Cannot override global variables in included Taskfiles since 3.36.0

[MarioSchwalbe]

• Task version: 3.36.0
• Operating system: Linux (probably others)
• Experiments enabled: none

We need 2 task files (see https://taskfile.dev/usage/#vars-of-included-taskfiles):

Taskfile.yml:

version: '3'

includes:
  subA:
    taskfile: DockerBuild.yml

  subB:
    taskfile: DockerBuild.yml
    vars:
      DOCKER_IMAGE: imageOfB

tasks:
  default:
    cmds:
      - task: subA:show   # Uses the default value.
      - task: subB:show   # Used to be `imageOfB`. Now is `default_image`.

and DockerBuild.yml:

version: '3'

vars:
  DOCKER_IMAGE: default_image

tasks:
  show:
    cmds:
      - echo "DOCKER_IMAGE = {{.DOCKER_IMAGE}}"

Since version 3.36.0 I get:

$ task
task: [subA:show] echo "DOCKER_IMAGE = default_image"
DOCKER_IMAGE = default_image
task: [subB:show] echo "DOCKER_IMAGE = default_image"
DOCKER_IMAGE = default_image

In previous versions it was possible to override variables when including taskfiles changing the second case to:

$ task
task: [subA:show] echo "DOCKER_IMAGE = default_image"
DOCKER_IMAGE = default_image
task: [subB:show] echo "DOCKER_IMAGE = imageOfB"
DOCKER_IMAGE = imageOfB

Is this an intended change? And if yes, how would we implement something like that instead?

[glenvan]

Same issue here.

Passing in a variable with the intention of overriding a variable that is defined in the top-level vars: object of the included file no longer replaces the variable's value.

The workaround is to use the default function, as in the test data for (the possible cause) #1533:

vars:
  DOCKER_IMAGE: {{ .DOCKER_IMAGE | default "default_image" }}

[jclasley]

FWIW, using an anchor in the vars works:

# taskfile A

version: 3

vars:
  VAR: "bar"

tasks:
  echo:
    cmds:
      - echo {{ .VAR }}
---
# taskfile B
version: 3

def: &var
  VAR: "foo"

includes: 
  A: 
    taskfile: Taskfile.A.yaml

tasks:
  echo:
    cmds:
      - task: A:echo
        vars:
          *var

which outputs "foo"
but that same command with a merge override is then overridden

# ...
 echo:
    cmds:
      - task: A:echo
        vars:
           <<: *var

echos "bar"

---

If you're like me and have a bunch of variables that you don't want to hardcode over and over, the anchors proved to be a sufficient workaround.

[pd93]

This looks to be related to #1533. I was slightly worried about the potential for this to break Taskfiles at the time. I'll take a more detailed look at this soon.

Edit: It was decided that this was a bugfix at the time and that the proper way was to use | default as suggested by @glenvan.

As an aside - @MarioSchwalbe, I see that in your repro example, you are including the same Taskfile twice with two different namespaces. Is this a common setup for you? The upcoming DAG changes (#1563) which will be included in the next release would actually restrict this functionality. It's not something that I thought would be useful or common at the time. Please let me know if you think otherwise.

[pd93]

@jclasley I'm not able to reproduce your second example. Firstly, PREFIX: {{ .PREFIX }} causes an error since the template is not quoted, but even if I fix this, I do not observe the random behaviour you're describing. In fact, I get identical behaviour on v3.35.1 and v3.36.0.

I have assumed that you have a file named Taskfile.yml in each of the folders: a, b and c as opposed to files with these names. Can you confirm this? Also, your include to ./internal is from the same directory. Does this mean you have an internal directory inside each of a, b and c?

Could you please double check that your example properly reproduces the behaviour you're seeing and update it if necessary. Thanks.

[jclasley]

@pd93 you're right, the second one works as expected. I thought that it was the inclusions that were messing up, but now I realize I was declaring global vars in each child taskfile. Thank you for double-checking!

[MarioSchwalbe]

As an aside - @MarioSchwalbe, I see that in your repro example, you are including the same Taskfile twice with two different namespaces. Is this a common setup for you? The upcoming DAG changes (#1563) which will be included in the next release would actually restrict this functionality. It's not something that I thought would be useful or common at the time. Please let me know if you think otherwise.

Yes. This is definitely important as I'm using some sort of utility Taskfile to build multiple projects (in subdirectories) from within a Taskfile in the top-level directory.

Additionally, these run in different directories like so:

includes:
  subA:
    taskfile: DockerBuild.yml
    dir: subA

  subB:
    taskfile: DockerBuild.yml
    dir: subB
    vars:
      DOCKER_IMAGE: imageOfB

[vmaerten]

Hi @pd93

I have the exact same use case than @MarioSchwalbe. I've opened an issue to discuss / track it :

• Cannot include multiple time the same Taskfile with differents namespaces #1606

[vmaerten]

As @pd93 said, it was decided that this was a bugfix at the time and that the proper way was to use | default as suggested by @glenvan