In Bitbucket Pipelines, why doesn't '$?' get the expected exit code from the previously run command?

[paulwatson]

In a script I have:

script:

  - set +e  # turn off error-trapping

  - failing-tests

  - echo $?

I expect an exit code of 1, but get 0. What's going on?

[ZenobiusJ · Accepted solution]

Do it like this instead: 

 - step:
   name: notify
   image: cfcommunity/slack-notification-resource
   script:
     - |
       set +e
       faiing-tests
       echo $?
     - some other stuff
     - yet more stuff
         

[Leo Sanchez]

Thanks!

[paulwatson · Accepted solution]

Pipelines executes the printf command before every command in a script section of the bitbucket-pipelines.yml file in order to print those commands to the logs. This means, for example, that:

script:

  - mvn clean build

actually behave like this:

script:

  - printf "+ mvn clean build\n"

  - mvn clean build

One consequence of this is that an attempt to use '$?' to pass the exit code of a failing command to the next command (when error-trapping is turned off) will fail because the next command actually receives the exit code of the printf command.

For example:

script:

  - set +e  # turn off error-trapping

  - failing-tests

  - echo $?

will behave like this:

script:

  - printf "set +e\n"

  - set +e  # turn off error-trapping

  - printf "failing-tests\n"

  - failing-tests

  - printf "echo $?\n"

  - echo $?  # with exit code of 0, because the preceding printf command succeeded

If you want to catch the exit code of a failing command, a workaround is to combine commands on the same line (to prevent the printf command from intercepting the exit code), like this:

script:

  - set +e

  - failing-tests; echo $? # with exit code of 1 in this case 

[Mina Luke]

You may also use `BITBUCKET_EXIT_CODE`

[Tomasz Raganowicz]

I am using: `set +e` to prevent `failing tests` from stopping Pipelines, so I can add some debugging commands, printout logs after the failing tests command.

However I would still like Pipeline to fail in case of failing test. With: `set +e` Pipeline passes and last command in my Pipeline

How can I make Bitbucket Pipeline fail or not, given the result of my tests?

[Mina Luke]

I have the same issue.

[Mina Luke]

I figured it out finally as follows:

set +e # turn off error-trapping

# do something here that might throw
git merge-base --is-ancestor $(git rev-parse master) HEAD
RETURN_CODE=$?  ## capture the exit code

if [ $RETURN_CODE -eq 1 ]; then
  echo "The current branch is not sibling of master"
  exit 1
else
  echo "The current branch is sibling of master"
fi

set -e # turn on error-trapping

[Tomasz Raganowicz]

Thanks @Mina Luke for sharing, I am using exactly the same approach (Forgot to share it here though) for  and it works flawlessly.