Trigger a GitHub workflow from a Test Plan and report the results back to it

GitHub configuration

We need to create a personal access token so that we can use GitHub API later on. That can be done from within the user's profile.

 


The token must have "workflow" scope enabled.



Then, in your GitHub repository containing the project's code and tests, create a workflow under .github/workflows.



The workflow will be triggered upon a "workflow dispatch" event, which is usually manually triggered. However, this event can also be triggered using GitHub's API.

In the following example the workflow will receive the Test Plan issue key as an input parameter. It will then run the build, including the automated tests, and in the end it will report the results back to Xray using the open-source GitHub action xray-action.

/.github/workflows/jira_cloud_report_to_testplan.yaml
name: CI (Jira cloud example with GH action, report results to Test Plan - demo)
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      test_plan_key:
        description: 'Test Plan issue key'
        required: false
        default: ''

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
        
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v1
    - name: Set up Java
      uses: actions/setup-java@v1
      with:
        java-version: '1.8'  
    - name: Cache Maven packages
      uses: actions/cache@v2
      with:
        path: ~/.m2
        key: ${{ runner.os }}-m2-${{ hashFiles('**/pom.xml') }}
        restore-keys: ${{ runner.os }}-m2
    - name: Build with Maven
      run: mvn clean compile test --file pom.xml
    - name: Submit results to Xray
      uses: mikepenz/xray-action@v2.4.5
      with:
        username: ${{ secrets.client_id }}
        password: ${{ secrets.client_secret }}
        xrayCloud: true
        testFormat: "junit"
        testPaths: "**/surefire-reports/*.xml"
        projectKey: "CALC"
        testPlanKey: ${{ github.event.inputs.test_plan_key }}



Automation configuration

  1. create a new rule and define the "When" (i.e. when it to should be triggered ), to be "Manually triggered"

2. define the condition so that this rule can only be executed from Test Plan issue; this can also be done on the previous step

3. define an action (i.e. the "Then") as "Send web request" and configure it as follows

  • the web request URL provided above follows this syntax:
    • https://api.github.com/repos/<github_user>/<github_repository>/actions/workflows/<workflow_filename>/dispatches

  • the HTTP POST body content, defined in the "Custom data" field, will be used to identify the original Test Plan issue key and the branch of the code 

    custom data (i.e. HTTP body content) 
    {
"ref":"main",
 "inputs":  {
  "test_plan_key": "{{issue.key}}"
 }
}
  • besides, the "Accept" header that should be "application/vnd.github.v3+json"; define also an "Authorization" header having the value "Basic <auth>", where  the base64 encoded <auth> can be generated using your GitHub username plus the personal access token obtained earlier (as the password).


After publishing the rule, you can go to the screen of an issue and trigger a workflow run in GitHub.



In this case, since the workflow was configured to report results back to Xray, a new Test Execution would be created and linked back to the source Test Plan where the automation was triggered from.

References