Effortlessly track all changed files and directories relative to a target branch, the current branch (preceding commit or the last remote commit), multiple branches, or custom commits returning relative paths from the project root using this GitHub action.
[!NOTE]
This action solely identifies files that have changed for events such as
pull_request*
,push
,merge_group
,release
, and many more. However, it doesn't detect pending uncommitted changes created during the workflow execution.See: https://github.com/tj-actions/verify-changed-files instead.
.txt
or .json
file for further processing.And many more...
[!IMPORTANT]
- Push Events: When configuring
actions/checkout
, make sure to setfetch-depth
to either0
or2
, depending on your use case.- Mono Repositories: To avoid pulling the entire branch history, you can utilize the default
actions/checkout
'sfetch-depth
of1
forpull_request
events.- Quoting Multiline Inputs: Avoid using single or double quotes for multiline inputs. The value is already a string separated by a newline character. Refer to the Examples section for more information.
- Credentials Persistence: If
fetch-depth
is not set to 0, make sure to setpersist-credentials
totrue
when configuringactions/checkout
.- Matching Files and Folders: To match all files and folders under a directory, this requires a globstar pattern e.g.
dir_name/**
which matches any number of subdirectories and files.
Visit the discussions for more information or create a new discussion for usage-related questions.
pull_request
๐Detect changes to all files in a Pull request relative to the target branch or since the last pushed commit.
name: CI
on:
pull_request:
branches:
- main
jobs:
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Event `pull_request`: Compare the last commit of the main branch or last remote commit of the PR branch -> to the current commit of a PR branch.
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
changed_files:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest # windows-latest || macos-latest
name: Test changed-files
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Example 1
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- name: Get changed files
id: changed-files
uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
# To compare changes between the current commit and the last pushed remote commit set `since_last_remote_commit: true`. e.g
# with:
# since_last_remote_commit: true
- name: List all changed files
env:
ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
run: |
for file in ${ALL_CHANGED_FILES}; do
echo "$file was changed"
done
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Example 2
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- name: Get all changed markdown files
id: changed-markdown-files
uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
with:
# Avoid using single or double quotes for multiline patterns
files: |
**.md
- name: List all changed files markdown files
if: steps.changed-markdown-files.outputs.any_changed == 'true'
env:
ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-markdown-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
run: |
for file in ${ALL_CHANGED_FILES}; do
echo "$file was changed"
done
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Example 3
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- name: Get all test, doc and src files that have changed
id: changed-files-yaml
uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
with:
files_yaml: |
doc:
- '**.md'
- docs/**
test:
- test/**
- '!test/**.md'
src:
- src/**
# Optionally set `files_yaml_from_source_file` to read the YAML from a file. e.g `files_yaml_from_source_file: .github/changed-files.yml`
- name: Run step if test file(s) change
# NOTE: Ensure all outputs are prefixed by the same key used above e.g. `test_(...)` | `doc_(...)` | `src_(...)` when trying to access the `any_changed` output.
if: steps.changed-files-yaml.outputs.test_any_changed == 'true'
env:
TEST_ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files-yaml.outputs.test_all_changed_files }}
run: |
echo "One or more test file(s) has changed."
echo "List all the files that have changed: $TEST_ALL_CHANGED_FILES"
- name: Run step if doc file(s) change
if: steps.changed-files-yaml.outputs.doc_any_changed == 'true'
env:
DOC_ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files-yaml.outputs.doc_all_changed_files }}
run: |
echo "One or more doc file(s) has changed."
echo "List all the files that have changed: $DOC_ALL_CHANGED_FILES"
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Example 4
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- name: Get changed files in the docs folder
id: changed-files-specific
uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
with:
files: docs/*.{js,html} # Alternatively using: `docs/**`
files_ignore: docs/static.js
- name: Run step if any file(s) in the docs folder change
if: steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.any_changed == 'true'
env:
ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.all_changed_files }}
run: |
echo "One or more files in the docs folder has changed."
