WIP - issues/3066 - add include description

[pritho]

Description

Fixes #3306.

Include additional help for reusing globally defined variables

Release Notes (draft)

Added extended documentation for reusing globally defined variables

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Documentation
  • Enhanced guidance on using locals in configuration, clarifying their limitations across different files.
  • Introduced a new example detailing an alternative method for global variable reuse using external YAML or JSON files.
  • Improved text structure and clarity with reorganized content and updated headings.

[denis256]

Hm, not sure if the changes explain how to use merge_strategy = "deep"
I think it will be helpful to show end to end examples of how to use include and merge_strategy

[yhakbar]

Hey @pritho , do you mind rebasing, then following up on @denis256 's comment?

[github-actions]

This pull request has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for submitting this pull request.

[coderabbitai]

Walkthrough

The changes update the Terragrunt documentation for the locals feature. The documentation now clarifies that locals defined in a parent configuration of an include block are not automatically available in the child configuration. Additionally, a new section demonstrates how to reuse variables globally using YAML or JSON files, complete with an example for defining a common_vars.yaml file and including it in a child configuration. The text was also reorganized for improved clarity.

Changes

File	Change Summary
docs/_docs/02_features/locals.md	- Clarified that locals in parent configs are not inherited automatically in child configs - Added a section with an example for global variable reuse via YAML/JSON - Minor reorganization for clarity

Sequence Diagram(s)

sequenceDiagram
    participant C as Child Terragrunt Config
    participant FS as File System
    participant YD as YAML Decoder

    C->>FS: Load 'common_vars.yaml' using file()
    FS-->>C: Return YAML content
    C->>YD: Decode content with yamldecode()
    YD-->>C: Return global variables
    C-->>C: Utilize variables in locals block

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Suggested reviewers

• denis256

Poem

In docs and code, a tale unfolds,
Guiding locals with ideas bold.
YAML whispers secrets clear and neat,
Merging variables in a rhythmic beat.
A change so bright, a joyful art—
Our docs now sing, a brand new start!
🚀📚

---

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[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 0

🧹 Nitpick comments (1)

docs/_docs/02_features/locals.md (1)

45-50: Clarify and Enhance the Global Locals Section

The new section on reusing variables globally is a strong addition, and it helps clear up the current limitations very nicely. A couple of suggestions for further improvement:

• Wording Precision: On line 45, instead of “available to terragrunt,” consider wording it as “accessible within Terragrunt” or “utilized by Terragrunt” to improve clarity.
• Context for Alternatives: The mention of the merge_strategy = "deep" option on line 47 is a valuable alternative. A brief note on when you might choose this strategy over the YAML/JSON approach would guide users better.
• Semantic Headings: In line 49, the example header is marked up in bold. For better semantic structure and consistency with the rest of the documentation, consider converting this into a heading (for example, using #### Example for using "yaml" or "json" files:).

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📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 14b45a9 and d591bb9.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• docs/_docs/02_features/locals.md (1 hunks)