render_file will select delete_file resources out of the resource collection and ignore template_create resources that would otherwise match

[aogail]

In one of my cookbooks, I'm using a node attribute to control whether a config file is laid down or deleted during the chef run. The node attribute's default value is nil, in which case the config file is deleted. If the node attribute is set to another value, the config file is created based on a template from the cookbook.

I discovered that in this scenario, the render_file matcher does not correctly match the latter case. create_template does correctly match, though. I distilled a minimal cookbook to exhibit the issue and posted it on Github: https://github.com/aogail/chefspec-template-or-delete

Recipe:

template '/etc/config.conf' do
  variables(
      :setting => node['chefspec-render-file']['setting']
  )
  source 'config.conf.erb'
  not_if {node['chefspec-render-file']['setting'].nil?}
end

file '/etc/config.conf' do
  action :delete
  only_if {node['chefspec-render-file']['setting'].nil?}
end

Chefspec tests:

require 'chefspec'

describe 'chefspec-render-file::default' do
  let(:config_path) {'/etc/config.conf'}

  context 'with default node attributes' do
    let(:chef_run) do
      ChefSpec::SoloRunner.new(platform: 'oracle', version: '7.2').converge(described_recipe)
    end

    it 'deletes the config file' do
      expect(chef_run).to delete_file(config_path)
    end

    it 'does not create the config file, verified by create_template' do
      expect(chef_run).to_not create_template(config_path)
    end

    it 'does not create the config file, verified by render_file' do
      expect(chef_run).to_not render_file(config_path)
    end
  end

  context 'with the optional attribute set' do
    let(:setting) {'some_value'}

    let(:chef_run) do
      ChefSpec::SoloRunner.new(platform: 'oracle', version: '7.2') do |node|
        node.override['chefspec-render-file']['setting'] = setting
      end.converge(described_recipe)
    end

    it 'does not delete the config file' do
      expect(chef_run).to_not delete_file(config_path)
    end

    it 'creates the config file, verified by create_template' do
      expect(chef_run).to create_template(config_path)
    end

    it 'creates the config file, verified by render_file' do
      expect(chef_run).to render_file(config_path)
    end

    it 'creates the config file, verified by render_file with content' do
      expect(chef_run).to render_file(config_path).with_content(/#{setting}/)
    end
  end
end

Chefspec failure output:

  1) chefspec-render-file::default with the optional attribute set creates the config file, verified by render_file
     Failure/Error: expect(chef_run).to render_file(config_path)
       expected Chef run to render "/etc/config.conf"
     # ./spec/unit/recipes/default_spec.rb:42:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  2) chefspec-render-file::default with the optional attribute set creates the config file, verified by render_file with content
     Failure/Error: expect(chef_run).to render_file(config_path).with_content(/#{setting}/)
     
       expected Chef run to render "/etc/config.conf" matching:
     
       (?-mix:some_value)
     
       but got:
     
     
        
     # ./spec/unit/recipes/default_spec.rb:46:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

[coderanger]

Please include your recipe and spec code as well.

[aogail]

@coderanger It's at https://github.com/aogail/chefspec-template-or-delete. Do you mean I should include it somewhere else?

[coderanger]

@aogail In general it's best to include it in the issue itself since external repos 1) have a ton of extra files in them and 2) can change under the hood.

[coderanger]

Does it work if you use a single resource instead?

template '/etc/config.conf' do
  variables(
      :setting => node['chefspec-render-file']['setting']
  )
  source 'config.conf.erb'
  action node['chefspec-render-file']['setting'] ? :create : :delete
end

Guessing something might be getting overwritten in the internal tracking?

[aogail]

Good idea, I'll give that a try.

[lamont-granquist]

the render_file matcher finds the file[<filename>] resource first and then stops and does not find the template[<filename>] resource:

chefspec/lib/chefspec/matchers/render_file_matcher.rb

Lines 85 to 87 in b402602

	@resource ||= @runner.find_resource(:cookbook_file, @path) ||
	@runner.find_resource(:file, @path) ||
	@runner.find_resource(:template, @path)

[lamont-granquist]

as far as i can see the node attribute control has nothing to do with this bug...