tasks: Fail on error by default (run with `bash -e`)

[abitrolly]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe

Gitpod multiline tasks don't fail if the failed command is in the middle (#13520).

For example, this inevitable failure will result in great success.

- init: |
    echo The failure is inevitable.
    true
    false
    true
    echo Unachievable great success."

Which is equivalent to this bash call.

$ bash -c "echo The failure is inevitable.   
  true
  false
  true
  echo Unachievable great success."
The failure is inevitable.
Unachievable great success.

https://github.com/gitpod-io/website/pull/2843 adds an explanation with a code snippet that users need to copy paste if they want to amend this behavior and fail on errors. The problem is, all other CI/CD systems that are configured by YAML, such as GitHub Actions, fail on multiline strings by default.

Describe the behaviour you'd like

The solution is to add -e option to bash when task is executed. Then the execution will be equal to this behavior.

$ bash -e -c "echo The failure is inevitable.
  true
  false
  true
  echo Unachievable great success."
The failure is inevitable.

The example at the https://github.com/gitpod-io/website/pull/2843 then could be altered to show how modify scripts to ignore failures.

[akosyakov]

I guess it could be alright to run like that in prebuild workspaces, but in regular workspaces it will close a terminal on first errored statement.

[abitrolly]

@akosyakov is it possible leave terminal open with a message that the task it terminated, listing failed step and instructions how to continue or restart the task? That would be in ideal UX.

[akosyakov]

Have you tried to create a shell script and do set -e there and the run it from init: ./.gitpod/my-init.sh? I would think you will have the entire control like that?

[abitrolly]

@akosyakov I can move everything into separate script, wrap into (set -e; ...) as instructed by docs, but that won't be the default behavior anymore.

[stale]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.