Ansible - Using user input to chose a variable - ansible

Question

I would like to select a specific variable based on user input in an Ansible playbook. Specifically, I would like to ask for user input on a location of a server, and then execute a specific action based on the input.
This is the current ansible playbook:
- hosts: all
remote_user: root
gather_facts: True
vars:
loc1: "10.13.1.140"
loc2: "10.13.1.141"
loc3: "10.13.1.142"
vars_prompt:
- name: location
prompt: "Location of server? Input options: loc1/loc2/loc3"
private: no
tasks:
- name: Test connectivity to user selected location
wait_for: host={{ vars.location }} port=9999 delay=0 timeout=10 state=started
Output when running the playbook:
[root#ansmgtpr-labc01 cfengine]# ansible-playbook testpoo.yaml -i /tmp/test
SSH password:
Location of server? Input options: loc1/loc2/loc3: loc2
PLAY ***************************************************************************
TASK [setup] *******************************************************************
ok: [hostname.domain.com]
TASK [Test connectivity to user selected location] *****************************
fatal: [hostname.domain.com]: FAILED! => {"changed": false, "elapsed": 10, "failed": true, "msg": "Timeout when waiting for loc2:9999"}
PLAY RECAP *********************************************************************
hostname.domain.com : ok=1 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=1
I would like to know how or the best way to link the read-in user input of the location with the actual value (IP address) of the location that is defined at the top in the variables section. Possibly eval or something else?

Answer 1

Your task is waiting for loc2, hence the message Timeout when waiting for loc2:9999.
Use host={{ vars[location] }} instead.
Compare the output of the following tasks:
tasks:
- name: Show the value user entered
debug: var=vars.location
- name: Use the entered value as an index
debug: var=vars[location]
Result (abbreviated):
TASK [Show the value user entered] *********************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
"vars.location": "loc2"
}
TASK [Use the entered value as an index] ***************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
"vars[location]": "10.13.1.141"
}