How do I pass variables between stages in a declarative Jenkins pipeline?

Question

How do I pass variables between stages in a declarative pipeline?

In a scripted pipeline, I gather the procedure is to write to a temporary file, then read the file into a variable.

How do I do this in a declarative pipeline?

E.g. I want to trigger a build of a different job, based on a variable created by a shell action.

stage("stage 1") {
    steps {
        sh "do_something > var.txt"
        // I want to get var.txt into VAR
    }
}
stage("stage 2") {
    steps {
        build job: "job2", parameters[string(name: "var", value: "${VAR})]
    }
}

Answer 1

If you want to use a file (since a script is the thing generating the value you need), you could use readFile as seen below. If not, use sh with the script option as seen below:

// Define a groovy local variable, myVar.
// A global variable without the def, like myVar = 'initial_value',
// was required for me in older versions of jenkins. Your mileage
// may vary. Defining the variable here maybe adds a bit of clarity,
// showing that it is intended to be used across multiple stages.
def myVar = 'initial_value'

pipeline {
  agent { label 'docker' }
  stages {
    stage('one') {
      steps {
        echo "1.1. ${myVar}" // prints '1.1. initial_value'
        sh 'echo hotness > myfile.txt'
        script {
          // OPTION 1: set variable by reading from file.
          // FYI, trim removes leading and trailing whitespace from the string
          myVar = readFile('myfile.txt').trim()
        }
        echo "1.2. ${myVar}" // prints '1.2. hotness'
      }
    }
    stage('two') {
      steps {
        echo "2.1 ${myVar}" // prints '2.1. hotness'
        sh "echo 2.2. sh ${myVar}, Sergio" // prints '2.2. sh hotness, Sergio'
      }
    }
    // this stage is skipped due to the when expression, so nothing is printed
    stage('three') {
      when {
        expression { myVar != 'hotness' }
      }
      steps {
        echo "three: ${myVar}"
      }
    }
  }
}