[Puppet Users] Cannot reassign variable

[Mohamed Lrhazi]

I have a custom fact called: gu_app_oracle_rac

Which gets set, indirectly, by puppet itself... and so in the very
first run it does not exist... I will be changing the whole business
of how I set these facts, but I need a quick workaround to the
following issue...

I have some templates using that variable and so the first run fails
because the var is undefined, and so I added this to site.pp:


if !defined(gu_app_oracle_rac) {
$gu_app_oracle_rac = false
}


Now, this allows the first run, maybe a few, to work... then when the
fact comes to life, I get:

Cannot reassign variable gu_app_oracle_rac in site.pp

Why doesn't the *if* statement do what I expect it to do?

Thanks a lot,
Mohamed.

[Nan Liu]

I have a custom fact called:  gu_app_oracle_rac
Which gets set, indirectly, by puppet itself... and so in the very
first run it does not exist... I will be changing the whole business
of how I set these facts, but I need a quick workaround to the
following issue...
I have some templates using that variable and so the first run fails
if !defined(gu_app_oracle_rac) {
   $gu_app_oracle_rac = false
}
Now, this allows the first run, maybe a few, to work... then when the
Cannot reassign variable gu_app_oracle_rac in site.pp
Why doesn't the *if* statement do what I expect it to do?

Pretty sure defined is for resource not variables. I'm not sure how
gu_app_oracle_rac is used, it might be easier to handle undef as false
instead.

if ! $fact_gu_app_oracle_rac {
$gu_app_oracle_rac = false
} else {
$gu_app_oracle_rac = $fact_gu_app_oracle_rac
}

Thanks,

Nan

[jcbollinger]

I have a custom fact called:  gu_app_oracle_rac
Which gets set, indirectly, by puppet itself... and so in the very
first run it does not exist... I will be changing the whole business
of how I set these facts, but I need a quick workaround to the
following issue...
I have some templates using that variable and so the first run fails
if !defined(gu_app_oracle_rac) {
    $gu_app_oracle_rac = false
}
Now, this allows the first run, maybe a few, to work... then when the
Cannot reassign variable gu_app_oracle_rac in site.pp
Why doesn't the *if* statement do what I expect it to do?

Amplifying what Nan said, the 'defined' function is documented to be
for use with classes, resource types, and resource instances. In your
case, therefore, it is looking for a class or definition named
"gu_app_oracle_rac", and returning false when it doesn't find one.
Even if it worked on variables, however, 'defined' is parse-order
dependent and Puppet parse order is unpredictable, so using 'defined'
is never a good idea. Ever.

As to the underlying problem, I'm confused about your description. If
gu_app_oracle_rac is a custom fact, then aren't you delivering it to
clients via pluginsync? If so then it should be available on every
run, including the first.


John

[Mohamed Lrhazi]

Thanks guys, I did not realize "defined" was for resources only, not variables.

The custom fact is created using a custom fact creator "fact", which
makes other custom facts out of strings in a text file. the text file
itself is managed by puppet.

http://www.devco.net/archives/2008/06/16/rework_of_puppet_facts_for_etcfactstxt.php

And so it is normal that the text file based custom facts do not exist
in the first run...

Thanks,
Mohamed.

Post by jcbollinger

I have a custom fact called:  gu_app_oracle_rac
Which gets set, indirectly, by puppet itself... and so in the very
first run it does not exist... I will be changing the whole business
of how I set these facts, but I need a quick workaround to the
following issue...
I have some templates using that variable and so the first run fails
if !defined(gu_app_oracle_rac) {
    $gu_app_oracle_rac = false
}
Now, this allows the first run, maybe a few, to work... then when the
Cannot reassign variable gu_app_oracle_rac in site.pp
Why doesn't the *if* statement do what I expect it to do?

Amplifying what Nan said, the 'defined' function is documented to be
for use with classes, resource types, and resource instances.  In your
case, therefore, it is looking for a class or definition named
"gu_app_oracle_rac", and returning false when it doesn't find one.
Even if it worked on variables, however, 'defined' is parse-order
dependent and Puppet parse order is unpredictable, so using 'defined'
is never a good idea.  Ever.
As to the underlying problem, I'm confused about your description.  If
gu_app_oracle_rac is a custom fact, then aren't you delivering it to
clients via pluginsync?  If so then it should be available on every
run, including the first.
John
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Puppet Users" group.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/puppet-users?hl=en.