echo "List all the files that have changed: $ALL_CHANGED_FILES"
name: CI
on:
pull_request:
branches:
- main
jobs:
# -------------------------------------------------------------
# Event `pull_request`: Returns all changed pull request files.
# --------------------------------------------------------------
changed_files:
# NOTE:
# - This is limited to pull_request* events and would raise an error for other events.
# - A maximum of 3000 files can be returned.
# - For more flexibility and no limitations see "Using local .git directory" above.
runs-on: ubuntu-latest # windows-latest || macos-latest
name: Test changed-files
permissions:
pull-requests: read
steps:
- name: Get changed files
id: changed-files
uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
- name: List all changed files
env:
ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
run: |
for file in ${ALL_CHANGED_FILES}; do
echo "$file was changed"
done
push
โฌ๏ธDetect changes to files made since the last pushed commit.
name: CI
on:
push:
branches:
- main
jobs:
# -------------------------------------------------------------
# Using GitHub's API is not supported for push events
# -------------------------------------------------------------
#
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Using local .git history
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Event `push`: Compare the preceding remote commit -> to the current commit of the main branch
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
changed_files:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest # windows-latest || macos-latest
name: Test changed-files
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
with:
fetch-depth: 0 # OR "2" -> To retrieve the preceding commit.
- name: Get changed files
id: changed-files
uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
# NOTE: `since_last_remote_commit: true` is implied by default and falls back to the previous local commit.
- name: List all changed files
env:
ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
run: |
for file in ${ALL_CHANGED_FILES}; do
echo "$file was changed"
done
...
To access more examples, navigate to the Examples section.
If you feel generous and want to show some extra appreciation:
Support this project with a :star:
[!IMPORTANT]
When using
files_yaml*
inputs:
All keys must start with a letter or
_
and contain only alphanumeric characters,-
, or_
.For example,
test
ortest_key
ortest-key
or_test_key
are all valid choices.
- uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
id: changed-files
with:
# Github API URL.
# Type: string
# Default: "${{ github.api_url }}"
api_url: ''
# Specify a different base commit
# SHA or branch used for
# comparing changes
# Type: string
base_sha: ''
# Exclude changes outside the current
# directory and show path names
# relative to it. NOTE: This
# requires you to specify the
# top-level directory via the `path`
# input.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "true"
diff_relative: ''
# Output unique changed directories instead
# of filenames. NOTE: This returns
# `.` for changed files located
# in the current working directory
# which defaults to `$GITHUB_WORKSPACE`.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
dir_names: ''
# Include only directories that have
# been deleted as opposed to
# directory names of files that
# have been deleted in the
# `deleted_files` output when `dir_names` is
# set to `true`.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
dir_names_deleted_files_include_only_deleted_dirs: ''
# Exclude the current directory represented
# by `.` from the output
# when `dir_names` is set to
# `true`.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
dir_names_exclude_current_dir: ''
# File and directory patterns to
# include in the output when
# `dir_names` is set to `true`.
# NOTE: This returns only the
# matching files and also the
# directory names.
# Type: string
dir_names_include_files: ''
# Separator used to split the
# `dir_names_include_files` input
# Type: string
# Default: "\n"
dir_names_include_files_separator: ''
# Limit the directory output to
# a maximum depth e.g `test/test1/test2`
# with max depth of `2`
# returns `test/test1`.
# Type: string
dir_names_max_depth: ''
# Escape JSON output.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "true"
escape_json: ''
# Exclude changes to submodules.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
exclude_submodules: ''
# Fail when the initial diff
# fails.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
fail_on_initial_diff_error: ''
# Fail when the submodule diff
# fails.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
fail_on_submodule_diff_error: ''
# Fetch additional history for submodules.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
fetch_additional_submodule_history: ''
