Creating Pull request with GitHub Action

---
name: Testing Gha
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      GIT_BRANCH:
        description: The git branch to be worked on
        required: true

jobs:
  test-pr-creation:
    name: Creates test PR
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      pull-requests: write
      contents: write
    env:
      GIT_BRANCH: ${{ inputs.GIT_BRANCH }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Updates README
        run: echo date >> README.md

      - name: Set up git
        run: |
          git switch --create "${GIT_BRANCH}"
          ACTOR_NAME="$(curl -s https://api.github.com/users/"${GITHUB_ACTOR}" | jq --raw-output '.name // .login')"
          git config --global user.name "${ACTOR_NAME}"
          git config --global user.email "${GITHUB_ACTOR_ID}+${GITHUB_ACTOR}@users.noreply.github.com"

      - name: Add README
        run: git add README.md

      - name: Commit
        run: >-
          git diff-index --quiet HEAD ||
          git commit -m "test commit msg"
      - name: Push to the repo
        run: git push origin "${GIT_BRANCH}"

      - name: Create PR as draft
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
        run: >-
          gh pr create
          --draft
          --base main
          --head "${GIT_BRANCH}"
          --title "test commit msg"
          --body "pr body"

      - name: Retrieve the existing PR URL
        id: existing-pr
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
        run: >
          echo -n pull_request_url= >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"

          gh pr view
          --json 'url'
          --jq '.url'
          --repo '${{ github.repository }}'
          '${{ env.GIT_BRANCH }}'
          >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
      - name: Select the actual PR URL
        id: pr
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
        run: >
          echo -n pull_request_url=
          >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"

          echo '${{steps.existing-pr.outputs.pull_request_url}}'
          >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"

      - name: Log the pull request details
        run: >-
           echo 'PR URL: ${{ steps.pr.outputs.pull_request_url }}' | tee -a "${GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY}"


      - name: Instruct the maintainers to trigger CI by undrafting the PR
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
        run: >-
            gh pr comment
            --body 'Please mark the PR as ready for review to trigger PR checks.'
            --repo '${{ github.repository }}'
            '${{ steps.pr.outputs.pull_request_url }}'

The above is an example of how to create a draft PR via GitHub Actions. We need to give permissions to the GitHub action to create PR in a repository (workflow permissions in the settings).

Hopefully, this blogpost will help my future self.