Can there be an -update=true switch added to atlantis plan/apply?

[red8888]

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Describe the user story

Related to previous issue but my use case is different:

• Update module command #41
• Add -update flag to terraform init #443

When testing changes to my modules I create a feature branch and reference it some places its used like this:

module "my_module" {
  // source                         = "git::ssh:/..../my_module?ref=1.2.3"
  source                         = "git::ssh:/..../my_module?ref=feature/fix-the-thing"

I then do applies via atlantis so everyone can see whats happening in the PR. When we are ready to release we create a git tag.

During testing I'll apply, update my branch, apply again. I can't do this with atlantis because it does not re-download my branch.

Describe the solution you'd like

I don't want atlantis to force update modules every time, just on an adhoc basis via a switch. I want to be able to run atlantis plan -force-update or some arg to tell it to download the module again. So when I push changes to my branch I can plan/apply in atlantis.

Describe the drawbacks of your solution

Requires code changes.

Describe alternatives you've considered

Not anything that doesn't negatively effect my dev workflow

[jamengual]

can't you use custom workflow with terraform init --reconfigure?

[nitrocode]

I think you want a custom workflow which will run

terraform init -upgrade

Or you could even wipe the .terraform directory before each init

rm -rf .terraform/
terraform init -upgrade

[jficz]

I would like to reopen/revisit this issue. Having more or less the same use case as OP, I see a clear separation of concerns between the module developer, repo developer and workflow owner, which can easily be managed by different roles for different purposes. Having a whole custom workflow just for this seems like an impractical overkill, especially if the workflow itself is complex already. A -force-update-like flag is much more sensible and scales better with this kind of use cases.