Definition question

In the documentation for definitions (
http://docs.opscode.com/essentials_cookbook_definitions.html), I notice it
says:

“resource notifications will not work normally when the resource to be
notified is located in a definition”

I was curious why this is the case, since it looked to me by reading the
code that definitions just loaded any defined resources into the
resource_collection, just as the recipe DSL would do, which should mean
notifications should work.

I’ve done a test and a resource outside a definition notifying a resource
inside a definition seems to work for me. A resource inside a definition
also seems to be able to send notifications to resources outside the
definition just fine.

Has the functionality changed so that the warning in the documentation is
no longer valid, or am I missing a subtlety?

-Ben

Hi Ben,

I've got the same view on the matter as you. Notifying resources outside
of a definition works just fine, though I think I haven't tried to
notify resources inside the definition.
Actually there's nothing in the chef-client architecture that can
prevent notifications to work in this case.

Regards,
Dennis

On 26/02/14 06:01, Benjamin Bytheway wrote:

In the documentation for definitions
(http://docs.opscode.com/essentials_cookbook_definitions.html), I
notice it says:

"resource notifications will not work normally when the resource to be
notified is located in a definition"

I was curious why this is the case, since it looked to me by reading
the code that definitions just loaded any defined resources into the
resource_collection, just as the recipe DSL would do, which should
mean notifications should work.

I've done a test and a resource outside a definition notifying a
resource inside a definition seems to work for me. A resource inside a
definition also seems to be able to send notifications to resources
outside the definition just fine.

Has the functionality changed so that the warning in the documentation
is no longer valid, or am I missing a subtlety?

-Ben

I think this is a documentation bug.

It's meant to say that while definitions often "look" like resources in a
chef recipe (apache_site "mysite" do..), they don't behave like them. You
cant notify/subscribe to an apache_site, for example. Its just a macro that
yields a set of resources on the resource_collection. This is contrasted
with a custom type implemented with the LWRP DSL, where you can..

-s

On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 6:01 PM, Benjamin Bytheway bbytheway@gmail.comwrote:

In the documentation for definitions (
http://docs.opscode.com/essentials_cookbook_definitions.html), I notice
it says:

"resource notifications will not work normally when the resource to be
notified is located in a definition"

I was curious why this is the case, since it looked to me by reading the
code that definitions just loaded any defined resources into the
resource_collection, just as the recipe DSL would do, which should mean
notifications should work.

I've done a test and a resource outside a definition notifying a resource
inside a definition seems to work for me. A resource inside a definition
also seems to be able to send notifications to resources outside the
definition just fine.

Has the functionality changed so that the warning in the documentation is
no longer valid, or am I missing a subtlety?

-Ben

Yes, this is a documentation bug. Or was. That page is now updated. Thanks
for catching this!

On Wed, Feb 26, 2014 at 3:40 AM, Sean OMeara someara@opscode.com wrote:

I think this is a documentation bug.

It's meant to say that while definitions often "look" like resources in a
chef recipe (apache_site "mysite" do..), they don't behave like them. You
cant notify/subscribe to an apache_site, for example. Its just a macro that
yields a set of resources on the resource_collection. This is contrasted
with a custom type implemented with the LWRP DSL, where you can..

-s

On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 6:01 PM, Benjamin Bytheway bbytheway@gmail.comwrote:

In the documentation for definitions (
http://docs.opscode.com/essentials_cookbook_definitions.html), I notice
it says:

"resource notifications will not work normally when the resource to be
notified is located in a definition"

I was curious why this is the case, since it looked to me by reading the
code that definitions just loaded any defined resources into the
resource_collection, just as the recipe DSL would do, which should mean
notifications should work.

I've done a test and a resource outside a definition notifying a resource
inside a definition seems to work for me. A resource inside a definition
also seems to be able to send notifications to resources outside the
definition just fine.

Has the functionality changed so that the warning in the documentation is
no longer valid, or am I missing a subtlety?

-Ben