined"

      - if: ${{ secrets.TEST_SECRET != '' }}
        run: echo "Secret defined"

      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: ./.github/actions/composite-test
        with:
          test-input: ${{ secrets.TEST_SECRET }}

# Composite action

name: Composite test

inputs:
  test-input:
    description: 'My test input'
    required: false
    default: ''

runs:
  using: 'composite'
  steps:
    - name: 'Bash, input undefined'
      if: inputs.test-input == ''
      shell: bash
      run: echo "test-input defined"
    - name: 'Bash, input defined'
      if: inputs.test-input != ''
      shell: bash
      run: echo "test-input defined"
    - name: 'Action, input defined'
      if: inputs.test-input != ''
      uses: actions/checkout@v4

Relevant log output

[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] evaluating expression '${{ ***s.TEST_SECRET == '' }}'
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] expression '${{ ***s.TEST_SECRET == '' }}' evaluated to 'false'
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] Skipping step 'echo "Secret undefined"' due to '${{ ***s.TEST_SECRET == '' }}'
...
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] evaluating expression '${{ ***s.TEST_SECRET != '' }}'
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] expression '${{ ***s.TEST_SECRET != '' }}' evaluated to 'true'
[Test Workflow/test-job] ⭐ Run Main echo "Secret defined"
...
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] Wrote command 

echo "Secret defined"

 to 'workflow/1'
...
| Secret defined
[Test Workflow/test-job]   ✅  Success - Main echo "Secret defined"
...
[Test Workflow/test-job] ⭐ Run Main actions/checkout@v4
...
[Test Workflow/test-job]   ✅  Success - Main actions/checkout@v4
...
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] expression '${{ ***s.TEST_SECRET }}' rewritten to 'format('{0}', ***s.TEST_SECRET)'
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] evaluating expression 'format('{0}', ***s.TEST_SECRET)'
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] expression 'format('{0}', ***s.TEST_SECRET)' evaluated to '%!t(string=***)'
...
[Test Workflow/test-job] ⭐ Run Main ./.github/actions/composite-test
...
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] evaluating expression 'inputs.test-input == '''
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] expression 'inputs.test-input == ''' evaluated to 'false'
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] Skipping step 'Bash, input undefined' due to 'inputs.test-input == '''
...
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] evaluating expression 'inputs.test-input != '''
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] expression 'inputs.test-input != ''' evaluated to 'true'
[Test Workflow/test-job] ⭐ Run Main Bash, input defined
...
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] Wrote command 

echo "test-input defined"

 to 'workflow/3-composite-1.sh'
...
| test-input defined
[Test Workflow/test-job]   ✅  Success - Main Bash, input defined
...
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] evaluating expression 'inputs.test-input != '''
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] expression 'inputs.test-input != ''' evaluated to 'false'
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] Skipping step 'Action, input defined' due to 'inputs.test-input != '''
[Test Workflow/test-job] [DEBUG] Found revision: 7cc4b33435c8f25415bd4e1644374780f0c50e00
[Test Workflow/test-job]   ✅  Success - Main ./.github/actions/composite-test
...

Additional information

My event.json only has base and head refs defined, nothing else.

[twonds]

I have the same issue and the only condition that seems work is testing for null

if: ! inputs.test-input

[doubleforte]

I have a similar issue.

This works as expected, and prints out "Works! And this says 'true': true"

    - name: Shell command
      if: ${{ (fromJSON(inputs.myinput) == true }}
      shell: bash
      run: echo "Works! And this says 'true': ${{ fromJSON(inputs. inputs.myinput) }}"

However, this next one one errors out:

    - name: Run another action
      if: ${{ fromJSON(inputs.myinput) == true }}
      uses: myrepo/myaction@main

Error in if-expression: "if: ${{ (fromJSON(inputs.myinput) == true }}" (Cannot parse non-string type invalid as JSON).

My guess is that somehow the input is being forgotten, returning a null object or something that causes fromJSON() to choke on a non-existing value.

[ChristopherHX]

Regression of https://github.com/nektos/act/pull/2348?

Missing / unreliable tests of the code

[CharlieC3]

I'm seeing the same behavior. My team makes heavy use of composite actions and being able to use this tool would have a significant impact for us.

Regression of https://github.com/nektos/act/pull/2348?

@ChristopherHX Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the tests added in that PR won't detect an issue like this because the problem only surfaces when an if condition which uses inputs passed to the current composite action is being used, and the actions added in the testdata dir do not set such a condition.

[ChristopherHX]

I meant this bug might has been caused by #2348.

It doesn't read like we have the same impression what I meant.

So a first step to see if reverting that specifc commit works and run go build to get a binary, then verify if my assumption is correct.

Next steps would be to either propose a revert of #2348 and rerelease act or figure out to solve both the defect that PR aimed to fix and this one.

My team makes heavy use of composite actions and being able to use this tool would have a significant impact for us.

Downgrading act to a version (GitHub shows tags including the merged commit, just use the one lower) without that change is a temporary consumer solution

I don't expect any resolution this month, my focus is on different projects.

This is on my backlog, my work for act cli is currently slow

[ChristopherHX]

Confirmed as Regression due to mergin #2348

name: "Test Composite Action"
description: "Test action uses composite"

inputs:
  b:
    default: true
  b2: {}

runs:
  using: "composite"
  steps:
  - uses: actions/github-script@v7
    if: inputs.b == 'true'
    with:
      script: |
        console.log(${{ tojson(inputs) }})
        if( ${{ tojson(inputs.b) }} != 'true' ) {
          process.exit(-1);
        }
      github-token: noop
  - uses: actions/github-script@v7
    if: inputs.b != 'true'
    with:
      script: |
        console.log(${{ tojson(inputs) }})
        if( ${{ tojson(inputs.b) }} == 'true' ) {
          process.exit(-1);
        }
      github-token: noop
  - uses: actions/github-script@v7
    if: inputs.b2 == 'false'
    with:
      script: |
        console.log(${{ tojson(inputs) }})
        if( ${{ tojson(inputs.b2) }} != 'false' ) {
          process.exit(-1);
        }
      github-token: noop
  - uses: actions/github-script@v7
    if: inputs.b2 != 'false'
    with:
      script: |
        console.log(${{ tojson(inputs) }})
        if( ${{ tojson(inputs.b2) }} == 'false' ) {
          process.exit(-1);
        }
      github-token: noop

called by

name: uses-composite-check-for-input-in-if-uses
on: push

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: ./uses-composite-check-for-input-in-if-uses/composite_action
        with:
          b: true
          b2: true
      - uses: ./uses-composite-check-for-input-in-if-uses/composite_action
        with:
          b: false
          b2: false
      - uses: ./uses-composite-check-for-input-in-if-uses/composite_action
        with:
          b: true
          b2: false
      - uses: ./uses-composite-check-for-input-in-if-uses/composite_action
        with:
          b: false
          b2: true

I'm working on a fix right now, highest priority issue for act in my backlog.

Issues filed as defects of github-act-runner are processed and merged faster.

[ChristopherHX]

E.g. git revert b5ad3c4acd89cc8a7d1ce8bdb41c16d48b2cdf36 && go build on current master gives you are more recent act binary without this specfic defect

[ChristopherHX]

Help wanted to verify: https://github.com/nektos/act/pull/2473, awaiting review this can take unspecified amount of time

Portable Binaries are in CI-Checks Artifacts of that PR, since act is all about GitHub Actions this should be self explaining.