feat(tf): update the tf:init command to work for TF dynamic backends

[westonplatter]

what

• We're modernized our TF backend strategy to use a single dynamic backend file.
• Therefore, we can remove the backend file switching and simplify the tf:init command
• Additionally, revised the task desc and summary attributes to highlight ability to use either Terraform or OpenTofu as a follow up to feat(tf): default to tofu and allow switching back to terraform #38

why

references

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features

  • Added support for OpenTofu as an alternative tool to Terraform for infrastructure management, selectable via configuration.

• Improvements

  • Simplified backend configuration handling by removing fixed backend-file requirements.
  • Introduced new public configuration variable for specifying custom Terraform variables path location.
  • Updated task naming conventions and descriptions to reflect dual tool support.

[Gowiem]

Thanks Weston !

[coderabbitai]

Walkthrough

This PR refactors the Terraform tasks in lib/tf/Taskfile.yml to support both Terraform and OpenTofu tools. It introduces a dynamic TF_CMD variable that switches between "terraform" and "tofu" based on the USE_TERRAFORM configuration setting. Backend file handling is generalized by removing BACKEND_CONFIG_FILE preconditions and replacing tool-specific commands with generic TF_CMD invocations across init, plan, apply, and refresh tasks. The refresh task implementation changes to use "apply -refresh-only" instead of the native refresh command. Task descriptions are updated to reflect dual-tool support.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~12-15 minutes

• Verify the TF_CMD conditional logic correctly selects between "terraform" and "tofu" based on USE_TERRAFORM
• Confirm the refresh task's transition from "refresh" command to "apply -refresh-only" is functionally equivalent and compatible with both tools
• Ensure TFVARS_PATH variable is consistently applied across all affected tasks and maintains backward compatibility

Possibly related PRs

• feat(tf): default to tofu and allow switching back to terraform #38: Directly updates lib/tf/Taskfile.yml with identical TF_CMD logic and changes to init/plan/apply/refresh tasks for Terraform/OpenTofu dual support
• feat: add workspace selection #35: Modifies the same Terraform tasks (plan/apply/refresh) with additional workspace-selection functionality
• feat: add terraform refresh command #33: Modifies the Terraform refresh task specifically, replacing "terraform refresh" implementation with "apply -refresh-only" approach

Suggested reviewers

• gberenice
• Gowiem
• oycyc

Pre-merge checks and finishing touches

✅ Passed checks (3 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title accurately describes the main change: updating the tf:init command to support dynamic backends, which aligns with the PR's core objective of modernizing the backend strategy.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

✨ Finishing touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Post copyable unit tests in a comment
• Commit unit tests in branch feat/update-tf-init

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📜 Recent review details

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 71d42fe and 3e484ad.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• lib/tf/Taskfile.yml (3 hunks)

🧰 Additional context used

🧠 Learnings (1)

📚 Learning: 2025-05-12T15:44:10.001Z

Learnt from: gberenice
Repo: masterpointio/terraform-users-groups-automation-googleworkspace PR: 1
File: examples/import-existing-org/imports.tf:7-7
Timestamp: 2025-05-12T15:44:10.001Z
Learning: In Terraform, local variables defined in one .tf file are available throughout all other .tf files in the same module directory, which allows for referencing locals across different files.

Applied to files:

• lib/tf/Taskfile.yml

🔇 Additional comments (5)

lib/tf/Taskfile.yml (5)

12-27: Well-structured variable setup for dynamic tool selection.

The introduction of TF_CMD with sensible defaults and the TFVARS_PATH variable demonstrates clean abstraction. The shell conditional properly defaults to OpenTofu when USE_TERRAFORM is not explicitly set to "true", which is a safe and intuitive design.

Please verify that the USE_TERRAFORM environment variable is documented in the project's setup or environment configuration guide so users understand how to toggle between Terraform and OpenTofu.

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30-40: Clean simplification of the init task.

The removal of backend file handling and the straightforward use of TF_CMD aligns well with the dynamic backend strategy. The descriptions clearly indicate dual-tool support, and the decision to not require a tfvars file for init is correct.

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43-59: Plan task implementation is consistent and well-documented.

The precondition check for the tfvars file is appropriate, and the dual-tool support is clearly communicated. The command structure mirrors the intended pattern across all tasks.

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62-78: Apply task refactor maintains consistency with plan task.

The structure and preconditions follow the same pattern as the plan task, which promotes maintainability. Descriptions clearly indicate dual-tool support.

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81-97: Refresh task properly modernized to use apply -refresh-only.

The migration away from the deprecated terraform refresh command to apply -refresh-only is well-documented in the summary and correctly implemented. This change is forward-compatible and aligns with Terraform upstream recommendations.

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