This document provides an agenda and instructions for a workshop on using JobDSL to configure Jenkins jobs. It introduces JobDSL and how it can be used to simplify Jenkins job configuration and maintenance. The workshop includes exercises to create simple jobs with JobDSL, generate jobs from a configuration file using loops in Groovy, and use the configure block to support plugins not directly supported by JobDSL. Running the JobDSL scripts within Jenkins jobs and understanding basic Groovy are covered.

1. Larry cai <larry.caiyu@gmail.com>

2. Agenda
 Introduction
 Exercise 1: Run the example to know the power
 Exercise 2: Hello World – first DSL
 Exercise 3: One complete JobDSL
 Exercise 4: JenkinsView and Loop
 Exercise 5: Configure Block to extend DSL
 Reference
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3. Environment Preparation (docker)
 Boot2docker Installer (127M)
 Contains latest docker already, fast
 Container persistence via disk automount on /var/lib/docker
 $ docker -v
 User/Passwd: docker/tcuser (192.168.59.103)
 Download Jenkins JobDSL docker images
 $ docker pull larrycai/jenkins-jobdsl
 Notepad++ & MobaXterm are recommended
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http://boot2docker.io/

4. Introduction
 Jenkins is a de-facto CI standard used for lots of products
 Easy to start, configure and extending (300+ plugins)
 Configure jobs in UI mostly
 Weak parts:
 Update git repo for many jobs
 Create dozens of jobs in fly for new project
 Monitor the changes
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Learn new way to configure jenkins Jobs

5. Exercise 1: Hello World
 Run first app inside docker environment
$ cd /c/<Users>/codingwithme/jobdsl # create in advance
$ docker run -it –v $PWD:/opt/jenkins/data/jobs/jobdsl/workspace -p
8080:8080 larrycai/jenkins-jobdsl
 Browse: http://192.168.59.103:8080
Clean jenkins UI with one Job “HelloWorld”
 Exercise :
1. Execute job “HelloWorld”, and check result
2. See configuration
3. Run it again
4. Delete job “Compile-DSL-Tutorial-0” and Update job “Package-DSL-
Tutorial-0” and Run it again
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6. JobDSL is Groovy based
 DSL : Domain Specific Language, easy to read and
understand
 JobDSL is jenkins plugin, https://wiki.jenkins-ci.org/display/JENKINS/Job+DSL+Plugin
 Groovy based
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• Groovy is a multi-faceted
language for the Java
platform
• Groovy used in jenkins to
access internal data

7. JobDSL & Idempotent
 JobDSL helps to simplify the maintenance of jenkins jobs
 An idempotent operation is one that can be applied
multiple times without changing the result beyond the
initial application
 Keep the environment stable, reliable
 No matter the job is changed by someone, if the jobDSL
script is run, it will reach to the desired status
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8. Exercise 2:Hello World
 Configure “HelloWorld” job
 Replace script like below
freeStyleJob("Hello2") {
steps {
shell('echo "Hello Larry"')
}
}
 Select option “Action for removed jobs” to “Delete”
and option “Action for removed views” to “Delete”,
Run it again
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9. Jenkins Job mapping to JobDSL
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 Job Type (freeStyleJob)
 Build Parameters (parameters)
 SCM (scm)
 BuildTriggers (triggers)
 Steps (steps)
 Post Build Actions (publishers)
https://github.com/jenkinsci/job-dsl-plugin/wiki/Job-reference

10. Exercise 3: Complete JobDSL example
 Follow the existing Jenkins job “Sample” and convert it into
JobDSL in “jobdsl”
 Cover Scm/trigger/shell/archive
 Steps:
 New job “jobdsl” (freestyle)
 New build step – Process Job DSLs
 Choose “Look on Filesystem”
 complete.groovy
 In file, use freeStyleJob(“Hello3”)
 Edit it in Windows env. (codingwith/jobdsl) # mapped into docker
 Compare the result
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Reference: https://github.com/jenkinsci/job-dsl-plugin/wiki/Job-reference

11. Jenkins View & Groovy DSL
 JenkinsView is simple as jobs
 Name/filter/column .
 Learn some groovy to handle
common tasks
 Loop
 Read & Parse external config files
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12. Exercise 4: List View and Loop
 Create different ListView and generate multi jobs based
on the config file
 Based on HelloWorld Example for jobs
 Json file: HelloWorld/workspace/views.json
 Steps
 Create new view.groovy
 Run inside job jobdsl
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13. Configure block
 Not every jenkins Plugin are supported in JobDSL (may
changes in the future)
 Raise issues to get support
 Configure blocks are used inside the Job DSL to give
direct access to underlying XML of the Jenkins config.xml
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https://github.com/jenkinsci/job-dsl-plugin/wiki/The-Configure-Block

14. Exercise 5: Configure Block for testNG
 Change the Sample job to export testNG result, which is
not support by jobDSL yet.
 Steps:
 Configure Sample job to publish testNG result in post-build
 Check generate config.xml
http://localhost:8080/view/CodingWithMe/job/Sample/config.xml
 Write testng.groovy based on complete.groovy
 Generate job Hello5
 Compare result
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15. Summary
 JobDSL is the powerful to simplify the maintenance of
your jenkins jobs and keep it in professional way
 Put jobDSL scripts in git repo
 What we learn
 Execute JobDSL in jenkins jobs
 Inside script & script file
 Create job/View in jobDSL
 Simple Groovy knowledge to handle loop/read external data
 Configure Block in jobDSL to handle not direct supported
plugins
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16. Reference
 jobDSL slides
 http://www.slideshare.net/daspilker/configuration-as-code-the-job-dsl-plugin
 JobDSL ref
 https://github.com/jenkinsci/job-dsl-plugin/wiki/View-Reference
 https://github.com/jenkinsci/job-dsl-plugin/wiki/Job-reference
 https://github.com/jenkinsci/job-dsl-plugin/wiki/The-Configure-Block
 Groovy Json
 http://www.groovy-lang.org/json.html
 Exercise Gist
 https://gist.github.com/larrycai/aeb9a3b037dcb17df9b2
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17. CodingWithMe
 "CodingWithMe - Learning by Coding" is a coding
workshop, it aims to learn one technology in 90
minutes by practice
 Features:
 4-5 well tuned hands on exercises in 90 minutes
 First exercise shall be started in 20 minutes
 It well follows Bob Pike’s 90/20/8 rules (happen to
know)
 It is recommended arranged for several parallel
sessions if it is organized in the company.
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http://www.larrycaiyu.com/blog/2014/03/18/codingwithme_introduction/