@bartowl thanks for this PR! will pull down and test it out soon

https://github.com/ansible/awx/blob/devel/.github/workflows/stage.yml#L109-L115
set the DEFAULT_AWX_VERSION as build arg

https://github.com/ansible/awx-operator/blob/devel/Dockerfile#L9C1-L12C41
takes the version and set DEFAULT_AWX_VERSION as a env var in the container

https://github.com/ansible/awx-operator/blob/devel/roles/installer/defaults/main.yml#L256
set default of _image_version to DEFAULT_AWX_VERSION

and this PR takes that and uses it, that looks correct

now that i committed to this PR i shouldn't be the approver anymore 🤣 @fosterseth double check my work plz

test process

• build and deploy to openshift with

IMAGE_TAG_BASE=quay.io/haoliu/awx-operator PLATFORMS=linux/amd64 BUILD_ARGS="--build-arg DEFAULT_AWX_VERSION=23.9.0" make docker-buildx deploy NAMESPACE=awx-test

• deploy awx with

apiVersion: awx.ansible.com/v1beta1
kind: AWX
metadata:
  name: awx
spec:
  ingress_type: Route

• verify awx-ee in awx-task deployment

oc get deployment awx-task -o yaml | oc neat | grep quay.io/ansible/awx-ee

result

        image: quay.io/ansible/awx-ee:23.9.0 <- init container
        image: quay.io/ansible/awx-ee:23.9.0 <- controlplane-ee

• deploy awxmeshingress with

---
apiVersion: awx.ansible.com/v1alpha1
kind: AWXMeshIngress
metadata:
  name: awx-mesh-ingress
spec:
  deployment_name: awx

... and hit a bug that i created somewhere else...regret my decision to try to do something at 5PM...
quickly fixed the stupid bug and submitted #1753 ...
walked away and fired up my grill to get ready to cook dinner...

• confirm mesh ingress deployment with

oc get deployment awx-mesh-ingress -o yaml | oc neat | grep quay.io/ansible/awx-ee
        image: quay.io/ansible/awx-ee:23.9.0

and realize that i should probably do a upgrade test...
basically the same thing except im gonna do

IMAGE_TAG_BASE=quay.io/haoliu/awx-operator PLATFORMS=linux/amd64 BUILD_ARGS="--build-arg DEFAULT_AWX_VERSION=23.8.1" make docker-buildx deploy NAMESPACE=awx-test

than deploy awx while waiting for my grill to come up to temp

IMAGE_TAG_BASE=quay.io/haoliu/awx-operator PLATFORMS=linux/amd64 BUILD_ARGS="--build-arg DEFAULT_AWX_VERSION=23.9.0" make docker-buildx deploy NAMESPACE=awx-test

verify that we don't create duplicate default ee in awx...(we probably shouldn't)

ok already notice the difference... this will change Execution Environment in AWX EE

I'm not sure if how i feel about this behavioral change...

after the upgrade

job execution will use the "latest" if no execution environment is defined so... i guess its ok?

brb dropping the steak on the grill...

@shanemcd what do you think about this behavioral change?

this issue to the matrix for the community to vote on the behavior please thumbs up the suggested change for the desire behavior that you want