Tools vs. Actions

[janpio]

After @taquitos and @joshdholtz convinced me that documenting the tools is not the way to go, I spent some time understanding what is still missing to fully transition from tools to actions.

Current state

• CLI command: fastlane gym
• Configuration file: Gymfile
• Action: build_ios_app (+ gym alias)
• Action via CLI: fastlane run build_ios_app

Problems

1. Not all available tool CLI (sub)commands have an action
2. Configuration files are named after tools
   • Some actions have a config file, others don't (gym .vs gradle)
3. CLI tool command (fastlane gym) vs. run action (fastlane run build_ios_app)
4. Other
   • SnapshotHelper.swift
   • init subcommands don't exist as action concept
   • Action documentation is tool branded
   • Change is bad

Possible Solutions

1. Create more actions so all (sub)commands are covered
   • New actions could be "grouped" with existing action somehow, e.g. "Apple Developer Portal" for produce, in the documentation for example
2. Find a way to "untool" configuration files
   • Configfile that combines all of them?
3. Unify command and action execution via CLI
   • We can already use fastlane tool and fastlane lane, maybe also fastlane action?
4. Other
   • SnapshotHelper.swift could be renamed e.g. ScreenshotHelper.swift
   • No idea how to deal with init. Just docs maybe? Magic action name init_build_ios_app for build_ios_app?
   • Documentation can remove all tool mentions and logos (besides a new History article that keeps the memory alive)
   • Of course all the former names, commands and configuration files keep working

Consequential work / problems

• Github prefix and label ("[supply] ...", "tool:supply")
• Changelog prefix ("[supply]")
• I am not sure interfaces of all existing CLI commands and actions combination are identical, but goal would probably be: CLI command is identical to action

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For reference:

List of tools and Configfiles in use:
https://github.com/fastlane/fastlane/blob/master/fastlane/lib/fastlane/tools.rb

[janpio]

I created a Google table with all the documented (sub)commands and brainsstormed possible action names for those that don't have one yet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HnflxsVyuj1nprHqE5uMnHsuiQ5SQRdZ-0Z6x8B4og4/edit?usp=sharing
This also includes more ideas about the "Group" names for actions that would be useful in the docs.

[janpio]

If this is done a a part of a major fastlane version, one could very much use the opportunity to get rid of many "tool" folders in fastlane/fastlane and convert them to simple actions. (Some of the old tools probably have some additional logic in their folders that would have to be taken care of [e.g. Android library for screengrab])