Github Actions Cron Jobs

Auto Slack Status Set for Lunch

name: Auto Slack Status Set Lunch

on:
  schedule:
    # Runs at 12:30 AM from Monday to Friday
    - cron: '30 17 * * 1-5'

jobs:
  update-slack-status:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    container:
      image: alpine/curl:latest

    steps:
    - name: Update Slack status using curl
      run: |
        current_time=$(date +%s)  # Get the current timestamp
        expiration_time=$((current_time + 3600))  # Expires in 1 hour (3600 seconds)
        
        curl --silent --output /dev/null -X POST https://slack.com/api/users.profile.set \
        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer ${{ secrets.INSTALEAP_SLACK_TOKEN }}" \
        -d '{
          "profile": {
            "status_text": "Lunch",
            "status_emoji": ":avocado:",
            "status_expiration": '"$expiration_time"'
          }
        }'

Explanation

This configuration automates the setting of a Slack status to indicate that the user is on lunch. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key components:

• name: Auto Slack Status Set Lunch: Defines the name of the workflow for clarity and organization.
• on: schedule: Specifies the trigger for the workflow based on a cron schedule.
• cron: '30 17 * * 1-5': Indicates that the workflow runs at 12:30 AM from Monday to Friday.
• jobs: update-slack-status: Defines a job named update-slack-status, which contains all steps necessary for executing the status update.
• runs-on: ubuntu-latest: Specifies the environment in which the job runs.
• container: image: alpine/curl:latest: Uses an Alpine container image with curl installed to perform HTTP requests.
• steps: Lists the individual steps that will be executed in the job.
• - name: Update Slack status using curl: The name of the step indicating that it updates the Slack status.
• current_time=$(date +%s): Retrieves the current timestamp.
• expiration_time=$((current_time + 3600)): Calculates an expiration time for the status that is set to expire in one hour (3600 seconds).
• curl --silent --output /dev/null -X POST ...: Sends a POST request to the Slack API to update the user’s profile with the specified status, including status text, emoji, and expiration.

Note

Please be aware that this cron job configuration only functions for cron jobs that repeat at intervals greater than 15 minutes, in accordance with GitHub's policies.