Set system-owned envs after user-provided envs

[kevin-bates]

The changes introduced in #1668 to indicate the runtime name within an operation failed when an operation referenced ELYRA_RUNTIME_ENV on KFP and Local runtimes (Airflow was fine). This corrects those issues and addresses test cases to better handle that scenario - since that is the use case that is being addressed.

How was this pull request tested?

Extended the tests to include cases where the system-owned variables are set in the operation to ensure the system values are properly reflected. Ran a test against KFP since the unit tests test this functionality at a lower level for the Kfp and Airflow processors. (The local test can address this since it includes an end-to-end operation.)

Fixes: #1696

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[lresende]

Should we allow the user to discover + set these at all?

[kevin-bates]

Should we allow the user to discover + set these at all?

System-owned properties, in general, were brought up on the issue (#1696 (comment)) and we should probably discuss it as something outside of this particular PR.

Generally speaking, I don't think users should be allowed to set system-owned envs. ELYRA_RUNTIME_ENV is a system-owned env that the system controls, yet for use by pipeline authors. It should not be user-settable. However, when we considered accessing a Gateway server from a (non-local) runtime, we were going to expose all of the gateway configuration "knobs" via ELYRA_GATEWAY_ variables. So those could be considered something that should be user-settable. But are they considered system-owned in that case? I think so. So then it really becomes an issue as to how the application would know what is and what is not user-settable. Since we don't have any ELYRA_-prefixed envs that we think should be user-settable at this moment, we could make a statement that ELYRA_-prefixed envs are system-owned and non-user-settable. But, envs make great "knobs" and we might want a user-settable, system-owned ELYRA-prefixed env someday. 😄

So perhaps the answer is: ELYRA_-prefixed envs are system-owned, and, yes, you can set them. However, non-user-settable system-owned envs will NOT honor your value and WILL BE overridden by the server. Because they are truly system-owned. In this case, the best "discovery" mechanism for user's setting system-owned envs will be the documentation.

(We also have some AWS_ variables that should be considered system-owned, despite the fact that they derive their values from runtime-configuration properties (i.e., user-controlled metadata). These should not be settable outside of the values the server pulls from the runtime configuration to set them - nor should they appear anywhere (so non-discoverable).)

Just my two cents.

[ptitzler]

we should probably discuss it as something outside of this particular PR.

I agree. Created #1704 for follow-up

the best "discovery" mechanism for user's setting system-owned envs will be the documentation.

Created #1703 for follow-up.

[ptitzler]

Tested local/kfp/airflow and ELYRA_RUNTIME_ENV. Seems to work now as expected.

[ptitzler]

LGTM