Fixes #1712: Fix content_view_version_cleanup slice error

[smeeus]

An explicit conversion to int of the foreman_content_view_version_cleanup_keep variable is required to fix the slice indices must be integers or None or have an __index__ method error.

[smeeus]

@evgeni Could you try and prioritize this fix in one of the next releases please?

[evgeni]

How are you setting it so it doesn't end up being an int?

[smeeus]

Very good question, and I don't have an answer there. I have had this error for a long while now and actually never considered that it was due to that variable being an issue.
It's only today by really debugging all the selectattr, rejectattr and map filters that I figured out it was related to this variable.
When I debug the variable, it does show as an integer, but it seems it doesn't when you use it to slice the lists.
There might be moregoing on, but the implicit conversion does work.
In the issue, I've used 0 as a value, but I've also tested the fix with 1 and 3 against a satellite 6.14 server.

[evgeni]

This feels like papering over an actual issue.

In our CI this works just fine:

foreman-ansible-modules/tests/test_playbooks/content_view_version_cleanup_role.yml

Line 58 in 28ea226

foreman_content_view_version_cleanup_keep: 2

And so does my prod environment where I use this role regularly.

Do your variables come from some external source, not a vars file?

[smeeus]

I always set it from command line with -e "foreman_content_view_version_cleanup_keep=0"
In the production environments I work with, it passes through another collection I am working on: https://github.com/kangaroot/ansible-collection-kangaroot-foreman

But even with the example playbook in the issue, I have the same error.

[evgeni]

out of curiousity, can you try with -e '{"foreman_content_view_version_cleanup_keep":5}' (= use JSON and not a string to pass the var)

[smeeus]

I don't have the error if I use the JSON style parameter.
I've also tried some variations with single and double quotes on the non-JSON style and they all give the same error.

This is one of those python variable type conversion things again I think...

Something I have issues with on a regular basis is ansible_distribution_major_version >= 8 for example in when clauses, they also need an implicit conversion to int everywhere I check for a version these days. I use different ansible versions in some cases (customer dependent). Something tells me this is somewhat related and python not having proper knowledge of the type of the variables.

[smeeus]

Now, regardless of the JSON style working or not, I can imagine that other people might have faced the same issue.
Even though it is pampering something that shouldn't be fixed, it might be a good idea to just do it regardless, always be sure that it is an int instead of having to rely on a certain method of passing command line variables etc.

[evgeni]

Yeah, I absolutely agree we should fix this. I just wanted to better understand why it needs fixing.

The cli -e string/json difference is a good one.

[smeeus]

Thanks @evgeni