currentBuild variables in Jenkins - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is currentBuild in Jenkins pipelines?

currentBuild is a special variable in Jenkins pipelines that holds information about the current running build, such as its status, duration, and result.

beginner

How can you get the result status of the current build using currentBuild?

You can access the build result status with currentBuild.result. It returns values like SUCCESS, FAILURE, or UNSTABLE.

beginner

What does currentBuild.duration represent?

currentBuild.duration gives the time in milliseconds that the build has taken so far or took when finished.

intermediate

How to mark the current build as failed using currentBuild?

Set currentBuild.result = 'FAILURE' in your pipeline script to mark the build as failed.

intermediate

Can currentBuild be used to add a description to the build? How?

Yes, you can add a description by setting currentBuild.description = 'Your description here'.

What type of information does currentBuild provide in Jenkins?

A List of all jobs

B Details about the current running build

C User credentials

D Information about the Jenkins server

currentBuild holds details about the current build like status and duration.

How do you check if the current build succeeded using currentBuild?

A Check if <code>currentBuild.status == 'DONE'</code>

B Check if <code>currentBuild.finished == true</code>

C Check if <code>currentBuild.state == 'OK'</code>

D Check if <code>currentBuild.result == 'SUCCESS'</code>

The build result is stored in currentBuild.result and 'SUCCESS' means it passed.

Which currentBuild property gives the build duration?

A <code>currentBuild.duration</code>

B <code>currentBuild.time</code>

C <code>currentBuild.length</code>

D <code>currentBuild.elapsed</code>

currentBuild.duration returns the build time in milliseconds.

How can you mark a build as unstable using currentBuild?

A <code>currentBuild.state = 'UNSTABLE'</code>

B <code>currentBuild.status = 'UNSTABLE'</code>

C <code>currentBuild.result = 'UNSTABLE'</code>

D <code>currentBuild.finished = 'UNSTABLE'</code>

Setting currentBuild.result to 'UNSTABLE' marks the build unstable.

Which of these is NOT a valid use of currentBuild?

A Restarting Jenkins server

B Changing build result

C Accessing build duration

D Setting build description

currentBuild manages build info, not server control.

Explain what currentBuild is and list three useful properties you can access or modify.

Think about what info about the running build you might want to check or change.

Describe how you would use currentBuild to mark a Jenkins pipeline build as failed and add a description explaining why.

Consider how to communicate failure reasons in the build UI.

Practice

1. What does the currentBuild.number variable represent in a Jenkins Pipeline?

easy

A. The number of failed tests in the build

B. The unique build number of the current running job

C. The number of parallel stages in the pipeline

D. The total number of builds ever run on Jenkins

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of currentBuild

   The currentBuild variable holds information about the current Jenkins job execution.

2. Step 2: Identify what number means

   The number property specifically gives the unique build number assigned to this run.

3. Final Answer:

   The unique build number of the current running job -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   currentBuild.number = build number [OK]

Hint: Remember: currentBuild.number is the build's unique ID [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing build number with total builds
• Thinking it counts test failures
• Mixing it with stage counts

2. Which of the following is the correct way to access the current build's result status in a Jenkins Pipeline script?

easy

A. currentBuild.result

B. currentBuild.status

C. currentBuild.state

D. currentBuild.outcome

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the property for build result

   The Jenkins currentBuild object uses result to store the build status like SUCCESS or FAILURE.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   status, state, and outcome are not valid properties for currentBuild.

3. Final Answer:

   currentBuild.result -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Build status = currentBuild.result [OK]

Hint: Use currentBuild.result for build status, not status or state [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using currentBuild.status which is undefined
• Confusing result with outcome
• Trying to access non-existent properties

3. Given this Jenkins Pipeline snippet:

echo "Build number: ${currentBuild.number}"
echo "Build status: ${currentBuild.result}"

If the build number is 42 and the build just finished successfully, what will be the output?

medium

A. Build number: 42
Build status: SUCCESS

B. Build number: 42
Build status: null

C. Build number: null
Build status: SUCCESS

D. Build number: 0
Build status: FAILURE

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand variable values after build

   After a successful build, currentBuild.number is the build number (42), and currentBuild.result is "SUCCESS".

2. Step 2: Substitute variables in echo statements

   Replacing variables gives:
   Build number: 42
   Build status: SUCCESS

3. Final Answer:

   Build number: 42 Build status: SUCCESS -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Number=42, Result=SUCCESS [OK]

Hint: After success, currentBuild.result = SUCCESS, number = build ID [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting result to be null before build ends
• Confusing build number with zero
• Assuming result is FAILURE by default

4. You wrote this Jenkins Pipeline snippet:

if (currentBuild.status == 'SUCCESS') {
  echo 'Build succeeded'
} else {
  echo 'Build failed'
}

But it always prints 'Build failed' even when the build succeeds. What is the issue?

medium

A. The string comparison should use == instead of =

B. The if statement needs parentheses around the condition

C. The echo command is incorrect syntax

D. The property should be currentBuild.result, not currentBuild.status

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the incorrect property usage

   The currentBuild object does not have a status property; the correct property for build result is result.

2. Step 2: Understand why the condition fails

   Since currentBuild.status is undefined, the condition never matches 'SUCCESS', so it always goes to else.

3. Final Answer:

   The property should be currentBuild.result, not currentBuild.status -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Use currentBuild.result for status check [OK]

Hint: Use currentBuild.result, not currentBuild.status, for build status [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using currentBuild.status instead of currentBuild.result
• Confusing assignment (=) with comparison (==)
• Incorrect echo syntax in Jenkinsfile

5. In a Jenkins Pipeline, you want to set the display name of the current build to include the build number and status, like "Build #42 - SUCCESS". Which snippet correctly does this?

hard

A. currentBuild.displayName = "Build #${build.number} - ${build.result}"

B. currentBuild.name = "Build #${currentBuild.number} - ${currentBuild.status}"

C. currentBuild.displayName = "Build #${currentBuild.number} - ${currentBuild.result}"

D. currentBuild.setDisplayName("Build #${currentBuild.number} - ${currentBuild.result}")

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct property to set display name

   The property to set the build's display name is currentBuild.displayName.

2. Step 2: Use correct variable names and syntax

   Use currentBuild.number and currentBuild.result inside the string with Groovy string interpolation.

3. Final Answer:

   currentBuild.displayName = "Build #${currentBuild.number} - ${currentBuild.result}" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Set displayName with currentBuild.displayName and correct variables [OK]

Hint: Set displayName with currentBuild.displayName and correct variables [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using currentBuild.name instead of displayName
• Using undefined variable 'build'
• Trying to call setDisplayName() which doesn't exist