Soon after posting The right order in cfengine, I asked in the help list if it was the right way to do it. To discover that my approach was a bit too overkill 🙂

So, while still a bit overkill, the following could be a much better approach: …

body common control
{
  bundlesequence => { "test" } ;
  inputs         => { "cfengine_stdlib.cf" } ;
  version        => "Slow convergence";
}

body classes always(x)

# Define a class no matter what the outcome of the promise is

{
  promise_repaired => { "$(x)" };
  promise_kept => { "$(x)" };
  repair_failed => { "$(x)" };
  repair_denied => { "$(x)" };
  repair_timeout => { "$(x)" };
}

bundle agent test {
  files:
      "/tmp/t2.txt"
	edit_defaults => empty,
	create => "true",
	edit_line => t2 ;

}

bundle edit_line t2 {
  vars:
      "index" slist => { "a", "b", "c", "d" } ;

  classes:
      "has_$(index)" expression => "trigger" ;

  insert_lines:
    any::
      "### header ###"
	classes => always("trigger") ;

    trigger::
      "this should be the second"
      	classes => always("step_a") ;

    has_a.step_a::
      "third"
	classes => always("step_b") ;

    has_b.step_b::
      "fourth"
	classes => always("step_c") ;

    has_c.step_c::
      "fifth"
	classes => always("step_d") ;

    has_d.step_d::
      "last" ;
}

As you can see, it's basically the same thing, but now all of the file editing takes place in a single files: promise, with an edit_line bundle that applies all the needed insert_lines promises: much more logical.

I have to go now, and read the docs Mark Burgess posted. They look quite promising 🙂