Build Label Automation

Extract build information when CI adds labels to PRs.

Use Case

Your CI system adds a build_created label to PRs when builds complete. Automatically:

1. Update Asana when label is added
2. Extract build details from PR comments
3. Update multiple Asana fields with build info

Complete Workflow

name: Asana Build Sync
on:
  pull_request:
    types: [labeled]  # Only when labels are added

jobs:
  sync:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: planningcenter/asana-github-sync@main
        with:
          asana_token: ${{ secrets.ASANA_TOKEN }}
          github_token: ${{ github.token }}
          rules: |
            rules:
              - when:
                  event: pull_request
                  action: labeled
                  label: build_created  # Specific label name
                then:
                  update_fields:
                    '1234567890': '0987654321'  # Status → "Build Ready"
                    '1111111111': '{{extract_from_comments "Build #(\\d+)"}}'  # Build Number
                    '2222222222': '{{extract_from_comments "Version: ([\\d.]+)"}}'  # Version
                  post_pr_comment: |
                    ✅ Build information updated in Asana

How It Works

1. CI Completes Build - Your CI posts comment and adds label:

   Comment: "Build #12345 completed with Version 2.1.0"
   Label: build_created

2. Workflow Triggers - On labeled event

3. Action Fetches Comments - Because extract_from_comments is used, PR comments are automatically fetched

4. Extraction Happens - Regex patterns pull data:

   • Build #(\\d+) captures 12345
   • Version: ([\\d.]+) captures 2.1.0

5. Fields Update - Asana fields populated with extracted values

Key Concepts

label Condition

Matches exact label name:

label: build_created  # Must match exactly (case-sensitive)

extract_from_comments

Important

Using extract_from_comments automatically triggers comment fetching. This is the only time comments are fetched to avoid unnecessary API calls.

Syntax:

{{extract_from_comments "pattern"}}

Returns first capture group or empty string.

Regex Patterns

Pattern	Matches	Captures
Build #(\\d+)	Build #12345	12345
Version: ([\\d.]+)	Version: 2.1.0	2.1.0
Environment: (\\w+)	Environment: staging	staging

Remember: Double backslashes in YAML strings.

Expected Behavior

CI posts comment:

✅ Build #12345 completed
Version: 2.1.0
Environment: production

Then adds label: build_created

Asana updates:

• Status Field: "Build Ready"
• Build Number: "12345"
• Version: "2.1.0"

PR comment posted:

✅ Build information updated in Asana

- Build #12345
- Version 2.1.0

Variations

Multiple Labels

Different actions for different labels:

rules:
  # Build created
  - when:
      event: pull_request
      action: labeled
      label: build_created
    then:
      update_fields:
        '1234567890': '0987654321'  # "Build Ready"

  # Deployed
  - when:
      event: pull_request
      action: labeled
      label: deployed
    then:
      update_fields:
        '1234567890': '1111111111'  # "Deployed"
      mark_complete: true

With Fallback Values

Use or helper for defaults:

update_fields:
  '1111111111': '{{or (extract_from_comments "Build #(\\d+)") "Unknown"}}'
  '2222222222': '{{or (extract_from_comments "Version: ([\\d.]+)") "dev"}}'

Only Update if Extracted

Skip update if pattern not found:

update_fields:
  '1111111111': '{{extract_from_comments "Build #(\\d+)"}}'
  # If pattern doesn't match, returns empty string → field update skipped

Complex Extraction

Multiple patterns from same comment:

# Comment: "Deploy to production (Build #123, Version 2.1.0)"
update_fields:
  '1111111111': '{{extract_from_comments "Build #(\\d+)"}}'         # "123"
  '2222222222': '{{extract_from_comments "Version ([\\d.]+)"}}'     # "2.1.0"
  '3333333333': '{{extract_from_comments "Deploy to (\\w+)"}}'      # "production"

Real-World Example

Firebase Test Lab adds build comments:

rules:
  - when:
      event: pull_request
      action: labeled
      label: build_created
    then:
      update_fields:
        # QA Status → "QA Requested"
        '1202880331736132': '1202888299403896'
        # Build Type → "Test"
        '1203158031514948': '1203211562684746'
        # Status → "In Review"
        '1202887490284881': '1202887490288021'
        # Test Version # → extracted + "(firebase)" appended
        '1210535494227756': '{{extract_from_comments "Build completed with Version (.+)"}} (firebase)'
      post_pr_comment: |
        ✅ Updated Asana task with build information

        Build: {{extract_from_comments "Build completed with Version (.+)"}}

Common Issues

Pattern Not Matching

Problem: Regex doesn't match comment format

Solution: Test regex at regex101.com:

1. Select "JavaScript" flavor
2. Paste your pattern (single backslashes)
3. Test against comment text
4. Double backslashes for YAML

Empty Field Values

Problem: Extraction returns empty string

Solution: Check:

• Pattern syntax (capture groups)
• Comment actually contains expected text
• Use or helper for fallback:

  '1234567890': '{{or (extract_from_comments "Pattern") "Not Found"}}'

Workflow Not Triggering

Problem: Workflow types don't include labeled

Solution:

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [labeled]  # ← Must include labeled

Label Name Mismatch

Problem: Label in workflow doesn't match actual label

Solution: Check exact label name (case-sensitive):

# GitHub label: "build_created"
label: build_created  # ✅ Exact match
label: Build_Created  # ❌ Wrong case

Comments Not Available

Problem: Comments not fetched

Solution: This shouldn't happen - extract_from_comments automatically triggers fetching. Check that the helper is actually being used in your rules.

Testing Your Patterns

Debug extraction in PR comments:

post_pr_comment: |
  Debug Info:
  - Raw match: "{{extract_from_comments "Build #(\\d+)"}}"
  - With fallback: "{{or (extract_from_comments "Build #(\\d+)") "NOT FOUND"}}"

Multiple Comments

If multiple comments match, the first capture group from the first match is used:

Comment 1: "Build #100"
Comment 2: "Build #200"

Result: "100" (first match)

Next Steps

• Multi-Condition Filtering - Combine multiple conditions
• extract_from_comments - Complete reference
• label Condition - Complete reference
• Context Variables - Comments variable