serverless .yml environment variable issues - aws-lambda

Question

I am on this page of a serverless with Lambdas and Dynamo DB exercise.
I am on the " Add a Create Note API" section and am having trouble with testing the API
the command:
serverless invoke local --function create --path mocks/create-event.json
produces this error
Serverless: DOTENV: Loading environment variables from .env:
Serverless: - tableName
Serverless: Bundling with Webpack...
error is : ResourceNotFoundException: Requested resource not found
at Request.extractError (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/protocol/json.js:51:27)
at Request.callListeners (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/sequential_executor.js:106:20)
at Request.emit (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/sequential_executor.js:78:10)
at Request.emit (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:683:14)
at Request.transition (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:22:10)
at AcceptorStateMachine.runTo (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/state_machine.js:14:12)
at /Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/state_machine.js:26:10
at Request.<anonymous> (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:38:9)
at Request.<anonymous> (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:685:12)
at Request.callListeners (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/sequential_executor.js:116:18)
at Request.emit (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/sequential_executor.js:78:10)
at Request.emit (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:683:14)
at Request.transition (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:22:10)
at AcceptorStateMachine.runTo (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/state_machine.js:14:12)
at /Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/state_machine.js:26:10
at Request.<anonymous> (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:38:9)
at Request.<anonymous> (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:685:12)
at Request.callListeners (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/sequential_executor.js:116:18)
at callNextListener (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/sequential_executor.js:96:12)
at IncomingMessage.onEnd (/Users/dannybyrne/notes-app-api/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/event_listeners.js:307:13)
at IncomingMessage.emit (events.js:215:7)
at IncomingMessage.EventEmitter.emit (domain.js:476:20)
at endReadableNT (_stream_readable.js:1183:12)
at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:80:21) {
message: 'Requested resource not found',
code: 'ResourceNotFoundException',
time: 2019-12-10T18:33:00.494Z,
requestId: '4D2O3VOI437AE9MTH1M4UPGDUVVV4KQNSO5AEMVJF66Q9ASUAAJG',
statusCode: 400,
retryable: false,
retryDelay: 28.999931507407407
}
{
"statusCode": 500,
"headers": {
"Access-Control-Allow-Origin": "*",
"Access-Control-Allow-Credentials": true
},
"body": "{\"status\":false}"
}
I have edited the .env file to have
tableName='notes'
though in the .yml file is says
# These environment variables are made available to our functions
# under process.env.
environment:
tableName: notes
I'm assuming this means that in the create.js file, under the params object
TableName: process.env.tableName,
In the instructions it says
" We read the name of our DynamoDB table from the environment variable using  process.env.tableName . We’ll be setting this in our  serverless.yml  below. We do this so we won’t have to hardcode it in every function."
Does this mean that I don't have to set it in the .env file that is included? when I rename this file to not be included in the build it also throws an error asking for it. When I define tableName in .env and set it to 'notes', as is defined in the .yml file and is the name of the dynamoDB table, it throws the above error.
I'm basically trying to figure out hoew .yml pull from .env (or not)

Answer 1

Yes if you define the variable under the provider it'll be available to all the functions.