.gitpod.yml: Multi-line tasks lack error handling

[mkoeppe]

Bug description

The description of multi-line tasks in https://www.gitpod.io/docs/configure/workspaces/tasks#multi-line-tasks is incomplete and lacks a discussion of error handling.

In https://trac.sagemath.org/ticket/34623 we observed that error in one command are ignored and Gitpod just continues to execute the following commands.

The examples shown in this documentation in this section and https://www.gitpod.io/docs/configure/workspaces/tasks#wait-for-a-port-to-be-available do not promote good practices.

Steps to reproduce

tasks:
  - name: Dependencies & Database
    init: |
      exit 1
      echo "Got here, should not have"

Workspace affected

No response

Expected behavior

No response

Example repository

No response

Anything else?

No response

[axonasif]

What you're saying about error handling is true, it's upto the bash shell.

However, in your example snippet, you have exit 1, which will exit the task shell itself. So it's not an appropriate example. I believe you wanted to express the fact that commands within a task which are run inside a bash shell do not halt on errors status. This would showcase what you wanted to:

tasks:
  - name: Dependencies & Database
    init: |
      (exit 1)
      echo "Got here, should not have"

Notice the parentheses around exit 1. However, this is not important here, just pointing out 😄

For a solution, please check #13520, I've also added an example on our docs.

[mkoeppe]

in your example snippet, you have exit 1, which will exit the task shell itself. So it's not an appropriate example.

Yes, of course, you're right.