I've read the ansible docs on conditionals and loops. But it's still not clear to me how it exactly works.
my yaml structure looks like this:
---
myusers:
- username: user1
homedir: 'home1'
sshkey: 'ssh-rsa bla1'
- username: user2
homedir: 'home2'
sshkey: 'ssh-rsa bla2'
process:
- transfer:
transtype: 'curl'
traname: 'ftps://targetsystem'
my playbook part looks like this:
- name: test j2
debug:
msg: |-
dest: "/var/tmp/{{ item.0.username }}/{{ item.1.traname }} {{ item.1.transtype }}"
when: item.0.process is not none
loop: "{{ myusers | subelements('process')}}"
Now I only want to loop when the sub-element process exists. I had this working at one point but don't understand what I changed to break it.
Mainly I don't understand what the effect of the sequence of 'when' and 'loop' has. It appears to me when I run it that the condition 'when' is ignored. Also when I swap the sequence of when and loop.
The error I get when running the playbook is :
FAILED! => {"msg": "could not find 'process' key in iterated item {u'username': u'user1' ...
I've also tried with different conditions like:
item.0.process is defined
myusers.username.process is not none
etc...
By default, the subelements filter (and the corresponding lookup) requires each top level element to have the subelement key (and will error with the above message if it does not exist)
You can change this behavior by setting the skip_missing parameter (note: I also fixed the index to address the traname key which was the wrong one in your question example)
- name: test j2
debug:
msg: |-
dest: "/var/tmp/{{ item.0.username }}/{{ item.1.traname }} {{ item.1.transtype }}"
loop: "{{ myusers | subelements('process', skip_missing=true) }}"
I'm trying to create ansible playbook that will use variables if they are defined without using "while:" and manually typing the undefined variables & duplicating tasks.
For example I have the below variables:
vars:
service_List:
- 1:
state: present
address_type: ipv4
ip: 10.0.0.0
- 2:
state: present
jump: true
ip: 10.5.5.0
hold_true: yes
- 3:
state: present
address_type: ipv4
is_enabled: true
dhcp: none
I want to have a single task that will use the above variables on a specific module.
example of a task: (notice the with_dict)
tasks:
- name: task name here
some_module:
**This here will include the code for adding the variables form vars**
**So for example, for 1st dict it will include state, address_type and ip**
**for 2nd dict it will include variables state,jump,ip,hold_true**
**example: state: "{{ item.value.state }}"
with_dict: "{{ service_List }}"
Please help with missing code inside the task
It depends on the some_module use case. In particular, whether the parameters are required or not. And, if required, whether there is a default value or not. There are three options if a parameter is missing in the dictionary
The parameter is not required. Use default(omit)
The parameter is required. Use default(defaul_value_of_this_param)
The parameter is required but there is no default. The module will crash.
For example,
tasks:
- name: task name here
some_module:
state: "{{ item.value.state }}"
address_type: "{{ item.value.address_type|default('ipv4') }}"
ip: "{{ item.value.ip|default(omit) }}"
jump: "{{ item.value.jump|default(False) }}"
hold_true: "{{ item.value.hold_true|default(omit) }}"
with_dict: "{{ service_List }}"
In addition to this, you can use Module defaults.
below is my ansible playbook for validation of objects - I am first using validateip role and under that executing login,validation and then logout tasks.
- name: validate object
vars:
mserver: [1.1.1.1,2.2.2.2]
domain: [3.3.3.3,4.4.4.4]
tasks:
- include_role:
name: validateip
when: object_type == "ip"
with_together:
- "{{ mserver_hostname }}"
- "{{ domain }}"
- name: Checking Network objects
uri:
url: "https://{{item.0}}/web_api/show-objects"
validate_certs: False
method: POST
headers:
x-chkp-sid: "{{ login.json.sid }}"
body:
type: host
filter: "{{ip}}"
ip-only: true
body_format: json
register: check_host_result
when: item.0 != ""
- debug:
var: check_host_result
- name: Checking if Network Object exists
set_fact:
item_ip_exists: true
obj_name: "{{ item2['name'] }}"
loop: "{{ check_host_result.json.objects }}"
loop_control:
loop_var: item2
when:
- item2['ipv4-address'] is defined and item2['ipv4-address'] == ip
- debug:
msg: "Network Object exists with name [{{obj_name}}]"
when: item_ip_exists is defined
- debug:
msg: " Network Object ({{ip}}) will be created"
when: item_ip_exists is not defined
I am facing issue for set_fact variable like obj_name and item_ip_exists
so when loop runs on first item and if object is present so it set both the variable (obj_name and item_ip_exists ) and print the correct debug messages.
but when 2nd item executed and there if object is not present so it is printing the wrong debug message due to the set_fact variables( obj_name and item_ip_exists) which has already the value from the first items execution
so how i can restrict the scope of set_fact variables ( obj_name and item_ip_exists ) so when second item execute the variables take the value from there not from previously set_fact values.
I am totally stuck here.
Please help me. Thanks in advance.
Alas, the variable that is set by set_fact stays defined (for the same host) and keeps the value that had been assigned on the previous loop's pass.
As a solution (which is pretty ugly, to be frank) you may want to redefine the variable's value in the very beginning of the loop and set it to None by something like this:
- set_fact:
my_variable:
Then you'll have to check if it's equal or unequal to None. Alas, no one could undefine a previously defined variable in Ansible, that's why your condition won't be my_variable is undefined, but will be my_variable | default(None) == None.
Ugly, right.
