How to send data payload using http request to Github-Actions Workflow

Question

I want to trigger Github-Actions Workflow using http request with data payload and use this data in the workflow script. But I cannot find any documentation on how to send and use that payload data. I am using below curl command to trigger the workflow, but also need to send and use that data payload.

curl \
  -X POST \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  --header 'Authorization: token ******' \
  https://api.github.com/repos/aashutosh0012/actions-test/actions/workflows/learn-github-actions.yml/dispatches \
  -d '{"ref":"main"}'

Demo Workflow Yaml file.

name: GitHub Actions Demo
on: [push, workflow_dispatch,repository_dispatch]
jobs:
  Explore-GitHub-Actions:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: echo "🎉 The job was automatically triggered by a ${{ github.event_name }} event."
      - run: echo "🐧 This job is now running on a ${{ runner.os }} server hosted by GitHub!"
      - run: echo "🔎 The name of your branch is ${{ github.ref }} and your repository is ${{ github.repository }}."
      - name: Check out repository code
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - run: echo "💡 The ${{ github.repository }} repository has been cloned to the runner."
      - run: echo "🖥️ The workflow is now ready to test your code on the runner."
      - name: List files in the repository
        run: |
          ls ${{ github.workspace }}
          echo ${{ github}}
      - run: echo "🍏 This job's status is ${{ job.status }}."
      - run: echo "Aashutosh"
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - uses: actions/setup-python@v2
        with:
          python-version: '3.x' # Version range or exact version of a Python version to use, using SemVer's version range syntax
          architecture: 'x64' # optional x64 or x86. Defaults to x64 if not specified
      
      - name: Run Python Script
        run: python test.py
      
      - name: Install python packages
        run: |
          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
          pip install requests Flask 
          pip list
          
      - name: Run Python Commands Single line
        run: python -c "import requests; print(dir(requests))"
      
      - name: Run Python Commands multi line
        uses: jannekem/run-python-script-action@v1
        id: script
        with:
          fail-on-error: false
          script: |
            from flask import Flask, request
            app = Flask(__name__)
            @app.route('/', methods=['POST'])
            def result():
                print(request.form['ref']) # should display 'bar'
                return 'Received !' # response to your request.

rethab · Accepted Answer · 2021-11-18 13:30:49Z

3

You might be confusing repository_dispatch and workflow_dispatch. A repository dispatch is an event you're sending to a repository. This event can be received e.g. by a GitHub app or it can be used to trigger a workflow by using on: repository_dispatch and the top of your workflow.

Docs:

Trigger a repository_dispatch event via API: https://docs.github.com/en/rest/reference/repos#create-a-repository-dispatch-event
Setup a workflow to run on respository_dispatch events: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/learn-github-actions/events-that-trigger-workflows#repository_dispatch

The workflow dispatch on the other hand is about directly triggering a workflow to run. It's like clicking "run this workflow" on the UI. This requires your workflow to be set up to be manually triggered by using on: workflow_dispatch at the top of the workflow.

Docs:

Trigger a workflow_dispatch event via API: : https://docs.github.com/en/rest/reference/actions#create-a-workflow-dispatch-event
Setup a workflow to be manually triggered: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/learn-github-actions/events-that-trigger-workflows#workflow_dispatch

Here's how you create a repository_dispatch event:

curl \
  -X POST \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/dispatches \
  -d '{"event_type":"event_type", "client_payload": {"foo": "bar"}}'

(from the docs: https://docs.github.com/en/rest/reference/repos#create-a-repository-dispatch-event)

In your action, you can then access the payload like so:

  - run: 'echo "Foo: ${{ github.event.client_payload.foo }}"'

Note: The workflow you shared in your question is triggered on multiple events -- not just repository_dispatch. The field github.event.client_payload might not be set in those other cases.

edited Nov 18, 2021 at 13:30

answered Nov 18, 2021 at 11:38

rethab

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8 Comments

Aashutosh Kumar Over a year ago

Hi @rethab, can you plz tell me what should be value for event_type

{   "message": "Invalid request.\n\n\"client_payload\", \"event_type\" are not permitted keys.\n\"ref\" wasn't supplied.",   "documentation_url": "https://docs.github.com/rest/reference/actions#create-a-workflow-dispatch-event" }

rethab Over a year ago

Can you please shall the whole command you're using?

rethab Over a year ago

@AashutoshKumar I suspect you're mixing repository_dispatch with workflow_dispatch. I have extended my answer with a section to distinguish the two.

GuiFalourd Over a year ago

As rethab explained, event_type is only supported for repository_dispatch events, so if the URL is returning this error, it's probably because you're not using the correct API. I recently answered something similar here if you want to take a look: stackoverflow.com/questions/69925264/…

Aashutosh Kumar Over a year ago

Thank you @rethab & @GuiFalourd for making me understand diff b/w workflow_dispatch & repository_dispatch endpoints It is resolved now, I am able to send and access payload now. Thanks again.

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