Triggers directive in Jenkins - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to trigger a Jenkins job every 15 minutes.

Jenkins

pipeline {
  triggers {
    cron('[1]')
  }
  stages {
    stage('Build') {
      steps {
        echo 'Building...'
      }
    }
  }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AH/15 * * * *

B15 * * * *

C*/15 * * * *

D0 15 * * *

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '15 * * * *' triggers only at minute 15 every hour.

The cron expression */15 * * * * triggers the job every 15 minutes.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to trigger a Jenkins job on GitHub push events.

Jenkins

pipeline {
  triggers {
    [1]()
  }
  stages {
    stage('Test') {
      steps {
        echo 'Testing...'
      }
    }
  }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ApollSCM

BgithubPush

Cscm

DpipelineTriggers

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using pollSCM instead of githubPush.

The githubPush() trigger responds to GitHub push events.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the triggers block to poll SCM every 10 minutes.

Jenkins

pipeline {
  triggers {
    pollSCM('[1]')
  }
  stages {
    stage('Deploy') {
      steps {
        echo 'Deploying...'
      }
    }
  }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AH/10 * * * *

B*/5 * * * *

C10 * * * *

D0 10 * * *

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '*/10 * * * *' can cause all jobs to poll simultaneously.

The expression H/10 * * * * polls SCM every 10 minutes with a hashed start time.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to trigger a Jenkins job every day at midnight and on SCM changes.

Jenkins

pipeline {
  triggers {
    cron('[1]')
    [2]('H/5 * * * *')
  }
  stages {
    stage('Build') {
      steps {
        echo 'Building...'
      }
    }
  }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A0 0 * * *

BpollSCM

CgithubPush

Dcron

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using githubPush instead of pollSCM for SCM polling.

The cron('0 0 * * *') triggers daily at midnight, and pollSCM('H/5 * * * *') polls SCM every 5 minutes.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to trigger a Jenkins job every hour, on GitHub push, and every Sunday at 2 AM.

Jenkins

pipeline {
  triggers {
    cron('[1]')
    [2]()
    cron('[3]')
  }
  stages {
    stage('Test') {
      steps {
        echo 'Testing...'
      }
    }
  }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A0 * * * *

BpollSCM

C0 2 * * 0

DgithubPush

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using pollSCM instead of githubPush for GitHub push.

The first cron('0 * * * *') triggers hourly, githubPush() responds to GitHub push events, and the second cron('0 2 * * 0') triggers every Sunday at 2 AM.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the triggers directive in a Jenkins pipeline?

easy

A. To configure the user permissions

B. To define the steps of the build process

C. To start jobs automatically based on time or events

D. To specify the environment variables

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of triggers

   The triggers directive is used to start Jenkins jobs automatically without manual intervention.

2. Step 2: Compare with other pipeline directives

   Other directives like steps define build actions, environment sets variables, and permissions control access, not job start timing.

3. Final Answer:

   To start jobs automatically based on time or events -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Triggers = automatic job start [OK]

Hint: Triggers start jobs automatically by time or events [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing triggers with build steps
• Thinking triggers set environment variables
• Assuming triggers control user permissions

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to trigger a Jenkins pipeline every day at midnight using the triggers directive?

easy

A. triggers { cron('0 0 * * *') }

B. triggers { cron('60 24 * * *') }

C. triggers { pollSCM('0 0 * * *') }

D. triggers { cron('0 0 0 * *') }

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cron syntax in Jenkins

   Jenkins cron uses five fields: minute hour day month weekday. '0 0 * * *' means midnight every day.

2. Step 2: Identify correct trigger usage

   The triggers directive uses cron('schedule') to schedule jobs. pollSCM is for source control polling, not time-based triggers.

3. Final Answer:

   triggers { cron('0 0 * * *') } -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Midnight cron = '0 0 * * *' [OK]

Hint: Use cron('0 0 * * *') for daily midnight trigger [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using invalid cron times like '60 24'
• Confusing pollSCM with cron
• Misordering cron fields

3. Given this Jenkins pipeline snippet, what will trigger the job?

triggers {
  upstream(upstreamProjects: 'BuildApp', threshold: hudson.model.Result.SUCCESS)
}

medium

A. The job triggers manually only

B. The job triggers every minute

C. The job triggers when code is pushed to SCM

D. The job triggers when the 'BuildApp' job completes successfully

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the upstream trigger

   The upstream trigger starts this job when the specified upstream job finishes with the given result.

2. Step 2: Analyze the parameters

   upstreamProjects: 'BuildApp' means the job named 'BuildApp' triggers this job. threshold SUCCESS means only on successful completion.

3. Final Answer:

   The job triggers when the 'BuildApp' job completes successfully -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Upstream job success triggers downstream [OK]

Hint: Upstream triggers run after specified job success [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it triggers every minute
• Confusing upstream with SCM polling
• Assuming manual trigger only

4. Identify the error in this Jenkins pipeline trigger configuration:

triggers {
  cron('0 25 * * *')
}

medium

A. The hour field '25' is invalid in cron syntax

B. The cron syntax is correct and will run at 25 minutes past midnight

C. The cron directive should be inside a steps block

D. The cron string must have six fields, not five

Solution

1. Step 1: Check cron field ranges

   Cron fields are minute (0-59), hour (0-23), day, month, weekday. '25' in hour field is invalid.

2. Step 2: Validate placement and field count

   Cron is correctly placed in triggers and uses five fields, which is standard in Jenkins.

3. Final Answer:

   The hour field '25' is invalid in cron syntax -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Hour must be 0-23 in cron [OK]

Hint: Hour in cron must be 0-23, not 25 [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming cron has six fields
• Placing cron inside steps block
• Thinking 25 means 25 minutes

5. You want a Jenkins job to run every 15 minutes but only if there are changes in the source code repository. Which triggers directive setup achieves this?

hard

A. triggers { cron('*/15 * * * *') }

B. triggers { pollSCM('H/15 * * * *') }

C. triggers { upstream(upstreamProjects: 'RepoUpdate', threshold: hudson.model.Result.SUCCESS) }

D. triggers { pollSCM('0 0 * * *') }

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand pollSCM usage

   pollSCM triggers the job every specified interval but only if SCM changes are detected.

2. Step 2: Analyze the cron expressions

   'H/15 * * * *' means every 15 minutes with hashing for load balancing. cron triggers regardless of SCM changes.

3. Final Answer:

   triggers { pollSCM('H/15 * * * *') } -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   pollSCM runs on changes every 15 minutes [OK]

Hint: Use pollSCM with 'H/15 * * * *' for change-based 15-min trigger [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using cron which triggers regardless of changes
• Confusing upstream trigger with SCM polling
• Setting pollSCM to wrong cron expression