I am trying to use textfsm to parse the data for admin show platform in that anything with a state of 'IOS XR RUN' 'READY' or 'OK' will pass & anything else will report failed. I'm using the selectattr in option but get the following error - "msg": "The task includes an option with an undefined variable. The error was: 'intf_tests_pass' is undefined. Any ideas why this is failing as the working_state variable is defined.
name: Collect admin show platform info
iosxr_command:
commands:
- admin show platform
provider: "{{ cli }}"
register: platform_result
when: device_os == 'cisco-ios-xr'
name: retrieve status to be returned
set_fact:
working_state: ['IOS XR RUN', 'READY', 'OK']
name: parse platform_result
textfsm_parser:
file: templates_textfsm/{{ device_os }}/admin_show_platform.template
content: "{{ platform_result.stdout.0 }}"
name: platform_state
when:
platform_result.stdout is defined
platform_result.stdout[0] != none
platform_result.stdout[0] != ""
name: identify platform_result that passed
set_fact:
platform_tests_pass: "{{ ansible_facts.platform_state |
selectattr('STATE', 'in', 'working_state') | list }}"
when: ansible_facts.platform_state is defined
name: identify platform_result that failed
set_fact:
platform_tests_fail: "{{ ansible_facts.platform_state |
difference(platform_tests_pass) | list}}"
when: ansible_facts.platform_state is defined
debug:
msg:
"{{ intf_tests_pass }}"
"{{ intf_tests_fail }}"
Thanks,
Brian
Based on the output you posted, you saved facts to platform_tests_pass and platform_tests_fail, not intf_tests_pass and intf_tests_fail, so those variables are never actually defined.
I'm customizing linux users creation inside my role. I need to let users of my role customize home_directory, group_name, name, password.
I was wondering if there's a more flexible way to cope with default values.
I know that the code below is possible:
- name: Create default
user:
name: "default_name"
when: my_variable is not defined
- name: Create custom
user:
name: "{{my_variable}}"
when: my_variable is defined
But as I mentioned, there's a lot of optional variables and this creates a lot of possibilities.
Is there something like the code above?
user:
name: "default_name", "{{my_variable}}"
The code should set name="default_name" when my_variable isn't defined.
I could set all variables on defaults/main.yml and create the user like that:
- name: Create user
user:
name: "{{my_variable}}"
But those variables are inside a really big hash and there are some hashes inside that hash that can't be a default.
You can use Jinja's default:
- name: Create user
user:
name: "{{ my_variable | default('default_value') }}"
Not totally related, but you can also check for both undefined AND empty (for e.g my_variable:) variable. (NOTE: only works with ansible version > 1.9, see: link)
- name: Create user
user:
name: "{{ ((my_variable == None) | ternary('default_value', my_variable)) \
if my_variable is defined else 'default_value' }}"
If anybody is looking for an option which handles nested variables, there are several such options in this github issue.
In short, you need to use "default" filter for every level of nested vars. For a variable "a.nested.var" it would look like:
- hosts: 'localhost'
tasks:
- debug:
msg: "{{ ((a | default({})).nested | default({}) ).var | default('bar') }}"
or you could set default values of empty dicts for each level of vars, maybe using "combine" filter. Or use "json_query" filter. But the option I chose seems simpler to me if you have only one level of nesting.
In case you using lookup to set default read from environment you have also set the second parameter of default to true:
- set_facts:
ansible_ssh_user: "{{ lookup('env', 'SSH_USER') | default('foo', true) }}"
You can also concatenate multiple default definitions:
- set_facts:
ansible_ssh_user: "{{ some_var.split('-')[1] | default(lookup('env','USER'), true) | default('foo') }}"
If you are assigning default value for boolean fact then ensure that no quotes is used inside default().
- name: create bool default
set_fact:
name: "{{ my_bool | default(true) }}"
For other variables used the same method given in verified answer.
- name: Create user
user:
name: "{{ my_variable | default('default_value') }}"
If you have a single play that you want to loop over the items, define that list in group_vars/all or somewhere else that makes sense:
all_items:
- first
- second
- third
- fourth
Then your task can look like this:
- name: List items or default list
debug:
var: item
with_items: "{{ varlist | default(all_items) }}"
Pass in varlist as a JSON array:
ansible-playbook <playbook_name> --extra-vars='{"varlist": [first,third]}'
Prior to that, you might also want a task that checks that each item in varlist is also in all_items:
- name: Ensure passed variables are in all_items
fail:
msg: "{{ item }} not in all_items list"
when: item not in all_items
with_items: "{{ varlist | default(all_items) }}"
The question is quite old, but what about:
- hosts: 'localhost'
tasks:
- debug:
msg: "{{ ( a | default({})).get('nested', {}).get('var','bar') }}"
It looks less cumbersome to me...
#Roman Kruglov mentioned json_query. It's perfect for nested queries.
An example of json_query sample playbook for existing and non-existing value:
- hosts: localhost
gather_facts: False
vars:
level1:
level2:
level3:
level4: "LEVEL4"
tasks:
- name: Print on existing level4
debug:
var: level1 | json_query('level2.level3.level4') # prints 'LEVEL4'
when: level1 | json_query('level2.level3.level4')
- name: Skip on inexistent level5
debug:
var: level1 | json_query('level2.level3.level4.level5') # skipped
when: level1 | json_query('level2.level3.level4.level5')
You can also use an if statement:
# Firewall manager: firewalld or ufw
firewall: "{{ 'firewalld' if ansible_os_family == 'RedHat' else 'ufw' }}"