How to pass boolean parameter value in pipeline to downstream jobs?

Question

I'm using Jenkins v2.1 with the integrated delivery pipeline feature (https://jenkins.io/solutions/pipeline/) to orchestrate two existing builds (build and deploy).

In my parameterized build I have 3 user parameters setup, which also needs to be selectable in the pipeline.

The pipeline script is as follows:

node: {
    stage 'build'
    build job: 'build', parameters: [[$class: 'StringParameterValue', name: 'target', value: target], [$class: 'ListSubversionTagsParameterValue', name: 'release', tag: release], [$class: 'BooleanParameterValue', name: 'update_composer', value: update_composer]]

    stage 'deploy'
    build job: 'deploy', parameters: [[$class: 'StringParameterValue', name: 'target', value: target]]
}

This works correctly except for the BooleanParameterValue. When I build the pipeline the following error is thrown:

java.lang.ClassCastException: hudson.model.BooleanParameterValue.value expects boolean but received class java.lang.String

How can I resolve this typecasting error? Or even better, is there a less cumbersome way in which I can just pass ALL the pipeline parameters to the downstream job.

Answer 1

Assuming

value: update_composer

was the issue, try

value: Boolean.valueOf(update_composer)

is there a less cumbersome way in which I can just pass ALL the pipeline parameters to the downstream job

Not that I know of, at least not without using Jenkins API calls and disabling the Groovy sandbox.

Answer 2

In addition to Jesse Glick answer, if you want to pass string parameter then use:

build job: 'your-job-name', 
    parameters: [
        string(name: 'passed_build_number_param', value: String.valueOf(BUILD_NUMBER)),
        string(name: 'complex_param', value: 'prefix-' + String.valueOf(BUILD_NUMBER))
    ]

Answer 3

like Jesse Jesse Glick and abguy said you can enumerate string into Boolean type:

Boolean.valueOf(string_variable)

or the opposite Boolean into string:

String.valueOf(boolean_variable)

in my case I had to to downstream Boolean parameter to another job. So for this you will need the use the class BooleanParameterValue :

build job: 'downstream_job_name', parameters:
[
[$class: 'BooleanParameterValue', name: 'parameter_name', value: false],
], wait: true

Answer 4

build job: 'downstream_job_name', parameters: [
    booleanParam(name: 'parameter_name', value: false)
]

(cf. https://www.jenkins.io/doc/pipeline/steps/pipeline-build-step/#-build-%20build%20a%20job)

Answer 5

Jenkins "boolean" parameters are really just a shortcut for the "choice parameter" type with the choices hardcoded to the strings "true" and "false", and with a checkbox to set the string variable. But in the end, it is just that: a string variable, with nothing to do with a true boolean. That's why you need to convert the string to a boolean if you don't want to do a string comparison like:

if (myBoolean == "true")

Answer 6

Not sure if this answers this question. But I was looking for something else. Highly recommend see this 2 minute video. If you wanted to get into more details then see docs - Handling Parameters and this link

And then if you have something like blue ocean, the choices would look something like this:

You define and access your variables like this:

pipeline {
    agent any

    parameters {
    string(defaultValue: "TEST", description: 'What environment?', name: 'userFlag')
    choice(choices: ['TESTING', 'STAGING', 'PRODUCTION'], description: 'Select field for target environment', name: 'DEPLOY_ENV')
    }

    stages {
        stage("foo") {
            steps {
                echo "flag: ${params.userFlag}"
                echo "flag: ${params.DEPLOY_ENV}"
            }
        }
    }
}

Automated builds will pick up the default params. But if you do it manually then you get the option to choose.

And then assign values like this:

Answer 7

Things are much easier nowadays: the builtin Snippet Generator supports the 'build' step (I don't know since when though).