Azure Devops: Template use sequence typed parameter to generate jobs and stages - azure-devops

Question

It seems the template variable does not support sequence type but the template parameter does support it(called object type in Microsoft doc), together with JobList type and StageList type, but they seem to be just sequences with defined schema.
When iterating through object-typed parameter to generate step I didn't meet any problem, but I got error called 'A sequence was not expected' when I was trying to do such to generate jobs and stages.
So the result have to be like this:
# main.yml:
trigger: none
extends:
template: template.yml
parameters:
PROJECTNAME: foo.bar
DEPLOYMENTTARGETS:
- stage:
jobs:
- deployment:
environment:
name: TEST
tags: Web # tag must be comma separated string which is also kinda weird
- stage:
jobs:
- deployment:
environment:
name: PROD
tags: Web
# template.yml:
parameters:
- name: PROJECTNAME
type: string
default: ""
- name: DEPLOYMENTTARGETS
type: stageList # I was expecting object to be working
default: []
variables:
- group: LoginSecrets
stages:
- ${{ each deploymentTarget in parameters.DEPLOYMENTTARGETS }}: # iterating through an object here will result in error: 'A sequence was not expected', iterating through a StageList is OK
- stage: Deploy_${{replace(parameters.PROJECTNAME,'.','_')}}_${{replace(deploymentTarget.jobs[0].environment.name,'-','')}}_${{replace(replace(deploymentTarget.jobs[0].environment.tags,',','_'),'-','')}}_Stage # assuming each stage contains only one deployment job. We also iterate through jobs here if required.
dependsOn: BuildAndPublish_${{replace(parameters.PROJECTNAME,'.','_')}}_Stage
jobs:
- deployment: Deploy_${{replace(parameters.PROJECTNAME,'.','_')}}_Job
environment:
name: ${{deploymentTarget.jobs[0].environment.name}}
resourceType: VirtualMachine
tags: ${{deploymentTarget.jobs[0].environment.tags}}
strategy:
runOnce:
deploy:
steps:
- pwsh: $(Pipeline.Workspace)/${{parameters.PROJECTNAME}}/pipelineRelease.ps1
env:
LOGINNAME: $(loginName)
LOGINPASSWORD: $(loginPassword)
PROJECTNAME: ${{parameters.PROJECTNAME}}
But I was expecting something like this to be working:
# main.yml:
trigger: none
extends:
template: template.yml
parameters:
PROJECTNAME: foo.bar
DEPLOYMENTTARGETS:
- EnvName: TEST
Tags: Web
- EnvName: PROD
Tags: Web
# template.yml:
parameters:
- name: PROJECTNAME
type: string
default: ""
- name: DEPLOYMENTTARGETS
type: object # instead of StageList, I passed an object here
default: []
variables:
- group: LoginSecrets
stages:
- ${{ each deploymentTarget in parameters.DEPLOYMENTTARGETS }}: # error here
- stage: Deploy_${{replace(parameters.PROJECTNAME,'.','_')}}_${{replace(deploymentTarget.EnvName,'-','')}}_${{replace(replace(deploymentTargetTags,',','_'),'-','')}}_Stage
dependsOn: BuildAndPublish_${{replace(parameters.PROJECTNAME,'.','_')}}_Stage
jobs:
- deployment: Deploy_${{replace(parameters.PROJECTNAME,'.','_')}}_Job
environment:
name: ${{deploymentTarget.EnvName}}
resourceType: VirtualMachine
tags: ${{deploymentTarget.Tags}}
strategy:
runOnce:
deploy:
steps:
- pwsh: $(Pipeline.Workspace)/${{parameters.PROJECTNAME}}/pipelineRelease.ps1
env:
LOGINNAME: $(loginName)
LOGINPASSWORD: $(loginPassword)
PROJECTNAME: ${{parameters.PROJECTNAME}}

Answer 1

Azure Devops: Template use sequence typed parameter to generate jobs and stages
I am afraid we have to use the stageList instead of object to transfer two-dimensional arrays.
That because the parameters is defined as two-dimensional arrays in the main.yml, But if we define this arrays as object in the template.yml file. In this case, we could not loop the object in the template file.
You could check the document Loop through parameters for some more details.
Also, you could check the similar thread for some details.