GITHUB_WORKSPACE evaluting to blank

[timheuer]

Description
Per the documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/free-pro-team@latest/actions/reference/environment-variables#default-environment-variables
The GITHUB_WORKSPACE variable should evaluate to a path. When using in a workflow (after checkout) however, it is evaluating to nothing and not providing the path both on ubuntu-latest/windows-latest

Example: https://github.com/timheuer/buildtest/runs/1243185809?check_suite_focus=true#step:3:2 from workflow: https://github.com/timheuer/buildtest/blob/master/.github/workflows/build.yml#L40

Area for Triage:
Servers

Question, Bug, or Feature?:
Bug

Virtual environments affected

• macOS 10.15
• Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
• Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
• Windows Server 2016 R2
• Windows Server 2019

Expected behavior
I expect to see a full path to the workspace per documentation

Actual behavior
A blank variable is provided

Repro steps
See example repo that has an echo of the variable evaluating to nothing

[maxim-lobanov]

Hello @timheuer , you use incorrect way to reference this variable.
If you would like to reference GITHUB_WORKSPACE as environment variable, you should use:

$env:GITHUB_WORKSPACE # powershell
$GITHUB_WORKSPACE # bash

If you would like to use {{}} syntax, you should use

${{ github.workspace }} 

Please follow documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/free-pro-team@latest/actions/reference/context-and-expression-syntax-for-github-actions#github-context

[LanceMcCarthy]

That's the confusing part. Yes, you can directly use the GitHub context ${{ github.workspace }}. However, according to the docs, you can read the workspace GitHub context value as an environment variable.

Since we know this $env:GITHUB_WORKSPACE works in PowerShell... ${{ env:GITHUB_WORKSPACE }} should also work.

Is there an easy way to test commands on a local runner without requiring a trigger? Running commands inside PowerShell only gets you so far, especially when you rely on the way Actions packs up the steps as ps1 files.

[maxim-lobanov]

I don't have much context about this logic because it is owned by https://github.com/actions/runner.
In my understanding, ${{ env:* }} is not equal PS $env:*. Through ${{ env: }} you can only access the variables that are set by your workflow because such expressions are evaluated by runner and they don't have an access to machine environment.

The env context contains environment variables that have been set in a workflow, job, or step

so you can access only variables that are set in YAML like below or similar

env:
  SERVER: production

[maxim-lobanov]

Closing this one but please let me know if you have any questions

[edwardskrod]

That's the confusing part. Yes, you can directly use the GitHub context ${{ github.workspace }}. However, according to the docs, you can read the workspace GitHub context value as an environment variable.

Since we know this $env:GITHUB_WORKSPACE works in PowerShell... ${{ env:GITHUB_WORKSPACE }} should also work.

Is there an easy way to test commands on a local runner without requiring a trigger? Running commands inside PowerShell only gets you so far, especially when you rely on the way Actions packs up the steps as ps1 files.

I just ran into this same issue, thinking I could use "${{ env:GITHUB_WORKSPACE }}"

[michael-hawker]

Ran into this as well... these variables are still called out in this doc here: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/learn-github-actions/variables (which I find very unhelpful at explaining how to setup and use env properly).

The note in blue at the bottom of the long list of variable examples is not highlighted well enough:

Most of the default variables have a corresponding, and similarly named, context property. For example, the value of the GITHUB_REF variable can be read during workflow processing using the ${{ github.ref }} context property.