dictionary variables defined in cookiecutter.json erroring on manual run and templates in context values not working

• Cookiecutter version: 1.7.3
• Template project url: n/a
• Python version: 3.9.0
• Operating System: Windows 10

Description:

Fresh install of cookiecutter. When I run the template, I have a default set of defined variables in the cookiecutter.json file, one of which is supposed to be a hidden dictionary variable that the outputs use to lookup what to use in the output file. The problem is it still asks for input to this “hidden” variable as [default] and then errors when I press enter saying “Error: Unable to decode to JSON.” I do not have this issue when executing on my Mac with cookiecutter version 1.6.0. Also if I run the template with the --no-input flag it works fine but the problem then is the variables that I need the user to change from default arent changed because they of course do not get the prompt. Also I am using a template in the context values to set another hidden variable but it also does not work. The output contains the bracketed text as a whole in the output (not the value of the variable I expect). So in my example below, in the output file I get “{{ cookiecutter.olt” and I would expect to get BNG.

What I’ve run:

cookiecutter.json

{
  "olt": "BNGOLT4",
 <snip>
  "_shelter": "{{ cookiecutter.olt[:3] }}",
  "_drPair": {
    "Lab": {
      "dr1": "LABDR1",
      "dr2": "LABDR2"
    },
    "3": {
      "dr1": "CODDR3",
      "dr2": "FABDR3"
    },
    "4": {
      "dr1": "CODDR4",
      "dr2": "FADDR4"
    }
  }
}

JSON error

$ cookiecutter testTemplate
olt [BNGOLT4]:
<snip>
_drPair [default]:
Error: Unable to decode to JSON.
_drPair [default]:
Error: Unable to decode to JSON.
_drPair [default]:
Error: Unable to decode to JSON.
_drPair [default]:

-v output of the default value of _drPair in cookiecutter.json

('_drPair', OrderedDict([('Lab', OrderedDict([('dr1', 'LABDR1'), ('dr2', 'LABDR2')])), ('3', OrderedDict([('dr1', 'CODDR3'), ('dr2', 'FADDR3')])), ('4', OrderedDict([('dr1', 'CODDR4'), ('dr2', 'FADDR4')])

Screenshot of the invalid output of the _shelter variable not pulling the defined value earlier:

[cjolowicz]

The follow-up issue with JSON not being decoded was fixed in #1562, which is also still unreleased. pip install cookiecutter 'click<8' would work around this one.

[cjolowicz]

I’m not the right person to answer that. @simobasso @ssbarnea @SharpEdgeMarshall might know.