Puppet: if statment inside a custom resource - puppet

Question

I am trying to write a manifest that iterates through an array to create and maintain application users.
The list of users is passed to the manifest from init.pp in the following fashion:
$app_users = [ at1,et1,at2,et2 ]
The users.pp manifest then reads the array to create the users:
define appuser {
user { $name:
ensure => 'present',
comment => "Application User - $name",
gid => 'app',
home => "/apps/$app/$name",
shell => '/usr/bin/bash',
}
}
appuser { $app_users: }
This solution worked very well with another module I wrote, but in this case the home directory path includes a variable, that depends on the user name.
Adding the following if statement inside the resource issues an error:
if $name =~ /^(et|ep)/ {
$app = "echos"
notice('app is $app')
}
Syntax error at 'if'; expected '}' at .../users.pp:9
I read somewhere that you cannot place an if statement inside a resource...
In that case, what are my options? I'm experiencing a coding block...
We're using puppet master version 2.7.19 (Puppet Enterprise 2.7.0).

Answer 1

it sounds like it is only a syntax error, you should add your if statement within the definitions, sth like
define appuser {
if $name =~ /^(et|ep)/ {
$app = "echos"
notice('app is $app')
}
user { $name:
ensure => 'present',
comment => "Application User - $name",
gid => 'app',
home => "/apps/$app/$name",
shell => '/usr/bin/bash',
}
}

Answer 2

I would prefer case than if statement in this case, e.g.,
define appuser {
user { $name:
ensure => 'present',
comment => "Application User - $name",
gid => 'app',
home => $name ? {
'/^(et|ep)/' => "/apps/echos/$name",
default => "/apps/$app/$name",},
shell => '/usr/bin/bash',
}
}