Can I combine with_items and when?

[Nico Sabbi]

HI,

can I combine when: and with_items clauses as in this example?

  become: true

  become_user: root

  tasks:

    - block:

      - debug:

          msg: "riga {{item}}"

      - user:

          name: "{{ item.split(':')[0] }}"

          home: "{{ item.split(':')[1] }}"

        when: item search(":")

        with_items: [ "abc:def", "yyy.zzz"]

The sad output is the following, indicating that "item" is undefined  in the loop.

TASK [debug] ***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"msg": "The task includes an option with an undefined variable. The error was: 'item' is undefined\n\nThe error appears to have been in '/home/nico2601/block.yml': line 25, column 9, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n    - block:\n      - debug:\n        ^ here\n\nexception type: <class 'ansible.errors.AnsibleUndefinedVariable'>\nexception: 'item' is undefined"}

to retry, use: --limit @/home/nico2601/block.retry

What I want to do is ensuring that the user before the : is set only when the string that I'm looping over does contain : 

What's the right way to do it?

Thanks.

[Kai Stian Olstad]

On Monday, 26 February 2018 15.39.09 CET Nico Sabbi wrote:
> HI,
> can I combine when: and with_items clauses as in this example?
>
> become: true
> become_user: root
> tasks:
> - block:
> - debug:
> msg: "riga {{item}}"
> - user:
> name: "{{ item.split(':')[0] }}"
> home: "{{ item.split(':')[1] }}"
> when: item search(":")
> with_items: [ "abc:def", "yyy.zzz"]
>
> The sad output is the following, indicating that "item" is undefined in
> the loop.

when is executing before the loop so that's the reason this will not work.

> TASK [debug]
> ***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
> fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"msg": "The task includes an option with an
> undefined variable. The error was: 'item' is undefined\n\nThe error appears
> to have been in '/home/nico2601/block.yml': line 25, column 9, but may\nbe
> elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe
> offending line appears to be:\n\n - block:\n - debug:\n ^
> here\n\nexception type: <class
> 'ansible.errors.AnsibleUndefinedVariable'>\nexception: 'item' is undefined"}
> to retry, use: --limit @/home/nico2601/block.retry
>
>
> What I want to do is ensuring that the user before the : is set only when
> the string that I'm looping over does contain :
> What's the right way to do it?

If you but the user code in a file and use include_tasks it will work.

user.yml
---

- user:
name: "{{ item.split(':')[0] }}"
home: "{{ item.split(':')[1] }}"

Then replace the user in block with include_tasks

- include_tasks: user.yml

with_items: [ "abc:def", "yyy.zzz"]

--
Kai Stian Olstad

[flowerysong]

On Monday, February 26, 2018 at 9:39:10 AM UTC-5, Nico Sabbi wrote:

HI,

can I combine when: and with_items clauses as in this example?

  become: true

  become_user: root

  tasks:

    - block:

      - debug:

          msg: "riga {{item}}"

      - user:

          name: "{{ item.split(':')[0] }}"

          home: "{{ item.split(':')[1] }}"

        when: item search(":")

        with_items: [ "abc:def", "yyy.zzz"]

The sad output is the following, indicating that "item" is undefined  in the loop.

TASK [debug] ***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"msg": "The task includes an option with an undefined variable. The error was: 'item' is undefined\n\nThe error appears to have been in '/home/nico2601/block.yml': line 25, column 9, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n    - block:\n      - debug:\n        ^ here\n\nexception type: <class 'ansible.errors.AnsibleUndefinedVariable'>\nexception: 'item' is undefined"}

to retry, use: --limit @/home/nico2601/block.retry

You'll note that this error is from the 'debug' task, which has neither a loop nor a 'when' clause. `item` is undefined because `item` has not been defined for that task.

If you were attempting to apply the loop to the entire block, that is not supported.

[Kai Stian Olstad]

On Monday, 26 February 2018 17.14.19 CET flowerysong wrote:
> You'll note that this error is from the 'debug' task, which has neither a
> loop nor a 'when' clause. `item` is undefined because `item` has not been
> defined for that task.

You are right, I don't know what I was thinking.

So Nico, forget what I wrote.


--
Kai Stian Olstad

[Nico Sabbi]

OK, it's working now.  Thanks!

  become: true

  become_user: root

  tasks:

    - block:

      #- debug:

      #    msg: "riga {{item}}"

      - include_tasks: user.yml

        when: item | search(":")

        with_items: [ "abc:/home/def", "ghi:/home/jkh"]

But as noted by floweryoursong...

[Nico Sabbi]

Il giorno lunedì 26 febbraio 2018 16:14:19 UTC, flowerysong ha scritto:

You'll note that this error is from the 'debug' task, which has neither a loop nor a 'when' clause. `item` is undefined because `item` has not been defined for that task.

If you were attempting to apply the loop to the entire block, that is not supported.

Yes, I was trying to loop the whole block, the equivalent  of

while(something)

{

-1

-2

-3

}

So ansible can't do it?

[Kai Stian Olstad]

You can't loop block. To loop two or more tasks you would need to put it in a file and use include_tasks as I described.

Allowed directives for block is listed here
https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbooks_keywords.html#block


--
Kai Stian Olstad

[Brian Coca]

FYI, when executes INSIDE the loop, contrary to what was mentioned above.

--
----------
Brian Coca

[Kai Stian Olstad]

On Monday, 26 February 2018 18.06.09 CET Brian Coca wrote:
> FYI, when executes INSIDE the loop, contrary to what was mentioned above.

Yeah, it was a brain fart on my side, don't know why since I use when and loop a lot.

--
Kai Stian Olstad