Lambda functions for ARM templates
This article describes the lambda functions to use in ARM templates. Lambda functions are essentially blocks of code that can be passed as an argument. They can take multiple parameters, but are restricted to a single line of code. In Bicep, lambda expression is in this format:
lambda(<lambda variable>, [<lambda variable>, ...], <expression>)
Tip
We recommend Bicep because it offers the same capabilities as ARM templates and the syntax is easier to use. To learn more, see deployment functions.
Limitations
ARM template lambda function has these limitations:
- Lambda expression can only be specified directly as function arguments in these functions:
filter()
,groupBy()
,map()
,mapValues()
,reduce()
,sort()
, andtoObject()
. - Using lambda variables (the temporary variables used in the lambda functions) inside resource or module array access isn't currently supported.
- Using lambda variables inside the
listKeys
function isn't currently supported. - Using lambda variables inside the reference function isn't currently supported.
filter
filter(inputArray, lambda function)
Filters an array with a custom filtering function.
In Bicep, use the filter function.
Parameters
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
inputArray | Yes | array | The array to filter. |
lambda function | Yes | expression | The lambda function applied to each input array element. If false, the item is filtered out of the output array. |
Return value
An array.
Examples
The following examples show how to use the filter
function.
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"variables": {
"dogs": [
{
"name": "Evie",
"age": 5,
"interests": [
"Ball",
"Frisbee"
]
},
{
"name": "Casper",
"age": 3,
"interests": [
"Other dogs"
]
},
{
"name": "Indy",
"age": 2,
"interests": [
"Butter"
]
},
{
"name": "Kira",
"age": 8,
"interests": [
"Rubs"
]
}
]
},
"resources": [],
"outputs": {
"oldDogs": {
"type": "array",
"value": "[filter(variables('dogs'), lambda('dog', greaterOrEquals(lambdaVariables('dog').age, 5)))]"
},
"dogNameIndex": {
"type": "array",
"value": "[filter(variables('dogs'), lambda('val', 'i', and(less(lambdaVariables('i'), 2), equals(substring(lambdaVariables('val').name, 0, 1), 'C'))))]"
}
}
}
The outputs from the preceding example:
Name | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
oldDogs | Array | [{"name":"Evie","age":5,"interests":["Ball","Frisbee"]},{"name":"Kira","age":8,"interests":["Rubs"]}] |
dogNameIndex | Array | [{"name":"Casper","age":3,"interests":["Other dogs"]}] |
oldDogs lists the dogs that are five or older; dogNameIndex identifies the dogs whose index number is less than two and whose name starts with the letter "C".
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"variables": {
"copy": [
{
"name": "itemForLoop",
"count": "[length(range(0, 10))]",
"input": "[range(0, 10)[copyIndex('itemForLoop')]]"
}
]
},
"resources": [],
"outputs": {
"filteredLoop": {
"type": "array",
"value": "[filter(variables('itemForLoop'), lambda('i', greater(lambdaVariables('i'), 5)))]"
},
"isEven": {
"type": "array",
"value": "[filter(range(0, 10), lambda('i', equals(0, mod(lambdaVariables('i'), 2))))]"
}
}
}
The output from the preceding example:
Name | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
filteredLoop | Array | [6, 7, 8, 9] |
isEven | Array | [0, 2, 4, 6, 8] |
filterdLoop shows the numbers in an array that are greater than 5; and isEven shows the even numbers in the array.
groupBy
groupBy(inputArray, lambda expression)
Creates an object with array values from an array, using a grouping condition.
In Bicep, use the groupBy function.
Parameters
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
inputArray | Yes | array | The array for grouping. |
lambda expression | Yes | expression | The lambda expression is applied to each input array element, and group the elements using the grouping condition. |
Return value
An object.
Examples
The following example shows how to use the groupBy
function.
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"variables": {
"inputArray": [
"foo",
"bar",
"baz"
]
},
"resources": [],
"outputs": {
"outObject": {
"type": "object",
"value": "[groupBy(variables('inputArray'), lambda('x', substring(lambdaVariables('x'), 0, 1)))]"
}
}
}
The output from the preceding example shows the dogs that are five or older:
Name | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
outObject | Object | {"f":["foo"],"b":["bar","baz"]} |
outObject shows an object that groups the array elements by their first letters.
map
map(inputArray, lambda function)
Applies a custom mapping function to each element of an array.
In Bicep, use the map function.
Parameters
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
inputArray | Yes | array | The array to map. |
lambda function | Yes | expression | The lambda function applied to each input array element, in order to generate the output array. |
Return value
An array.
Example
The following example shows how to use the map
function.
