address_prefix in panos_bgp_policy_rule don't support default empty value

[nguyh]

Describe the issue

panos_bgp_policy_rule address_prefix don't support blank value. I have a list of export rules and some of them don't required address_prefix statement and the execution fail because it expect as dict value defined . Since I just to define a task that can execute all variant to export/import bgp list

Since I use a with_items statement, I have try to supply a default empty value like this:

address_prefix: "{{ item.prefix_list | default([{}]) "

or

address_prefix: "{{ item.prefix_list | default([{'name':None}]) }}"

But none of these attempts works

Expected behavior

The function should skip the execution address_prefix statement when there no address defined or empty address or provide ways to define null value.

Current behavior

address_prefix expects a defined dict valid ip address and don't support empty dict which resulting to error.

"msg": "Address prefix dict requires "name": {}"
or
"msg": "Failed apply: rule-10 -> match -> address-prefix -> None None is an invalid ipv4/v6 address\n rule-10 -> match -> address-prefix is invalid"

Possible solution

address_prefix statement function should skip the execution when the dict is empty or not defined

Steps to reproduce

Vars file

export_rules:
- rule_name: 'rule-9'
  used_by:
    - '{{ peer_grp_1 }}'
  prefix_list:
    - name: '192.168.1.0/26'
      exact: true
    - name: '192.168.1.64/26'
      exact: true
  action_community_type: 'append'
  action_community_argument: '100:10'
- rule_name: 'rule-10'
  used_by:
    - '{{ peer_grp_2 }}'
  match_community_regex: '100:10$|20$'

Playbook snippet

- name: Create Policy Export Rules
  panos_bgp_policy_rule:
    provider: '{{ device }}'
    vr_name: '{{ vr_name }}'
    name: '{{ item.rule_name }}'
    type: 'export'
    enable: true
    action: "{{ item.action | default('allow') }}"
    address_prefix: "{{ item.prefix_list | default([{'name':None}]) }}"     
    used_by: '{{ item.used_by }}' 
  with_items: '{{ export_rules }}'

Screenshots

...
"address_prefix": [
{
"name": null
}
],
...
"msg": "Failed apply: rule-10 -> match -> address-prefix -> None None is an invalid ipv4/v6 address\n rule-10 -> match -> address-prefix is invalid"

Possible Workaround

1- Run fisrt parse task without the address_prefix statement
2- Run a second conditional task that use adddress_prefix statement and write address rule that has address prefix defined .

If there is another way to do this in ansible to use addresss_prefix statement conditionally into one single task.

Context

Cannot use ansible to push bgp export or import rules when rule don't contain prefix but just community

Your Environment

• Collection: 2.9.0
• Python: 3.9.1
• Ansible: 2.10.14
• pan-os-python = "^1.5.1"
• pandevice = "^0.14.0"
• pan-python = "^0.16.0"

[nguyh]

After analyzing the source code, if I define default as empty list that seem to work, see below.

address_prefix: '{{ item.prefix_list | default([]) }}'