Workflow Design Patterns

1. Readable Shell Scripts

  • Avoid long, unreadable command lines with heavy escaping. Instead:

    • Use here-docs for multi-line literals:

      cat << EOF
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
EOF

    • Break long commands with \ so each step is clear:

      find . -type f -name "*.txt" -exec wc -l {} + \
  | awk '$1 >= 100' \
  | sort -nr \
  | head -n 5 \
  | awk '{print "File: " $2 " - Line Count: " $1}'

  • Multi-line formatting improves readability for pipelines.

  • Use functions in bash scripts for organization.

  • Add error checking so you know which command failed.

  • Use semicolons (;) when chaining commands on one line.

2. Matrix Builds in CI/CD

  • Matrix builds let you run the same job across multiple environments (OS, language versions).
  • if conditions restrict steps/jobs to certain environments.

Issues with combining matrix + if

  1. Redundancy: You may spin up jobs that immediately skip steps, wasting CI resources.
  2. Complexity: Too many conditionals make workflows hard to follow.

When it’s acceptable

  • Most steps are common, with only a few OS-specific conditions.
  • Conditional logic is minimal and doesn’t bloat the workflow.

Best practices

  • Use separate jobs or workflows if environments differ significantly.
  • Keep matrix builds for similar jobs across environments.
  • Optimize for clarity and maintainability—complex workflows become fragile.

Conclusion

Combining matrix builds with if statements isn’t inherently wrong, but it often introduces unnecessary complexity and inefficiency. Default to simple, targeted workflows unless the overlap is strong enough to justify a combined approach.