circle-github-bot

Circle Github Bot

This library helps you submit a comment on the PR from inside your CircleCI build and link to a static artifact from the build.

When reviewing a PR on github, it's useful to read the code but even more useful to test out the code on that branch in a live working web app.

See an example PR on this github repo https://github.com/themadcreator/circle-github-bot/pull/3

It works like so:

1. Someone creates a pull request on your github project
2. This triggers a CircleCI build, which:
3. Runs tests
4. Builds your static demo site
5. Runs your demo.js script, submitting a comment back to the PR
6. A comment shows up on the github PR
7. CircleCI "collects" the artifacts from the build and makes them available on the web
8. You click the link on the PR and see the static site!

Setting Up Demo Comments on PRs

Write the Bot Comment Script

Create a demo.js script using this library to post a comment on github referencing the current PR.

Example:

#!/usr/bin/env node

const bot = require("circle-github-bot").create();

bot.comment(`
<h3>${bot.env.commitMessage}</h3>
Demo: <strong>${bot.artifactLink('demo/index.html', 'demo')}</strong>
`);

With that "shebang" at the top, you can chmod +x your script file from the command line to make it self-executable.

Integrate CircleCI into your Repo

1. Add CircleCI service integration to your github project in your repo's project settings
2. Settings > Integrations & Services > Services
3. Once CircleCI is following your github project, it will add its own deploy key to this repo
4. Add circle.yml file to the root of your repo
5. Include your demo/ directory in the general.artifacts list
6. Include a section in deployment that generates your preview and posts the comment

general:
  artifacts:
    - demo
deployment:
  demo:
    branch: /.*/
    commands:
      - ./demo.js

Add Github Auth Token to CircleCI Environment

Make sure your script can actually post the comment to github

1. Go to your github profile settings
2. Add a new OAuth token under "Personal access tokens"
3. Once created, add the token string to your CircleCI build's environment variables
4. Build Settings > Environment variables
5. Name the variable "GH_AUTH_TOKEN"

Require CircleCI Build for PRs

Optional, but helpful. This makes sure your builds actually pass before a PR can be submitted.

1. Set your main branch (e.g. master) to protected
2. Enabled "required status checks"
3. Select "ci/circleci" as a required status check