gh-action-set-output.md

Setting output for a step in a job, so a different job can use it

• In the specific job element (so create-issue-comment in the example below), add the field outputs
  • The label for your variable is what you will use to refer to it in other jobs. In the example below, the label is issue_json
  • Use the ${{ }} syntax to access the result of one of the steps in this job. Inside the curly braces, use dot syntax to identify the path to the step's output
  • In the example below, ${{ steps.set-json.outputs.issue_json }} is looking for one of the steps in the current job with an id of set-json and expecting it to have set an outputs called issue_json
• In the step with the result you need to save, have it echo the variable name you chose in your outputs (in this case, issue_json) to $GITHUB_OUTPUT, a constant that GH uses to catch output.
  • See Defining outputs for jobs
• You have to add the id element to your steps to refer to them properly

name: Process new issues

on:
  issues:
    types: [labeled, opened]

jobs:
  create-issue-comment:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    # The output variables that get created
    outputs:
      issue_json: ${{ steps.set-json.outputs.issue_json }}
    steps:
      # Parse the JSON from the issue body
      - name: Parse issue
        id: parse
        uses: peter-murray/issue-forms-body-parser@v2.0.0
        with:
          issue_id: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
          separator: '###'
          label_marker_start: '>>'
          label_marker_end: '<<'

      # Save the parsed JSON as output
      - name: Set JSON
        id: set-json
        # Use the `outputs.payload` from the `parse` step 
        run: echo "issue_json=${{ steps.parse.outputs.payload }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
        
   # This is a new job 
   see-output:
    ## Specify that this job needs the `create-issue-comment` job to run first 
    needs: create-issue-comment
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      # Access the `issue_json` by traversing the `outputs` of the job identified in `needs`
      - name: Prove we got the link
      
        run: echo "${{ needs.create-issue-comment.outputs.issue_json }}"