Scripting and Functions

In some situations, using commands and utils is not enough. For example in cases like:

In such cases, it makes sense to delegate the task to a script or function which can execute it in a more clean and efficient way.

In PIPEFORCE you have multiple options to do so. Here are the most common options and their pros and cons:

Option	Pros	Cons
Pipeline Expression Language	Embedded in the pipeline YAML syntax → easy to use. Good performing for short running executions	Limited to eval (one-line expressions) Not easy readable for complex expressions
Embedded Groovy	Can be called via a simple command: script.groovy Script is directly embedded into the pipeline → Easy to read Good performing for short and medium running executions	Additional language to learn / use.
Python as a Service	Can be easily called from inside a pipeline Good performing for long running executions.	Additional language to learn / use. Overhead to transfer data to the service slows down execution time and increases resource consumption. Additional deployment step required (but this is by default automated in PIPEFORCE). Available only in Enterprise subscription.
Custom Microservice	You can use any language you prefer Can be scaled nearly “unlimited” Very good performing for long and very long running executions. No timeout limit.	Additional language to learn / use. Overhead to transfer data to the service slows down execution time and increases resource consumption. Additional effort to create and manage the microservice (but with many tooling support from PIPEFORCE). Available only in Enterprise subscription.