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Automated-Commit

Automated-Commit is a simple and reusable example of a GitHub Actions workflow that periodically updates a file (TIMESTAMP.txt) with the current date and time and performs an automatic commit when it detects changes.

Description

This repository demonstrates how to automate routine tasks in a repository using GitHub Actions. The main workflow:

  • Clones the content from the master branch.
  • Updates (or creates) a TIMESTAMP.txt file with the current date and time.
  • Performs a commit if the file changed.
  • Pushes the commit back to the master branch.

The goal is to serve as a template for automatic maintenance tasks (for example, periodic updates, status files, or similar scheduled tasks).

Features

  • Automatically executable on schedule (every 12 hours by default).
  • Allows manual execution from the Actions tab (workflow_dispatch).
  • Minimal configuration: Git name and email configured in the workflow.

Workflow Structure

The workflow is defined in .github/workflows/master.yml and includes:

  • Triggers: schedule (cron every 12 hours) and workflow_dispatch for manual execution.
  • Main job: update_commit that runs on ubuntu-latest.
  • Steps: checkout, configure Git, update TIMESTAMP.txt, commit, and push.
  • Permissions: the workflow needs write permissions (default GITHUB_TOKEN usually suffices).

Requirements

  • A repository on GitHub.
  • GitHub Actions enabled in the repository.

Installation and Usage

  1. Use this repository as a template (click the "Use this template" button) or clone it locally.
  2. Open .github/workflows/master.yml and customize the configuration values (see "Configuration" section below).
  3. Push the changes to master to activate the workflow.

Manual Execution

  1. Go to the Actions tab in your repository.
  2. Select the Automated-Commit workflow.
  3. Click "Run workflow" and confirm the branch.

Configuration

Edit .github/workflows/master.yml as needed:

  • Configure the GIT_USER_EMAIL and GIT_USER_NAME variables in Settings > Secrets and variables > Variables (optional; if not set, the default GitHub Actions account will be used).
  • Change the cron frequency if you need a different interval.
  • If you prefer, change the filename TIMESTAMP.txt to another target file.

Security best practice: use the GITHUB_TOKEN provided by Actions for automatic pushes; avoid putting personal access tokens in plain text.

Common Customizations

  • Modify the cron: change the expression in schedule within the yml file.
  • Change the target file: update the filename that the script writes to.
  • Add tests or validations: insert additional steps before the commit to validate changes.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome:

  1. Open an issue to discuss major changes.
  2. Send Pull Requests with clear descriptions.

Support

For questions or issues, open an issue in the Issues section of the repository.

Thank you for using Automated-Commit.