Create JSON file and related functionality to support replacement of hard-coded issue labels

[rdhmdhl]

Overview

• Labels are hard-coded and spread throughout our Github Action files.
• If a label is changed in the repo, we have to investigate where that label was being used in Github Actions, and update it.
• We need to add a JSON file containing key/value pairs of the labels in the repository, and import it into each GHA file that uses labels

Action Items

• Create JSON file with key/value pairs for all repository labels (e.g. a "label directory"). This file should include:
  • Create a Key for each label, written in camelCase: e.g. key for "Time Sensitive" would be "timeSensititve", etc.
  • The Value should be an array of the ["label id", "label display name"]
• Save JSON file to repo in a new subfolder called github-actions/utils/_data/label-directory.json
• Write JS file that queries the JSON file and returns the label display name when given the Key

To be useful and meet the requirements that initiated this issue, the JSON cannot be static. Whenever a label is updated with a new name or when a new label is added to the repo, the change must propagate dynamically and update the JSON file (i.e. JSON needs CRUD.)

• Create a GHA that is triggered on: label: types: [edited, created, deleted] with an associated JS file to update and/or add to the "label directory"
• The GHA will need to write and commit changes to the new "label-directory"
• Prepare ER to document new GHA and label lookups in wiki Epic: Refactoring GHA - JavaScript files to use common key: value JSON #6454

Merge Team:

• When merged, remove dependency from Epic: Refactoring GHA - JavaScript files to use common key: value JSON #6454 and change status to "New Issue Approval"

Resources/Instructions

• Summary of HfLA GitHub Actions here
• Workflow files in HfLA repository here
• For creating the JSON file, see JSON object literals documentation here
• Issue Investigate Whether Adding Emojis to Issue Labels Causes Conflicts with GitHub Actions #4050 and related DR
• Issue ER: Need epic for refactoring all GHAs to use a common key value json file #6389

[ExperimentsInHonesty]

@t-will-gillis we actually have a spreadsheet and a script that has all the lables and pulls new ones in. We just need to add to it the variable information. Its current use is for supporting the dashboard.

[ExperimentsInHonesty]

I guess the point I am making is we need one source of truth.

[t-will-gillis]

@ExperimentsInHonesty I will add this to the Monday meeting schedule.

Where is the spreadsheet and script? Is it this one?

For what it is worth, this is how I was thinking about it (apologies for talking through it- helps me to understand):

We know that:

• Currently when the GHAs refer to a label, it is a reference to the actual label name value (eg 2 weeks inactive).
• We are creating a new JSON file to match up new 'key' labels to the existing 'value' labels. ("2WeeksInactive" : 2 weeks inactive)
• Now instead of the actual name value of the label, the GHAs reference the key value, and we have internal function to read the JSON and return the actual value for the key.

So far so good. Next, my thought was what happens when we want to change a label, for example if the final label is going to be 🥱 2 weeks inactive. One way to do it:

• Add a completely new label to the repo, then manually edit the JSON to make sure that the old key now refers to the new name value (while making sure that there are no differences in white space or letter casing or the GHA won't find the label). The old label still exists, and now there also is a new label to keep track of. For the dashboard I assume that both labels would need to be tracked now since both labels refer to 2 weeks inactive

What I am thinking:

• If we want the label to be 🥱 2 weeks inactive, we just edit the 2 weeks inactive label directly. This can trigger a GHA that updates the JSON file automatically to the new value for the same key. Then since we are editing the existing label itself, this new label gets applied retroactively to previous issues- it is still the same label.
• The source of truth would be the repo itself.
• For the Dashboard: if the script pulls the labels via the label Id, nothing needs to change because the Id is the same. If the Dashboard script pulls the labels via the name, we will need to update the script, but that would be no worse than the previous option...

[ExperimentsInHonesty]

https://github.com/hackforla/live-dashboard-automation
#5813

[ExperimentsInHonesty]

• after Epic: Refactoring GHA - JavaScript files to use common key: value JSON #6454 is done, then we will need to removed this from the icebox Create Label Report in Google Spreadsheet #5810 (comment)

[t-will-gillis]

Progress:
@ExperimentsInHonesty I believe this works as intended, other than tweaks and final location of the Source of Truth file (Source of Truth in Website Drive currently). Do we want to review it one last time?

• Created "Current Labels- Website Repo" Google Sheets file:
  • Apps Script queries GitHub and records all of the Website's current "labelNames" and "labelIds".
  • After first use, this Apps Script and worksheet will query the GH repo labels on a schedule so that this info can be compared with the 'Source of Truth' document. (For first use, creates temporary "keyNames" so that a "Label Object" can be saved as JSON)
• Created label-directory.json JSON file to store reference info on "Label Object"
• Created update-label-directory.yml workflow, triggered by GitHub Label events: edits, deletions, and creations
  • These label events are compared to the JSON file. For label edits and creations, JSON "Label Object" is updated. For label deletions, "labelId" is reset to '9999999999' but "Label Object" is not removed from JSON.
  • Writes the label events to an "Updates Log" on the 'Source of Truth' file.
• Created 'Source of Truth' - "Label Object" updated in 'Source of Truth' with flag notification of change.
• This is a working copy of the 'Source of Truth' document- the four entries are test examples showing created, edited, and deleted labels.
• The GHA workflow and Google Apps Script work together to keep the actual GitHub labels, the JSON, and the 'Source of Truth' coordinated.
• Code is in place so that GitHub Actions can reference the "keyName" of the "Label Object" and return with a "Label Name"