What-If stops showing the resource at all when certain ARM functions are used

[slavizh]

Describe the bug
When certain functions are used in properties of a resource that resources stops showing at all in What-If results.
For example I have the following code:

"tasks": {
                    "preTask": "[if( empty( parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).preTask.runbookName ),
                            null(),
                            createObject(
                                'source', parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).preTask.runbookName,
                                'parameters', parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).preTask.parameters
                            )
                        )]",
                    "postTask": "[if( empty( parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).postTask.runbookName ),
                            null(),
                            createObject(
                                'source', parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).postTask.runbookName,
                                'parameters', parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).postTask.parameters
                            )
                        )]"
                }

as soon as I have changed the code to :

"tasks": {
                    "preTask": "[if( empty( parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).preTask.runbookName ),
                            null(),
                            createObject(
                                'source', parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).preTask.runbookName,
                                'parameters', json( replace( string( parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).preTask.parameters ), '[[' , '[') )
                            )
                        )]",
                    "postTask": "[if( empty( parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).postTask.runbookName ),
                            null(),
                            createObject(
                                'source', parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).postTask.runbookName,
                                'parameters', json( replace( string( parameters( 'windowsDeploymentSchedule' ).postTask.parameters ), '[[' , '[') )
                            )
                        )]"
                }

the resources stopped showing in what-if results at all

To Reproduce
above

Expected behavior
To show the resource

Screenshots
If applicable, add screenshots to help explain your problem.

Client [e.g. PowerShell, CLI, API)
PowerShell

[alex-frankel]

@shenglol -- this looks separate from #157, but I'm assuming this is also causing preflight to short-circuit.

[shenglol]

Yeah there's no reference function used. I'll investigate this.

[slavizh]

A little more information in case it is needed.
Full resource type is Microsoft.Automation/automationAccounts/softwareUpdateConfigurations but I do not think it is resource specific. I specifically tested only with the changes above and concluded that the changes in tasks are the culprit. The reason why I am doing that replace is due to having to add value like

{
                                        "[PARAMETER 1]": "dsds",
                                        "[PARAMETER 2]": "dsds"
                                    }

for parameters which ARM will try to interpreter as ARM function so I have to pass the values like:

{
                                        "[[PARAMETER 1]": "dsds",
                                        "[[PARAMETER 2]": "dsds"
                                    }

and change them via the functions.

[shenglol]

Synced offline and provided workarounds. This is basically a limitation in the ARM pre-flight engine. Closing the issue.