Does an 'if:' conditional in GitHub Actions require the ${{ }} syntax?

No. In GitHub Actions workflow files, expressions inside an if: conditional are automatically evaluated as expressions, so the wrapping ${{ }} syntax is optional.

How does case sensitivity work in GitHub Actions expressions?

GitHub Actions expression string comparisons (using ==, !=, contains, startsWith, endsWith) are case-insensitive by default.

QuickCoderHub

Online GitHub Actions Expression Tester & Evaluator

Evaluate GitHub Actions workflow expressions (${{ ... }}), context objects (github, env, inputs, matrix), and built-in functions (contains, startsWith, format) client-side with zero server latency.

1. Workflow Expression

2. Simulated Context Objects (JSON)

Evaluation Result

Execution Details

          // Expression trace will appear here...
        

GitHub Actions Workflow Expressions Guide

Expressions in GitHub Actions let you dynamically set environment variables, evaluate job conditional steps (if:), and inspect workflow run context.

Built-in Function Reference

contains(search, item): Returns true if search contains item (case-insensitive substring or array search).
startsWith(searchString, searchValue): Returns true if string begins with prefix.
endsWith(searchString, searchValue): Returns true if string ends with suffix.
format(string, replace0, replace1, ...): Replaces {0}, {1} placeholders with arguments.
join(array, optionalSeparator): Joins array elements into a string.
toJSON(value): Serializes object into pretty-printed JSON.
fromJSON(value): Deserializes JSON string into native object.