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"variables": {
"dogs": [
{
"name": "Evie",
"age": 5,
"interests": [
"Ball",
"Frisbee"
]
},
{
"name": "Casper",
"age": 3,
"interests": [
"Other dogs"
]
},
{
"name": "Indy",
"age": 2,
"interests": [
"Butter"
]
},
{
"name": "Kira",
"age": 8,
"interests": [
"Rubs"
]
}
]
},
"resources": [],
"outputs": {
"dogNames": {
"type": "array",
"value": "[map(variables('dogs'), lambda('dog', lambdaVariables('dog').name))]"
},
"sayHi": {
"type": "array",
"value": "[map(variables('dogs'), lambda('dog', format('Hello {0}!', lambdaVariables('dog').name)))]"
},
"mapArray": {
"type": "array",
"value": "[map(range(0, length(variables('dogs'))), lambda('i', createObject('i', lambdaVariables('i'), 'dog', variables('dogs')[lambdaVariables('i')].name, 'greeting', format('Ahoy, {0}!', variables('dogs')[lambdaVariables('i')].name))))]"
},
"mapArrayIndex": {
"type": "array",
"value": "[map(variables('dogs'), lambda('x', 'i', createObject('index', lambdaVariables('i'), 'val', lambdaVariables('x').name)))]"
}
}
}
The output from the preceding example is:
Name | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
dogNames | Array | ["Evie","Casper","Indy","Kira"] |
sayHi | Array | ["Hello Evie!","Hello Casper!","Hello Indy!","Hello Kira!"] |
mapArray | Array | [{"i":0,"dog":"Evie","greeting":"Ahoy, Evie!"},{"i":1,"dog":"Casper","greeting":"Ahoy, Casper!"},{"i":2,"dog":"Indy","greeting":"Ahoy, Indy!"},{"i":3,"dog":"Kira","greeting":"Ahoy, Kira!"}] |
mapArrayIndex | Array | [{"index":0,"val":"Evie"},{"index":1,"val":"Casper"},{"index":2,"val":"Indy"},{"index":3,"val":"Kira"}] |
dogNames shows the dog names from the array of objects; sayHi concatenates "Hello" and each of the dog names; mapArray and mapArrayIndex create another two arrays of objects.
mapValues
mapValues(inputObject, lambda expression)
Creates an object from an input object, using a lambda expression to map values.
In Bicep, use the mapValues function.
Parameters
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
inputObject | Yes | object | The object to map. |
lambda expression | Yes | expression | The lambda expression used to map the values. |
Return value
An object.
Example
The following example shows how to use the mapValues
function.
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"variables": {
"inputObject": {
"foo": "foo",
"bar": "bar"
}
},
"resources": [],
"outputs": {
"mapObject": {
"type": "object",
"value": "[mapValues(variables('inputObject'), lambda('val', toUpper(lambdaVariables('val'))))]"
}
}
}
The output from the preceding example is:
Name | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
mapObject | Object | {foo: 'FOO', bar: 'BAR'} |
mapObject creates another object with the values in upper case.
reduce
reduce(inputArray, initialValue, lambda function)
Reduces an array with a custom reduce function.
In Bicep, use the reduce function.
Parameters
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
inputArray | Yes | array | The array to reduce. |
initialValue | Yes | any | Initial value. |
lambda function | Yes | expression | The lambda function used to aggregate the current value and the next value. |
Return value
Any.
Example
The following examples show how to use the reduce
function.
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"variables": {
"dogs": [
{
"name": "Evie",
"age": 5,
"interests": [
"Ball",
"Frisbee"
]
},
{
"name": "Casper",
"age": 3,
"interests": [
"Other dogs"
]
},
{
"name": "Indy",
"age": 2,
"interests": [
"Butter"
]
},
{
"name": "Kira",
"age": 8,
"interests": [
"Rubs"
]
}
],
"ages": "[map(variables('dogs'), lambda('dog', lambdaVariables('dog').age))]"
},
"resources": [],
"outputs": {
"totalAge": {
"type": "int",
"value": "[reduce(variables('ages'), 0, lambda('cur', 'next', add(lambdaVariables('cur'), lambdaVariables('next'))))]"
},
"totalAgeAdd1": {
"type": "int",
"value": "[reduce(variables('ages'), 1, lambda('cur', 'next', add(lambdaVariables('cur'), lambdaVariables('next'))))]"
},
"oddAge": {
"type": "int",
"value": "[reduce(variables('ages'), 0, lambda('cur', 'next', 'i', if(equals(mod(lambdaVariables('i'), 2), 0), add(lambdaVariables('cur'), lambdaVariables('next')), lambdaVariables('cur'))))]"
}
}
}
The output from the preceding example is:
Name | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
totalAge | int | 18 |
totalAgeAdd1 | int | 19 |
oddAge | int | 7 |
totalAge sums the ages of the dogs; totalAgeAdd1 has an initial value of 1, and adds all the dog ages to the initial values. oddAge sums the ages of dogs that are located at even indices, specifically 5 (Evie) and 2 (Indy).