# Depth of additional branch history
# fetched. NOTE: This can be
# adjusted to resolve errors with
# insufficient history.
# Type: string
# Default: "25"
fetch_depth: ''
# Maximum number of retries to
# fetch missing history.
# Type: string
# Default: "20"
fetch_missing_history_max_retries: ''
# File and directory patterns used
# to detect changes (Defaults to the entire repo if unset). NOTE:
# Multiline file/directory patterns should not
# include quotes.
# Type: string
files: ''
# Source file(s) used to populate
# the `files` input.
# Type: string
files_from_source_file: ''
# Separator used to split the
# `files_from_source_file` input.
# Type: string
# Default: "\n"
files_from_source_file_separator: ''
# Ignore changes to these file(s).
# NOTE: Multiline file/directory patterns should
# not include quotes.
# Type: string
files_ignore: ''
# Source file(s) used to populate
# the `files_ignore` input
# Type: string
files_ignore_from_source_file: ''
# Separator used to split the
# `files_ignore_from_source_file` input
# Type: string
# Default: "\n"
files_ignore_from_source_file_separator: ''
# Separator used to split the
# `files_ignore` input
# Type: string
# Default: "\n"
files_ignore_separator: ''
# YAML used to define a
# set of file patterns to
# ignore changes
# Type: string
files_ignore_yaml: ''
# Source file(s) used to populate
# the `files_ignore_yaml` input. Example: https://github.com/tj-actions/changed-files/blob/main/test/changed-files.yml
# Type: string
files_ignore_yaml_from_source_file: ''
# Separator used to split the
# `files_ignore_yaml_from_source_file` input
# Type: string
# Default: "\n"
files_ignore_yaml_from_source_file_separator: ''
# Separator used to split the
# `files` input
# Type: string
# Default: "\n"
files_separator: ''
# YAML used to define a
# set of file patterns to
# detect changes
# Type: string
files_yaml: ''
# Source file(s) used to populate
# the `files_yaml` input. Example: https://github.com/tj-actions/changed-files/blob/main/test/changed-files.yml
# Type: string
files_yaml_from_source_file: ''
# Separator used to split the
# `files_yaml_from_source_file` input
# Type: string
# Default: "\n"
files_yaml_from_source_file_separator: ''
# Include `all_old_new_renamed_files` output. Note this
# can generate a large output
# See: #501.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
include_all_old_new_renamed_files: ''
# Output list of changed files
# in a JSON formatted string
# which can be used for
# matrix jobs. Example: https://github.com/tj-actions/changed-files/blob/main/.github/workflows/matrix-example.yml
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
json: ''
# Output changed files in a
# format that can be used
# for matrix jobs. Alias for
# setting inputs `json` to `true`
# and `escape_json` to `false`.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
matrix: ''
# Apply the negation patterns first.
# NOTE: This affects how changed
# files are matched.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
negation_patterns_first: ''
# Split character for old and
# new renamed filename pairs.
# Type: string
# Default: " "
old_new_files_separator: ''
# Split character for old and
# new filename pairs.
# Type: string
# Default: ","
old_new_separator: ''
# Directory to store output files.
# Type: string
# Default: ".github/outputs"
output_dir: ''
# Output renamed files as deleted
# and added files.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
output_renamed_files_as_deleted_and_added: ''
# Specify a relative path under
# `$GITHUB_WORKSPACE` to locate the repository.
# Type: string
# Default: "."
path: ''
# Use non-ASCII characters to match
# files and output the filenames
# completely verbatim by setting this
# to `false`
# Type: boolean
# Default: "true"
quotepath: ''
# Recover deleted files.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
recover_deleted_files: ''
# Recover deleted files to a
# new destination directory, defaults to
# the original location.
# Type: string
recover_deleted_files_to_destination: ''
