How Changed File Counts (Additions and Deletions) Are Displayed in Asana by the GitHub Action

The action formats changed file statistics as bold HTML—<b>12</b> changed files (<b>+45 -7</b>)—when posting comments to Asana tasks and sub-task descriptions.

The keitap/github-asana-request-review-action repository synchronizes GitHub pull request events with Asana project management workflows. When processing a PR webhook, the action extracts changed file counts, additions, and deletions from the GitHub API and renders them in a specific HTML pattern that Asana displays as bold, scannable metrics.

HTML Format Pattern in Asana Comments

The action constructs an HTML snippet that Asana renders as bold statistics. The pattern follows this exact structure:

<b>{changedFiles}</b> changed files (<b>+{additions} -{deletions}</b>)

This formatting appears in two contexts within asana.go: comments attached to the main Asana task and descriptions for review-request sub-tasks.

Implementation in asana.go

The formatting logic resides in asana.go (lines 84–108), where two generator functions build the HTML content using Go's fmt.Sprintf.

Main Task Comments: createPullRequestCommentText

When posting a general PR update to the parent Asana task, the createPullRequestCommentText function (lines 84–95) embeds the statistics using:

func createPullRequestCommentText(requester *Account, pr *github.PullRequestEvent) string {
    return fmt.Sprintf(`<body>📋 <code>[<b>%s</b>] <a href="%s">Pull request #%d: %s</a> by %s

<b>%d</b> changed files (<b>+%d -%d</b>)
%s

%s
</code></body>`,
        pr.PullRequest.GetState(),
        pr.PullRequest.GetHTMLURL(), pr.PullRequest.GetNumber(), pr.PullRequest.GetTitle(), requester.GetUserPermalink(),
        pr.PullRequest.GetChangedFiles(),
        pr.PullRequest.GetAdditions(),
        pr.PullRequest.GetDeletions(),
        getLabelsText(pr),
        signature,
    )
}

Line 87 specifically injects the bold-formatted counts:

<b>%d</b> changed files (<b>+%d -%d</b>)

Review Request Sub-tasks: createReviewRequestDescText

For individual reviewer assignments, the createReviewRequestDescText function (lines 100–108) generates sub-task descriptions using identical formatting:

func createReviewRequestDescText(requester *Account, pr *github.PullRequestEvent) string {
    return fmt.Sprintf(`<body><a href="%s">#%d: %s</a> by %s

<b>%d</b> changed files (<b>+%d -%d</b>)
%s

Could you please review a pull request ❤️
</body>`,
        pr.PullRequest.GetHTMLURL(), pr.PullRequest.GetNumber(), pr.PullRequest.GetTitle(), requester.GetUserPermalink(),
        pr.PullRequest.GetChangedFiles(),
        pr.PullRequest.GetAdditions(),
        pr.PullRequest.GetDeletions(),
        getLabelsText(pr),
    )
}

Line 102 repeats the same HTML pattern to ensure consistency across both comment types.

Data Source from GitHub API

The numeric values are retrieved directly from the GitHub Pull Request event payload using three getter methods:

• pr.PullRequest.GetChangedFiles() — Returns the total number of files modified
• pr.PullRequest.GetAdditions() — Returns the count of lines added (+)
• pr.PullRequest.GetDeletions() — Returns the count of lines deleted (-)

These methods provide the raw integers that populate the %d placeholders in the HTML format strings.

Summary

• Bold HTML formatting: The action wraps changed file counts in <b> tags to ensure they render prominently in Asana's rich text editor.
• Dual context usage: The pattern appears in both createPullRequestCommentText (main task comments) and createReviewRequestDescText (reviewer sub-tasks) within asana.go.
• Direct API mapping: Values come from GetChangedFiles(), GetAdditions(), and GetDeletions() methods on the GitHub pull request object.
• Consistent structure: Both functions use identical Go fmt.Sprintf templates at lines 87 and 102 to maintain uniform display across all Asana updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What HTML format does the action use for changed file counts?

The action uses the pattern <b>%d</b> changed files (<b>+%d -%d</b>), where the bold tags ensure Asana renders the file count, additions, and deletions as prominent statistics rather than plain text.

Which GitHub API methods provide the file statistics?

According to the source code in asana.go, the action calls three methods on the pull request object: GetChangedFiles() for the total file count, GetAdditions() for lines added, and GetDeletions() for lines removed.

Where in the codebase is this formatting implemented?

The formatting logic is implemented in /asana.go within the createPullRequestCommentText function (lines 84–95) and the createReviewRequestDescText function (lines 100–108).

Does this formatting appear in both comments and sub-task descriptions?

Yes. The bold HTML pattern appears in both contexts: when the action posts a comment to the main Asana task and when it creates a sub-task description requesting a specific reviewer. Both use identical formatting to display changed files (+additions -deletions) metrics.

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