Try2 to make cdist honor the manifest order,

this implementation has some more lines of code,
but no collision with the require variable.

cdist/emulator.py

@@ -154,8 +154,8 @@ class Emulator(object):
             self.cdist_object.create()
             self.cdist_object.parameters = self.parameters
             # record the created object in typeorder file
-            with open(self.typeorder_path, 'a') as tofd:
-                tofd.write(self.cdist_object.name + os.linesep)
+            with open(self.typeorder_path, 'a') as typeorderfile:
+                print(self.cdist_object.name, file=typeorderfile)
 
         # Record / Append source
         self.cdist_object.source.append(self.object_source)
@@ -184,6 +184,24 @@ class Emulator(object):
 
     def record_requirements(self):
         """record requirements"""
+        #from pudb import set_trace; set_trace();
+
+        if "EXECUTE_TYPES_IN_CREATION_ORDER" in self.env and self.env['EXECUTE_TYPES_IN_CREATION_ORDER'] == 'true':
+            # load object name created bevor this one from typeorder file ...
+            with open(self.typeorder_path, 'r') as typecreationfile:
+                typecreationorder = typecreationfile.readlines()
+                # get the type created bevore this one ...
+                try:
+                    lastcreatedtype = typecreationorder[-2].strip()
+                    if 'require' in self.env:
+                        self.env['require'] += " " + lastcreatedtype
+                    else:
+                        self.env['require'] = lastcreatedtype
+                    self.log.debug("Injecting require for EXECUTE_TYPES_IN_CREATION_ORDER: %s for %s", lastcreatedtype, self.cdist_object.name)
+                except IndexError:
+                    # if no second last line, we are on the first type, so do not set a requirement
+                    pass
+
 
         if "require" in self.env:
             requirements = self.env['require']
@@ -192,18 +210,6 @@ class Emulator(object):
                 # Ignore empty fields - probably the only field anyway
                 if len(requirement) == 0: continue
 
-
-                if requirement == "CDIST_HONOR_MANIFEST_ORDER":
-                    # load object name created bevor this one from typeorder file ...
-                    with open(self.typeorder_path, 'r') as tofd:
-                        lines = tofd.readlines()
-                        # replace the placeholder with the last created object
-                        try:
-                            requirement = lines[-2].strip()
-                        except IndexError:
-                            # if no second last line, we are on the first object, so do not set a requirement
-                            continue
-
                 # Raises an error, if object cannot be created
                 try:
                     cdist_object = self.cdist_object.object_from_name(requirement)
@@ -212,7 +218,7 @@ class Emulator(object):
                     raise
 
 
-                self.log.debug("Recording requirement: " + requirement)
+                self.log.debug("Recording requirement: %s", requirement)
 
                 # Save the sanitised version, not the user supplied one
                 # (__file//bar => __file/bar)

docs/man/man7/cdist-manifest.text

@@ -128,18 +128,30 @@ All objects that are created in a type manifest are automatically required
 from the type that is calling them. This is called "autorequirement" in
 cdist jargon.
 
+
+EXECUTE_TYPES_IN_CREATION_ORDER is a EXPERIMENTAL FEATURE !
 You can tell cdist to execute all types in the order in which they are created 
-in the manifest by setting require to the special value of 
-"CDIST_HONOR_MANIFEST_ORDER".
+in the manifest by exporting EXECUTE_TYPES_IN_CREATION_ORDER with the value true.
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 # Tells cdist to execute all types in the order in which they are created ...
-export require="CDIST_HONOR_MANIFEST_ORDER"
+export EXECUTE_TYPES_IN_CREATION_ORDER=true
 __sample_type 1
-__sample_type 2
+require="__some_type_somewhere/id" __sample_type 2
 __example_type 23
-# Now this types are executed in the creation order
+# Now this types are executed in the creation order until the variable is unset
+unset EXECUTE_TYPES_IN_CREATION_ORDER
+# all now following types cdist makes the order ..
+__not_in_order_type 42
+
+# how it works :
+# this lines above are translated to:
+__sample_type 1
+require="__some_type_somewhere/id __sample_type/1" __sample_type 2
+require="__sample_type/2" __example_type 23
+__not_in_order_type 42
+
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------