CFE-3105: Made format collect data container

[victormlg]

No description provided.

[larsewi]

Could you perhaps use VarNameOrInlineToJson() to achieve this?

[victormlg]

Could you perhaps use VarNameOrInlineToJson() to achieve this?

That was my initial idea, however this would break backwards compatibility because string lists are formatted differently from data containers and VarNameOrInlineToJson() parses string lists as data containers.

bundle agent main
{
  vars:
    "stringlist" slist => { "a", "b" };
    "array" data => parsejson('["a", "b"]');
    "str1" string => format("%S", array);
    "str2" string => format("%S", stringlist);

  reports:
    "$(str1)";
    "$(str2)";
}

R: ["a","b"]
R: { "a", "b" } # special case, with current implementation

[victormlg]

Got this error, thus the second commit:

R: FILES DIFFER BUT SHOULD BE THE SAME
R: CONTENTS OF /home/runner/work/core/core/tests/acceptance/workdir/__01_vars_02_functions_nth_datacontainer_cf/tmp/TEST.cfengine.actual:
jsonstring = {"boolean":true,"boolean_2":false,"integer":20130111,"integer_2":987654321,"list":["chris","dituri","was","here"],"null":null,"object":{"a":true,"b":[1,2,3],"c":"cat","d":108},"string":"Figaro. Figaro. Figaro, Figaro, Figaro... Figaro!","string_2":"Othello? Where art thou now?"}
keys:json = boolean
keys:json = string
keys:json = integer
keys:json = list
keys:json = object
keys:json = integer_2
keys:json = string_2
keys:json = boolean_2
keys:json = null
primitive:json[boolean] = true
primitive:json[string] = Figaro. Figaro. Figaro, Figaro, Figaro... Figaro!
primitive:json[integer] = 20130111
primitive:json[integer_2] = 987654321
primitive:json[string_2] = Othello? Where art thou now?
primitive:json[boolean_2] = false
primitive:json[null] = null
list:json[0] = chris
list:json[1] = dituri
list:json[2] = was
list:json[3] = here
object:json[a] = true
object:json[c] = cat
object:json[d] = 108

R: CONTENTS OF /home/runner/work/core/core/tests/acceptance/workdir/__01_vars_02_functions_nth_datacontainer_cf/tmp/TEST.cfengine.expected:
jsonstring = {"boolean":true,"boolean_2":false,"integer":20130111,"integer_2":987654321,"list":["chris","dituri","was","here"],"null":null,"object":{"a":true,"b":[1,2,3],"c":"cat","d":108},"string":"Figaro. Figaro. Figaro, Figaro, Figaro... Figaro!","string_2":"Othello? Where art thou now?"}
keys:json = boolean
keys:json = boolean_2
keys:json = integer
keys:json = integer_2
keys:json = list
keys:json = null
keys:json = object
keys:json = string
keys:json = string_2
primitive:json[boolean] = true
primitive:json[boolean_2] = false
primitive:json[integer] = 20130111
primitive:json[integer_2] = 987654321
primitive:json[null] = null
primitive:json[string] = Figaro. Figaro. Figaro, Figaro, Figaro... Figaro!
primitive:json[string_2] = Othello? Where art thou now?
list:json[0] = chris
list:json[1] = dituri
list:json[2] = was
list:json[3] = here
object:json[a] = true
object:json[c] = cat
object:json[d] = 108

R: --- /home/runner/work/core/core/tests/acceptance/workdir/__01_vars_02_functions_nth_datacontainer_cf/tmp/TEST.cfengine.expected	2026-08-10 09:41:09.771766724 +0000
+++ /home/runner/work/core/core/tests/acceptance/workdir/__01_vars_02_functions_nth_datacontainer_cf/tmp/TEST.cfengine.actual	2026-08-10 09:41:09.779927634 +0000
@@ -1,20 +1,20 @@
 jsonstring = {"boolean":true,"boolean_2":false,"integer":20130111,"integer_2":987654321,"list":["chris","dituri","was","here"],"null":null,"object":{"a":true,"b":[1,2,3],"c":"cat","d":108},"string":"Figaro. Figaro. Figaro, Figaro, Figaro... Figaro!","string_2":"Othello? Where art thou now?"}
 keys:json = boolean
-keys:json = boolean_2
+keys:json = string
 keys:json = integer
-keys:json = integer_2
 keys:json = list
-keys:json = null
 keys:json = object
-keys:json = string
+keys:json = integer_2
 keys:json = string_2
+keys:json = boolean_2
+keys:json = null
 primitive:json[boolean] = true
-primitive:json[boolean_2] = false
+primitive:json[string] = Figaro. Figaro. Figaro, Figaro, Figaro... Figaro!
 primitive:json[integer] = 20130111
 primitive:json[integer_2] = 987654321
-primitive:json[null] = null
-primitive:json[string] = Figaro. Figaro. Figaro, Figaro, Figaro... Figaro!
 primitive:json[string_2] = Othello? Where art thou now?
+primitive:json[boolean_2] = false
+primitive:json[null] = null
 list:json[0] = chris
 list:json[1] = dituri
 list:json[2] = was
R: /home/runner/work/core/core/tests/acceptance/./01_vars/02_functions/nth_datacontainer.cf FAIL