ansible: "variable is not defined" even with ignore_erros: True & failed_when: 0 > 1 | How to define variable when task is failed/ignored/skipped? - ansible

Question

Trying to get a variable defined when the task is partially failed/ignored. When a VM is not found in Vsphere it throws an error: "msg": "Unable to gather information for non-existing VM vm2"
I tried with and without ignore_errors: True and failed_when: 0 > 1 but no change.
I need the variable vm_fact to be defined even when a non-existing VM is in the decom_list. The plan is to change the list after i have identified which VM's are non-existing.
Please note: this task does work when all vm's are present in the system. When one is missing the task fails. I need the task not to fail so that i can clean the decom_list and then run it again.
- name: check/power(on/off) hosts on vsphere
hosts: localhost
ignore_errors: True
vars:
decom_list:
- vm1
- vm2
- vm3
tasks:
- name: check hosts on vsphere
vmware_guest_info:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
name: "{{ item }}"
schema: vsphere
datacenter: DC1
loop: "{{ decom_list }}"
register: vm_fact
ignore_errors: True
failed_when: 0 > 1
Whatever i try does not work because my vm_fact is not defined.
- debug:
var: "{{ vm_fact }}"
error:
TASK [debug] **************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
"<class 'dict'>": "VARIABLE IS NOT DEFINED!"
}
Just to confirm i did try all i know.
When i try it with a loop:
- debug:
var: "{{ item['item'] }}"
loop: "{{ vm_fact['results'] }}"
when: '"Unable to gather information for non-existing VM" in item.msg'
I get error:
ok: [localhost] => (item={'failed': False, 'msg': 'Unable to gather information for non-existing VM vm2', 'invocation': {'module_args': {'hostname': 'hostname.domain', 'username': 'username', 'password': 'VALUE_SPECIFIED_IN_NO_LOG_PARAMETER', 'name': 'vm2', 'schema': 'vsphere', 'datacenter': 'DC1', 'port': 443, 'validate_certs': True, 'name_match': 'first', 'use_instance_uuid': False, 'tags': False, 'tag_details': False, 'proxy_host': None, 'proxy_port': None, 'uuid': None, 'moid': None, 'folder': None, 'properties': None}}, 'changed': False, 'failed_when_result': False, 'item': 'vm2', 'ansible_loop_var': 'item'}) => {
"ansible_loop_var": "item",
"item": {
"ansible_loop_var": "item",
"changed": false,
"failed": false,
"failed_when_result": false,
"invocation": {
"module_args": {
"datacenter": "DC1",
"folder": null,
"hostname": "hostname.domain",
"moid": null,
"name": "vm2",
"name_match": "first",
"password": "VALUE_SPECIFIED_IN_NO_LOG_PARAMETER",
"port": 443,
"properties": null,
"proxy_host": null,
"proxy_port": null,
"schema": "vsphere",
"tag_details": false,
"tags": false,
"use_instance_uuid": false,
"username": "username",
"uuid": null,
"validate_certs": true
}
},
"item": "vm2",
"msg": "Unable to gather information for non-existing VM vm2"
},
"vm2": "VARIABLE IS NOT DEFINED!"
}
ok: [localhost] => (item={'failed': False, 'msg': 'Unable to gather information for non-existing VM vm3', 'invocation': {'module_args': {'hostname': 'hostname.domain', 'username': 'username', 'password': 'VALUE_SPECIFIED_IN_NO_LOG_PARAMETER', 'name': 'vm3', 'schema': 'vsphere', 'datacenter': 'DC1', 'port': 443, 'validate_certs': True, 'name_match': 'first', 'use_instance_uuid': False, 'tags': False, 'tag_details': False, 'proxy_host': None, 'proxy_port': None, 'uuid': None, 'moid': None, 'folder': None, 'properties': None}}, 'changed': False, 'failed_when_result': False, 'item': 'vm3', 'ansible_loop_var': 'item'}) => {
"ansible_loop_var": "item",
"item": {
"ansible_loop_var": "item",
"changed": false,
"failed": false,
"failed_when_result": false,
"invocation": {
"module_args": {
"datacenter": "DC1",
"folder": null,
"hostname": "hostname.domain",
"moid": null,
"name": "vm3",
"name_match": "first",
"password": "VALUE_SPECIFIED_IN_NO_LOG_PARAMETER",
"port": 443,
"properties": null,
"proxy_host": null,
"proxy_port": null,
"schema": "vsphere",
"tag_details": false,
"tags": false,
"use_instance_uuid": false,
"username": "username",
"uuid": null,
"validate_certs": true
}
},
"item": "vm3",
"msg": "Unable to gather information for non-existing VM vm3"
},
"vm3": "VARIABLE IS NOT DEFINED!"
}
fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"msg": "The conditional check '\"Unable to gather information for non-existing VM\" in item.msg' failed. The error was: error while evaluating conditional (\"Unable to gather information for non-existing VM\" in item.msg): 'dict object' has no attribute 'msg'\n\nThe error appears to be in 'location': line 33, column 24, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n # - debug: var=vm_fact\n ^ here\n\nThere appears to be both 'k=v' shorthand syntax and YAML in this task. Only one syntax may be used.\n"}
Tried:
- debug:
msg: "{{ vm_fact['results']|json_query('msg') }}"
- debug:
msg: "{{ vm_fact['results']|to_json|from_json|map(attribute='msg') }}"
- debug:
msg: "{{ vm_fact['results']|map(attribute='msg') }}"
- debug:
msg: "{{ vm_fact['results']|dict2items|map(attribute='msg') }}"
- debug:
msg: "{{ vm_fact['results']|flatten|map(attribute='msg') }}"
error:
TASK [debug] **************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
"msg": ""
}
TASK [debug] **************************************************************************************************************************
fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"msg": "The task includes an option with an undefined variable. The error was: 'dict object' has no attribute 'msg'\n\nThe error appears to be in 'location': line 42, column 7, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n\n - debug:\n ^ here\n"}
...ignoring
TASK [debug] **************************************************************************************************************************
fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"msg": "The task includes an option with an undefined variable. The error was: 'dict object' has no attribute 'msg'\n\nThe error appears to be in 'location': line 45, column 7, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n\n - debug:\n ^ here\n"}
...ignoring
TASK [debug] **************************************************************************************************************************
fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"msg": "Unexpected templating type error occurred on ({{ vm_fact['results']|dict2items|map(attribute='msg') }}): dict2items requires a dictionary, got <class 'list'> instead."}
...ignoring
TASK [debug] **************************************************************************************************************************
fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"msg": "The task includes an option with an undefined variable. The error was: 'dict object' has no attribute 'msg'\n\nThe error appears to be in 'lcoation': line 51, column 7, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n\n - debug:\n ^ here\n"}
...ignoring

Answer 1

You are, frankly, making things very difficult for yourself. Ansible loops through hosts, use it.
decom.inv:
[decom]
vm1
vm2
vm3
decom.yml:
- name: check/power(on/off) hosts on vsphere
hosts: decom
gather_facts: no
tasks:
- name: check hosts on vsphere
vmware_guest_info:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
name: "{{ ansible_hostname }}"
schema: vsphere
datacenter: DC1
register: vm_fact
ignore_errors: True
failed_when: false
delegate_to: localhost
- name: Show results
debug:
var: vm_fact