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"resources": [],
"outputs": {
"reduceObjectUnion": {
"type": "object",
"value": "[reduce(createArray(createObject('foo', 123), createObject('bar', 456), createObject('baz', 789)), createObject(), lambda('cur', 'next', union(lambdaVariables('cur'), lambdaVariables('next'))))]"
}
}
}
The output from the preceding example is:
Name | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
reduceObjectUnion | object | {"foo":123,"bar":456,"baz":789} |
The union function returns a single object with all elements from the parameters. The function call unionizes the key value pairs of the objects into a new object.
sort
sort(inputArray, lambda function)
Sorts an array with a custom sort function.
In Bicep, use the sort function.
Parameters
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
inputArray | Yes | array | The array to sort. |
lambda function | Yes | expression | The lambda function used to compare two array elements for ordering. If true, the second element will be ordered after the first in the output array. |
Return value
An array.
Example
The following example shows how to use the sort
function.
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"variables": {
"dogs": [
{
"name": "Evie",
"age": 5,
"interests": [
"Ball",
"Frisbee"
]
},
{
"name": "Casper",
"age": 3,
"interests": [
"Other dogs"
]
},
{
"name": "Indy",
"age": 2,
"interests": [
"Butter"
]
},
{
"name": "Kira",
"age": 8,
"interests": [
"Rubs"
]
}
]
},
"resources": [],
"outputs": {
"dogsByAge": {
"type": "array",
"value": "[sort(variables('dogs'), lambda('a', 'b', less(lambdaVariables('a').age, lambdaVariables('b').age)))]"
}
}
}
The output from the preceding example sorts the dog objects from the youngest to the oldest:
Name | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
dogsByAge | Array | [{"name":"Indy","age":2,"interests":["Butter"]},{"name":"Casper","age":3,"interests":["Other dogs"]},{"name":"Evie","age":5,"interests":["Ball","Frisbee"]},{"name":"Kira","age":8,"interests":["Rubs"]}] |
toObject
toObject(inputArray, lambda function, [lambda function])
Converts an array to an object with a custom key function and optional custom value function. See items about converting an object to an array.
In Bicep, use the toObject function.
Parameters
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
inputArray | Yes | array | The array used for creating an object. |
lambda function | Yes | expression | The lambda function used to provide the key predicate. |
lambda function | No | expression | The lambda function used to provide the value predicate. |
Return value
An object.
Example
The following example shows how to use the toObject
function with the two required parameters:
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"variables": {
"dogs": [
{
"name": "Evie",
"age": 5,
"interests": [
"Ball",
"Frisbee"
]
},
{
"name": "Casper",
"age": 3,
"interests": [
"Other dogs"
]
},
{
"name": "Indy",
"age": 2,
"interests": [
"Butter"
]
},
{
"name": "Kira",
"age": 8,
"interests": [
"Rubs"
]
}
]
},
"resources": [],
"outputs": {
"dogsObject": {
"type": "object",
"value": "[toObject(variables('dogs'), lambda('entry', lambdaVariables('entry').name))]"
}
}
}
The preceding example generates an object based on an array.
Name | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
dogsObject | Object | {"Evie":{"name":"Evie","age":5,"interests":["Ball","Frisbee"]},"Casper":{"name":"Casper","age":3,"interests":["Other dogs"]},"Indy":{"name":"Indy","age":2,"interests":["Butter"]},"Kira":{"name":"Kira","age":8,"interests":["Rubs"]}} |
The following toObject
function with the third parameter provides the same output.
"outputs": {
"dogsObject": {
"type": "object",
"value": "[toObject(variables('dogs'), lambda('entry', lambdaVariables('entry').name), lambda('entry', lambdaVariables('entry')))]"
}
}
The following example shows how to use the toObject
function with three parameters.
{
"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"variables": {
"dogs": [
{
"name": "Evie",
"properties": {
"age": 5,
"interests": [
"Ball",
"Frisbee"
]
}
},
{
"name": "Casper",
"properties": {
"age": 3,
"interests": [
"Other dogs"
]
}
},
{
"name": "Indy",
"properties": {
"age": 2,
"interests": [
"Butter"
]
}
},
{
"name": "Kira",
"properties": {
"age": 8,
"interests": [
"Rubs"
]
}
}
]
},
"resources": [],
"outputs": {
"dogsObject": {
"type": "object",
"value": "[toObject(variables('dogs'), lambda('entry', lambdaVariables('entry').name), lambda('entry', lambdaVariables('entry').properties))]"
}
}
}
The preceding example generates an object based on an array.
Name | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
dogsObject | Object | {"Evie":{"age":5,"interests":["Ball","Frisbee"]},"Casper":{"age":3,"interests":["Other dogs"]},"Indy":{"age":2,"interests":["Butter"]},"Kira":{"age":8,"interests":["Rubs"]}} |
Next steps
- See Template functions - arrays for more array related template functions.