[chef] Re: Wrapper Cookbooks and Computed Attributes

[Torben Knerr < >]

For example, say I have a cookbook called "example".  In its
attributes/default.rb file, it has these two lines:

default['example']['version'] = '1.0'
default['example']

['module'] = "example-#{example['version']}"

By default, the value of node['example']['module'] should be properly set to
"example-1.0".  If I set the version to "1.1" using a role, I can access
node['example']['module'] in a recipe, and its value should be "example-1.1",
which is great.  However, if I set up a wrapper cookbook named
"mycompany-example" and have its attributes/default.rb file contain the line
"

override['example']['version'] = '1.1'", accessing node['example']['module']
in a recipe will give me a value of "example-1.0", even though accessing
node['example']['version'] would correctly be '1.1'.  The ideal outcome would
be to have the module value be "example-1.1", and I'm lost as to how to make
that happen.

You are running into this:

http://tickets.opscode.com/browse/CHEF-4234

TL;DR

In your wrapper cookbook either repeat the computed node attribute...

```

node.set

['example']['version'] = '1.1'

# not DRY but works

node.set['example']

['module'] = "example-#{example['version']}"

```

...or use this to re-evaluate the original attributes file in your wrapper cookbook (see http://docs.opscode.com/chef/essentials_cookbook_recipes.html#reload-attributes):

```

node.set

['example']['version'] = '1.1'

# now re-evaluate the default attributes file from the example cookbook

node.from_file(run_context.resolve_attribute("example", "default.rb"))

```

Also notice that `set` is enough -- you don't need to `override`. Not sure if that was intended in your example... 

Cheers, 

Torben