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38 changes: 0 additions & 38 deletions README.md
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50 changes: 0 additions & 50 deletions content/actions/concepts/workflows-and-actions/contexts.md
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---
title: Contexts
intro: Learn about contexts in {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}.
versions:
fpt: '*'
ghes: '*'
ghec: '*'
contentType: concepts
category:
- Write workflows
---

## About contexts

{% data reusables.actions.actions-contexts-about-description %} Each context is an object that contains properties, which can be strings or other objects.

{% data reusables.actions.context-contents %} For example, the `matrix` context is only populated for jobs in a [matrix](/actions/reference/workflows-and-actions/workflow-syntax#jobsjob_idstrategymatrix).

You can access contexts using the expression syntax. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/actions/reference/workflows-and-actions/expressions).

{% raw %}
`${{ <context> }}`
{% endraw %}

{% data reusables.actions.context-injection-warning %}

## Determining when to use contexts

{% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} includes a collection of variables called _contexts_ and a similar collection of variables called _default variables_. These variables are intended for use at different points in the workflow:

* **Default environment variables:** These environment variables exist only on the runner that is executing your job. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/actions/reference/workflows-and-actions/variables#default-environment-variables).
* **Contexts:** You can use most contexts at any point in your workflow, including when _default variables_ would be unavailable. For example, you can use contexts with expressions to perform initial processing before the job is routed to a runner for execution; this allows you to use a context with the conditional `if` keyword to determine whether a step should run. Once the job is running, you can also retrieve context variables from the runner that is executing the job, such as `runner.os`. For details of where you can use various contexts within a workflow, see [AUTOTITLE](/actions/reference/workflows-and-actions/contexts#context-availability).

The following example demonstrates how these different types of variables can be used together in a job:

{% raw %}

```yaml copy
name: CI
on: push
jobs:
prod-check:
if: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' }}
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- run: echo "Deploying to production server on branch $GITHUB_REF"
```

{% endraw %}

In this example, the `if` statement checks the [`github.ref`](/actions/reference/workflows-and-actions/contexts#github-context) context to determine the current branch name; if the name is `refs/heads/main`, then the subsequent steps are executed. The `if` check is processed by {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}, and the job is only sent to the runner if the result is `true`. Once the job is sent to the runner, the step is executed and refers to the [`$GITHUB_REF`](/actions/how-tos/write-workflows/choose-what-workflows-do/use-variables) variable from the runner.
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