CI Checks

CI checks are automated tests that run when code is pushed or a pull request is opened. They help ensure that your code builds, meets programming standards, and is formatted correctly before merging. You can create CI checks using GitHub Actions.

Note

CI checks can only check for certain attributes of the code and cannot ensure that the code is functional or well-written. CI checks do not replace pull request reviews.

Build

To verify that your robot code builds, create a GitHub Actions workflow file .github/workflows/build.yml with the following code:

name: Build

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, ready_for_review]
    branches: [main]
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - name: Checkout code
      uses: actions/checkout@v4

    - name: Set up JDK 17
      uses: actions/setup-java@v4
      with:
        java-version: '17'
        distribution: 'temurin'

    - name: Cache Gradle packages
      uses: actions/cache@v4
      with:
        path: |
          ~/.gradle/caches
          ~/.gradle/wrapper
        key: ${{ runner.os }}-gradle-${{ hashFiles('**/*.gradle*', '**/gradle-wrapper.properties') }}
        restore-keys: |
          ${{ runner.os }}-gradle-

    - name: Grant execute permission for gradlew
      run: chmod +x gradlew

    - name: Build with Gradle
      run: ./gradlew build

Static Analysis Tools

Static analysis tools help catch bugs, maintain programming standards, and improve code quality.

To configure, add the PMD and Spotbugs plugin in the plugins {} block of your build.gradle file.

plugins {
   id "java"
   id "edu.wpi.first.GradleRIO" version "2026.2.1"
   id("pmd")
   id("com.github.spotbugs") version "6.0.26"
}

To run code quality checks, create a GitHub Actions workflow file .github/workflows/code-quality.yml with the following code:

name: Code Quality

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, ready_for_review]
    branches: [main]
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  warning-check:
    name: Check Compiler Warnings
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - name: Checkout code
      uses: actions/checkout@v4

    - name: Set up JDK 17
      uses: actions/setup-java@v4
      with:
        java-version: '17'
        distribution: 'temurin'

    - name: Cache Gradle packages
      uses: actions/cache@v4
      with:
        path: |
          ~/.gradle/caches
          ~/.gradle/wrapper
        key: ${{ runner.os }}-gradle-${{ hashFiles('**/*.gradle*', '**/gradle-wrapper.properties') }}
        restore-keys: |
          ${{ runner.os }}-gradle-

    - name: Grant execute permission for gradlew
      run: chmod +x gradlew

    - name: Build with warnings as errors
      run: ./gradlew build -PwarningsAsErrors=true

  static-analysis:
    name: Static Analysis (PMD & SpotBugs)
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - name: Checkout code
      uses: actions/checkout@v4

    - name: Set up JDK 17
      uses: actions/setup-java@v4
      with:
        java-version: '17'
        distribution: 'temurin'

    - name: Cache Gradle packages
      uses: actions/cache@v4
      with:
        path: |
          ~/.gradle/caches
          ~/.gradle/wrapper
        key: ${{ runner.os }}-gradle-${{ hashFiles('**/*.gradle*', '**/gradle-wrapper.properties') }}
        restore-keys: |
          ${{ runner.os }}-gradle-

    - name: Grant execute permission for gradlew
      run: chmod +x gradlew

    - name: Run PMD
      run: ./gradlew pmdMain

    - name: Run SpotBugs
      run: ./gradlew spotbugsMain

    - name: Upload analysis reports
      if: failure()
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
      with:
        name: static-analysis-reports
        path: |
          build/reports/pmd/
          build/reports/spotbugs/

Code Formatting

Spotless can also be run as a CI check to verify that code is formatted correctly. To add a code formatting CI check, create a GitHub Actions workflow file .github/workflows/format.yml with the following code:

name: Format

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, ready_for_review]
    branches: [main]
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  spotless:
    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0

      - uses: actions/setup-java@v5
        with:
          distribution: 'temurin'
          java-version: 17

      - run: ./gradlew spotlessCheck