problem quoting string

[gregory....@gmail.com]

Hello, 

having something like this in my playbook

vars:

  somevar: 

     command:

            - run: | 

                    "somecommand 'somestring' | awk '{print $2}'"

tasks:

   - name: output var to file

      copy:

          content: "{{ somevar | to_nice_yaml(sort_keys=false,indent=2) }}"

           dest: /tmp/tempfile

 
when I look at /tmp/tempfile it looks like ansible doubles apostrophes:

command:

     -- run: '"somecommand ''somestring'' | awk ''{print $2}''"

is there any way to make ansible produce file without extra apostrophes?

thanks.

[Dick Visser]

When I try that code I get something different altogether, note the
single dash for the list item:


~$ cat /tmp/tempfile
command:
- run: '"somecommand ''somestring'' | awk ''{print $2}''"

'

But this seems OK as that is what ansible is instructed to do.

So, the better question is what are you trying to do?
What do you want that file to look like - exactly?

Also, you ask for yaml, and when that is emitted, ansible (or the yaml
library) emits whatever is needed to make it valid YAML.

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[Vladimir Botka]

Let's simplify the variable for testing

cmd: |
"somecommand 'somestring'"


1) The filters *to_yaml* and *to_nice_yaml* will quote the strings

- copy:
dest: /tmp/tempfile
content: "{{ cmd|to_yaml }}"

gives (note the empty line and the closing single-quote

shell> cat /tmp/tempfile
'"somecommand ''somestring''"

'

Remove the trailing new line by adding the dash to the block

cmd: |-
"somecommand 'somestring'"

now the task creates the file

shell> cat /tmp/tempfile
'"somecommand ''somestring''"'

In a single-quoted block, the single-quote is the only character that
have to be escaped; by itself. This is the reason of the 'extra
apostrophes'.

2) Add the dash to your block to remove the new line

somevar:
command:
- run: |-

"somecommand 'somestring' | awk '{print $2}'"

The filter *to_nice_yaml* will quote the string

- copy:
dest: /tmp/tempfile
content: "{{ somevar|to_nice_yaml }}"

gives valid YAML with the list *command* and single item

shell> cat /tmp/tempfile
command:
- run: '"somecommand ''somestring'' | awk ''{print $2}''"'

Read the file and use the command

- include_vars:
file: /tmp/tempfile
- command: "echo {{ command.0.run }}"
register: out
- debug:
var: out.stdout

gives probably what you want

out.stdout: somecommand 'somestring' | awk '{print $2}'

The run-string was properly expanded and used in the command line.

3) If you really want to get rid of the 'extra apostrophes' you'll
have to expand the strings in the template. For example,

- copy:
dest: /tmp/tempfile
content: |
{% for key,val in somevar.items() %}
{{ key }}:
{% for i in val %}
{% for k,v in i.items() %}
- {{ k }}: {{ v }}
{% endfor %}
{% endfor %}
{% endfor %}

gives

shell> cat /tmp/tempfile

command:
- run: "somecommand 'somestring' | awk '{print $2}'"

Note that now the double-quotes are not part of the string stored
in command.0.run


HTH,

--
Vladimir Botka