argo workflow Cannot transition token types from UNKNOWN [<nil>] to COMPARATOR [!=]

[nmingmei]

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Workflow
metadata:
  name: exit-handlers
spec:
  entrypoint: exit-handler
  templates:
  - name: exit-handler
    steps:
    - - name: update-db-upon-failure
        template: update-db-upon-failure
        when: ' {{ printf "%s" "{{" }}workflow.status}} != Succeeded '
  - name: update-db-upon-failure
    container:
      image: "{{ .Values.image.repository }}:{{ .Values.image.tag | default .Chart.AppVersion }}"
      command: [ "python", "-u", "-c" ]
      args:
        - 'training.argo.run_db.py {{ printf "%s" "{{" }}run_id}} {{ printf "%s" "{{" }}user_id}}'

full error: Invalid 'when' expression ' != Succeeded ': Cannot transition token types from UNKNOWN [] to COMPARATOR [!=]

i tried when: '{{workflow.status}} != Succeeded'
i tried using double quotes, single quotes, removing the printf etc, nothing works.
Removing the printf results in it not finding "workflow"

[nmingmei]

if I try with
when: '{{workflow.status}} != Succeeded'

(with either double or single quotes)

this happens:

Failed to load target state: failed to generate manifest for source 1 of 1: rpc error: code = Unknown desc = helm template . --name-template 890-fix --namespace 890-fix --kube-version 1.28 --values /tmp/2aa609d9-aaca-476a-bf6a-61561452313c <api versions removed> --include-crds failed exit status 1: Error: parse error at (svc/templates/argo_exit_handler.yaml:12): function "workflow" not defined Use --debug flag to render out invalid YAML

[static-moonlight]

Honestly, this looks crazy :D

when: ' {{ printf "%s" "{{" }}workflow.status}} != Succeeded '

I'm not sure what the printf is for. Maybe you want to try to simplify your expression. In one of my workflows I'm doing this, and it's working fine:

    - name: exit-handler
      dag:
        tasks:
          - name: do-something
            when: "{{ workflow.status }} == Succeeded"
            [...]

[static-moonlight]

Oh, I might see the problem.

The workflow variable workflow.status is only available for the exit handler, see the documentation. Your task template exit-handler is used as entrypoint. Despite the name, it's just a task template like any other. So you need to define something else as entrypoint:

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Workflow
metadata:
  name: exit-handlers
spec:
  entrypoint: do-something
  onExit: exit-handler
  [...]

[nmingmei]

do I need to specify what "do-something" is actually doing though? what would even make sense?

[static-moonlight]

do-something would be your actual workflow (so yeah, you should have that) and exit-handler would be executed AFTER your workflow is done and you can actually do something with the workflow status.

Right now, you are trying to execute a workflow that behaves as an exit handler, and frankly, that doesn't make a lot of sense ;)

EDIT: you might want to take a look at this example.

[nmingmei]

Well I thought my workflow was the exit handler. I did base my script off of that template of the argo exit handler as you linked.