Active Choice Rendering Issue Encountered After Jenkins Upgrade to 2.440.1

Problem:

After upgrading Jenkins to LTS Version 2.440.1 and updating installed plugins, the client encountered an issue with active choice parameters on the “build with parameters” page. Specifically, the page is waiting for full rendering before executing scripts within the active choice parameters, notably those involving HTTP requests. This delay has caused certain features to malfunction, as the client’s JavaScript libraries depend on page completion. The client is currently using Active Choice version 2.7.2. Assistance in resolving this matter would be highly appreciated.

Process:

For further investigation into the problem, our experts collected data from the client and engaged our resources in debugging this issue. The results of debugging are as follows:

• All test cases worked fine in our experts’ environment, although errors appeared in the dropdowns, they loaded automatically.
• During our investigations, we also encountered an issue with accessing the value of one Active Choices Reactive Reference Parameter within another. This issue stemmed from bugs in the plugin, preventing simple job parameters from referencing each other.

To demonstrate this issue, our experts referred to the provided by the client job, where two Active Choices Reactive Reference Parameters were configured:

1. AppVersions
2. AppVersions_latest

However, AppVersions_latest was unable to access the value of AppVersions, as it was reading it as blank. Further investigation revealed that this issue had already been reported on the Jenkins plugin issues tracker JENKINS-72826.

Solution:

After adjusting the parameters, the plugin started functioning correctly. Our experts recommend the following actions:

1. Revert to Previous Jenkins and Plugin Versions: Consider deploying an old Jenkins instance and reverting to the previously functional plugin version until the issue is resolved. Use this setup exclusively for the affected pipeline, while continuing to use the new Jenkins for other tasks and pipelines.
2. Monitor Future Releases: Report the issue and monitor the Jenkins issue tracker for updates on a fix. Resolution timelines depend on the plugin maintainer’s prioritization.
3. Upgrade to Active Choice Plugin Version 2.8.3: If feasible, create a test environment mirroring production using GitBucket and repository setup. Upgrade the plugin to version 2.8.3, as the reported issue was specific to version 2.8.1. The latest version includes bug fixes and improvements, available at Active Choice plugin.
4. Request a Patch: Another option is to request a patch for the issue. This way, the plugin version will include the fix, making future upgrades easier.

For widespread issues across all pipelines, we recommend option 4. For isolated issues in specific pipelines, option 1 may suffice.

Conclusion:

After upgrading Jenkins to LTS Version 2.440.1 and updating plugins, the client encountered delays with active choice parameters on the “Build with Parameters” page. This issue affects functionality since the client’s JavaScript libraries depend on page completion. They are using Active Choice plugin version 2.7.2.

Our investigation found that while test cases worked in our environment, dropdown errors occurred but loaded automatically. There’s a known issue with Active Choices Reactive Reference Parameters not accessing values from each other due to plugin bugs.

Suggested solutions: Revert to Previous Jenkins and Plugin Versions, Monitor Coming Releases, Upgrade to Active Choice Plugin Version 2.8.3, Request a Patch.