# File and directory patterns used
# to recover deleted files, defaults
# to the patterns provided via
# the `files`, `files_from_source_file`, `files_ignore` and
# `files_ignore_from_source_file` inputs or all deleted
# files if no patterns are
# provided.
# Type: string
recover_files: ''
# File and directory patterns to
# ignore when recovering deleted files.
# Type: string
recover_files_ignore: ''
# Separator used to split the
# `recover_files_ignore` input
# Type: string
# Default: "\n"
recover_files_ignore_separator: ''
# Separator used to split the
# `recover_files` input
# Type: string
# Default: "\n"
recover_files_separator: ''
# Apply sanitization to output filenames
# before being set as output.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "true"
safe_output: ''
# Split character for output strings.
# Type: string
# Default: " "
separator: ''
# Specify a different commit SHA
# or branch used for comparing
# changes
# Type: string
sha: ''
# Get changed files for commits
# whose timestamp is older than
# the given time.
# Type: string
since: ''
# Use the last commit on
# the remote branch as the
# `base_sha`. Defaults to the last
# non-merge commit on the target
# branch for pull request events
# and the previous remote commit
# of the current branch for
# push events.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
since_last_remote_commit: ''
# Skip initially fetching additional history
# to improve performance for shallow
# repositories. NOTE: This could lead
# to errors with missing history.
# It's intended to be used
# when you've fetched all necessary
# history to perform the diff.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
skip_initial_fetch: ''
# Tags pattern to ignore.
# Type: string
tags_ignore_pattern: ''
# Tags pattern to include.
# Type: string
# Default: "*"
tags_pattern: ''
# GitHub token used to fetch
# changed files from Github's API.
# Type: string
# Default: "${{ github.token }}"
token: ''
# Get changed files for commits
# whose timestamp is earlier than
# the given time.
# Type: string
until: ''
# Use POSIX path separator `/`
# for output file paths on
# Windows.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
use_posix_path_separator: ''
# Force the use of Github's
# REST API even when a
# local copy of the repository
# exists
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
use_rest_api: ''
# Write outputs to the `output_dir`
# defaults to `.github/outputs` folder. NOTE:
# This creates a `.txt` file
# by default and a `.json`
# file if `json` is set
# to `true`.
# Type: boolean
# Default: "false"
write_output_files: ''
Acronym | Meaning |
---|---|
A | Added |
C | Copied |
M | Modified |
D | Deleted |
R | Renamed |
T | Type changed |
U | Unmerged |
X | Unknown |
[!IMPORTANT]
When using
files_yaml*
inputs:
it's required to prefix all outputs with the key to ensure that the correct outputs are accessible.
For example, if you use
test
as the key, you can access outputs likeadded_files
,any_changed
, and so on by prefixing them with the keytest_added_files
ortest_any_changed
etc.
OUTPUT | TYPE | DESCRIPTION |
---|---|---|
added_files | string | Returns only files that are Added (A). |
added_files_count | string | Returns the number of added_files |
all_changed_and_modified_files | string | Returns all changed and modified files i.e. a combination of (ACMRDTUX) |
all_changed_and_modified_files_count | string | Returns the number of all_changed_and_modified_files |
all_changed_files | string | Returns all changed files i.e. a combination of all added, copied, modified and renamed files (ACMR) |
all_changed_files_count | string | Returns the number of all_changed_files |
all_modified_files | string | Returns all changed files i.e. a combination of all added, copied, modified, renamed and deleted files (ACMRD). |
all_modified_files_count | string | Returns the number of all_modified_files |
all_old_new_renamed_files | string | Returns only files that are Renamed and lists their old and new names. NOTE: This requires setting include_all_old_new_renamed_files to true . Also, keep in mind that this output is global and wouldn't be nested in outputs generated when the *_yaml_* input is used. (R) |
all_old_new_renamed_files_count | string | Returns the number of all_old_new_renamed_files |
any_changed | string | Returns true when any of the filenames provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have changed. This defaults to true when no patterns are specified. i.e. includes a combination of all added, copied, modified and renamed files (ACMR). |
any_deleted | string | Returns true when any of the filenames provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have been deleted. This defaults to true when no patterns are specified. (D) |
