How to use the command 'travis' (with examples)

The travis command-line client allows users to interface with Travis CI, a popular continuous integration and deployment platform. This command provides a convenient way to interact with Travis CI from the command line, performing various tasks such as displaying client version, authenticating the CLI client against the server, listing repositories, encrypting values in .travis.yml file, generating a .travis.yml file, and enabling projects.

Use case 1: Display the client version

Code:

travis version

Motivation: The travis version command is useful when you want to check the installed version of the travis command-line client. This can be helpful if you are experiencing issues and want to ensure that you are using the latest version.

Explanation: This command instructs the travis command-line client to display the client version.

Example output:

1.8.13

Use case 2: Authenticate the CLI client against the server, using an authentication token

Code:

travis login

Motivation: When using the travis command-line client, you need to authenticate against the Travis CI server to access your repositories and perform actions on them. The travis login command allows you to securely authenticate the CLI client using an authentication token.

Explanation: This command prompts you to enter your Travis CI authentication token, which can be generated from your Travis CI account settings. After entering the token, the travis command-line client will authenticate using the provided token.

Example output:

Successfully logged in as yourusername

Use case 3: List repositories the user has permissions on

Code:

travis repos

Motivation: With the travis repos command, you can quickly list the repositories for which you have permissions on the Travis CI server. This is useful when you want to see a list of your repositories without navigating to the Travis CI website.

Explanation: The travis repos command instructs the travis command-line client to list the repositories the authenticated user has permissions on.

Example output:

github.com/yourusername/repo1
github.com/yourusername/repo2
github.com/yourusername/repo3

Use case 4: Encrypt values in .travis.yml

Code:

travis encrypt token

Motivation: In a .travis.yml file, there are often sensitive values like API tokens or secrets that should not be exposed. The travis encrypt command allows you to securely encrypt these values, ensuring they are protected even if the .travis.yml file is accessible by others.

Explanation: This command encrypts the provided value (token in this example) using the public key associated with the repository. The encrypted value can then be safely added to the .travis.yml file.

Example output:

secure: "encrypted-value-here"

Use case 5: Generate a .travis.yml file and enable the project

Code:

travis init

Motivation: The travis init command provides a convenient way to generate a .travis.yml file and enable the project for Travis CI. This is helpful when starting a new project or adding Travis CI support to an existing project.

Explanation: When executed, the travis init command generates a basic .travis.yml file in the current directory based on the project’s programming language. It also enables the project for Travis CI by creating a new build for the repository on the Travis CI server.

Example output:

Generated .travis.yml file for yourproject

Conclusion:

The travis command-line client provides a powerful interface to interact with Travis CI from the command line. With various use cases such as displaying the client version, authenticating the client, listing repositories, encrypting values, and generating a .travis.yml file, this command simplifies the workflow and enhances the user’s experience when working with Travis CI.