Is it possible to use include_tasks to run a tagged task in another file?

[Douglas Thompson]

I'm working on an ansible role and instead of putting all tasks in tasks/main.yml, I'd like to have separate files and use them sort of like functions. One of my files has all the possible tasks for file manipulation in a separate file. The thought would be to use tags to execute one of the tasks in that file.

In the example below I've put all the file manipulation tasks in a file called 'reboot_me_file.yml and would like to call just one task in main.yml when I need it. For example, 'reboot_me_file.yml' has three tagged tasks (create a file, stat a file, delete a file) and during the main.yml play, there will be a task, that includes say the 'create a file' task. I've looked at the following URL and it sounds like I can call a tagged task in the 'reboot_me_file.yml', but when I run the playbook, it executes all the tasks in 'reboot_me_file.yml'

https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/modules/include_tasks_module.html#include-tasks-module  (It says this should be available in ansible 2.7 but not which version of 2.7)

Anyone tried anything like this?

-- ansible version: ansible 2.7.10

-- tasks/main.yml

- name: Checking for an old 'reboot_me' file

  include_tasks:

    file: reboot_me_file.yml

    apply:

      tags:

        - check_reboot_file

-- tasks/reboot_me_file.yml

---

# file operations on /tmp/reboot_me.txt

- name: Creating the file 'reboot_me'

  file:

    path: "/tmp/reboot_me"

    state: touch

    mode: 0666

  tags:

  - create_reboot_file

- name: Checking for the file 'reboot_me'

  stat:

    path: /tmp/reboot_me

  register: file_reboot_me

  tags:

  - check_reboot_file

- name: Removing the file 'reboot_me'

  file:

    path: "/tmp/reboot_me"

    state: absent

  tags:

  - remove_reboot_file

[Kai Stian Olstad]

On 11.06.2019 19:39, Douglas Thompson wrote:
> I'm working on an ansible role and instead of putting all tasks in
> tasks/main.yml, I'd like to have separate files and use them sort of like
> functions. One of my files has all the possible tasks for file manipulation
> in a separate file. The thought would be to use tags to execute one of the
> tasks in that file.
>
> In the example below I've put all the file manipulation tasks in a file
> called 'reboot_me_file.yml and would like to call just one task in main.yml
> when I need it. For example, 'reboot_me_file.yml' has three tagged tasks
> (create a file, stat a file, delete a file) and during the main.yml play,
> there will be a task, that includes say the 'create a file' task. I've
> looked at the following URL and it sounds like I can call a tagged task in
> the 'reboot_me_file.yml', but when I run the playbook, it executes all the
> tasks in 'reboot_me_file.yml'
>
> https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/modules/include_tasks_module.html#include-tasks-module
> (It says this should be available in ansible 2.7 but not which version of
> 2.7)

It doesn't, it says "will be applied to the tasks within the include."

> Anyone tried anything like this?

Many have, all have failed, since it doesn't work like that.
All tags in a file is always added to the task, at this level it is not a filter.

To choose which tags to run is done at the command line with -t/--tags


--
Kai Stian Olstad

[Douglas Thompson]

OK. I'll just break out the tasks into separate files.

Thanks for the reply,