any_modified | string | Returns true when any of the filenames provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have been modified. This defaults to true when no patterns are specified. i.e. includes a combination of all added, copied, modified, renamed, and deleted files (ACMRD). |
changed_keys | string | Returns all changed YAML keys when the files_yaml input is used. i.e. key that contains any path that has either been added, copied, modified, and renamed (ACMR) |
copied_files | string | Returns only files that are Copied (C). |
copied_files_count | string | Returns the number of copied_files |
deleted_files | string | Returns only files that are Deleted (D). |
deleted_files_count | string | Returns the number of deleted_files |
modified_files | string | Returns only files that are Modified (M). |
modified_files_count | string | Returns the number of modified_files |
modified_keys | string | Returns all modified YAML keys when the files_yaml input is used. i.e. key that contains any path that has either been added, copied, modified, and deleted (ACMRD) |
only_changed | string | Returns true when only files provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have changed. i.e. includes a combination of all added, copied, modified and renamed files (ACMR). |
only_deleted | string | Returns true when only files provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have been deleted. (D) |
only_modified | string | Returns true when only files provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have been modified. (ACMRD). |
other_changed_files | string | Returns all other changed files not listed in the files input i.e. includes a combination of all added, copied, modified and renamed files (ACMR). |
other_changed_files_count | string | Returns the number of other_changed_files |
other_deleted_files | string | Returns all other deleted files not listed in the files input i.e. a combination of all deleted files (D) |
other_deleted_files_count | string | Returns the number of other_deleted_files |
other_modified_files | string | Returns all other modified files not listed in the files input i.e. a combination of all added, copied, modified, and deleted files (ACMRD) |
other_modified_files_count | string | Returns the number of other_modified_files |
renamed_files | string | Returns only files that are Renamed (R). |
renamed_files_count | string | Returns the number of renamed_files |
type_changed_files | string | Returns only files that have their file type changed (T). |
type_changed_files_count | string | Returns the number of type_changed_files |
unknown_files | string | Returns only files that are Unknown (X). |
unknown_files_count | string | Returns the number of unknown_files |
unmerged_files | string | Returns only files that are Unmerged (U). |
unmerged_files_count | string | Returns the number of unmerged_files |
This GitHub Action follows the principles of Semantic Versioning for versioning releases.
The format of the version string is as follows:
major: indicates significant changes or new features that may not be backward compatible.
minor: indicates minor changes or new features that are backward compatible.
patch: indicates bug fixes or other small changes that are backward compatible.
vitejs/vite: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate testing
qgis/QGIS: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate spell checking
tldr-pages/tldr: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate detecting spelling errors
nodejs/docker-node: uses tj-actions/changed-files to generate matrix jobs based on changes detected
refined-github: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate test URL validation in added/edited files
aws-doc-sdk-examples: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate testing
nhost: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate testing based on changes detected
argo-cd uses tj-actions/changed-files to detect changed frontend or backend files
argo-workflows uses tj-actions/changed-files to run specific jobs based on changes detected
And many more...
[!IMPORTANT]
Spaces in file names can introduce bugs when using bash loops. See: #216 However, this action will handle spaces in file names, with a recommendation of using a separator to prevent any hidden issues.
With the switch from using grep's Extended regex to match files to the natively supported workflow glob pattern matching syntax introduced in v13 you'll need to modify patterns used to match files
.
...
- name: Get specific changed files
id: changed-files-specific
uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v24
with:
files: |
- \.sh$
- .(sql|py)$
- ^(dir1|dir2)
+ **/*.{sh,sql,py}
+ {dir1,dir2}/**
This package was created with cookiecutter-action.
Report bugs at https://github.com/tj-actions/changed-files/issues.
If you are reporting a bug, please include:
Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):
This project follows the all-contributors specification. Contributions of any kind welcome!