-only fails with interpolated builder name

[strcrzy]

might be related to #296

this seems to still be broken, at least with the -only flag

vagrant@packer-virtualbox:/Users/jwb/hatchery$ packer build  -only=docker-base -var 'target=base' -var 'docker_source_image=tvservices/ubuntu-ansible:13.04' templ.json
Unknown build in 'only' flag: docker-base

{
   "variables":{
      "aws_key":"{{env `AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID`}}",
      "aws_secret":"{{env `AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`}}",
      "target":"",
      "aws_region":"",
      "aws_source_ami":"",
      "aws_instance_type":"",
      "docker_registry":"",
      "docker_source_image":""
   },
   "provisioners":[
      {
         "only":[
            "docker-{{user `target`}}"
         ],
         "type":"shell",
         "script":"scripts/apt_sources_docker.sh"
      },
      {
         "extra_arguments":[
            "-vvv"
         ],
         "playbook_paths":[
            "ansible/playbooks/{{user `target`}}"
         ],
         "playbook_file":"ansible/{{user `target`}}.yml",
         "command":"stdbuf -oL -eL ansible-playbook",
         "type":"ansible-local"
      }
   ],
   "builders":[
      {
         "image":"{{user `docker_source_image`}}",
         "type":"docker",
         "name":"docker-{{user `target`}}",
         "run_command":[
            "run",
            "-privileged",
            "-d",
            "-i",
            "-t",
            "-v",
            "{{.Volumes}}",
            "{{.Image}}",
            "/bin/bash"
         ],
         "export_path":"/tmp/packer-docker-{{user `target`}}-{{timestamp}}.tar"
      }
   ]
}

[mconigliaro]

Same here.

[mitchellh]

Thanks, will check it out.

[mtthwcmpbll]

I also ran into this today, and was led to this issue from the mentioned #296 (which looks like the original poster was doing almost exactly what we extracting VM role out as a user variable). I've got a set of build scripts wrapping the invocation of Packer to help developers build logical subsets of our images, but this issue means we'll have to make duplicate templates for now, one for each role. I'd love to be able to combine these into a single parameterized template.

[jantman]

Yeah, I'm running into this (I believe the same issue) as well where I define in my builder:

"name": "{{user `box_name`}}-{{user `box_version`}}"

and then attempt (in a script provisioner):

  "only": [
    "{{user `box_name`}}-{{user `box_version`}}"
  ],

but the provisioner never runs

[jasonberanek]

I've replicated the bug, and think I know enough about the problem to work on a fix.

The build name values used to when processing ParseTemplate here do not resolve any user variables or configuration templates. This results in two behaviors:

• For build names in the builder definition, the -only and -except flags will only match the pattern included in the JSON file, not the processed value (e.g., name will be {{user name}} rather than name_value). If you used the string with the template on the command line, the call will select the proper value.
• For the build names used in provisioner and post-processor definition only or except attributes, the names used for those attributes match the pattern included in the JSON file, not the processed value (e.g., name will be {{user name}} rather than name_value). In this case, the problem occurs because when packer evalutes whether a provisioner or post-processor applies based on those statements, it compares the attributes against the processed value (e.g., comparing {{user name}} against name_value. This match fails and should result in either A) the provisioner or post-processor never applying in the case an only attribute is set or B) the provisioner or post-processor applying to all builds irrespective of any builds it shouldn't based on the except attribute.

I need to get my development workstation in order before I can put this together, so if anyone wants to dig in and provide a pull request in the interim please do.

[nchammas]

I'm seeing this issue as well. Builders specified in the only clause in the template don't run if their names depend on template variables. It's not limited to the -only command line parameter.

[mitchellh]

This is fixed!