Store Timestamp As A Constant Value

[Dhiwakar Ravikumar]

I'm trying to save the timestamp corresponding to when a playbook runs in a variable.

I plan to use this variable across the playbook but I'm facing issues particularly since 

the lookup plugin runs and generates a new value each time. 

  module_defaults:

    group/ns.col.session:

      session_id: "{{ lookup('pipe','date \"+%Y-%m-%d-%H%M\"') }}"

The value is looked up at the time that it is needed 

I could use set_fact: but it only works inside of the tasks: block and I'd like to set it to some value before any task can run i.e. right after hosts.

- hosts:

   - localhost

  module_defaults:

    group/ns.col.session:

      session_id: .............

How do I achieve this WITHOUT using set_fact OR without using the lookup() ?

In other words, how to save or copy the value of a lookup to some variable ? 

Thanks

Dhiwakar

[Dick Visser]

If you must do this before anything else you could provide the value as a command line extra variable to ansible-playbook

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[Dhiwakar Ravikumar]

Thank you, so from that reply, I'm assuming there isn't any viable alternative ? 

[Dick Visser]

Use set_fact as the first task in the playbook.

You disqualified that, but tbh I don't understand the reasoning behind that?

Can you elaborate?

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Dick Visser
Trust & Identity Service Operations Manager
GÉANT

[Dhiwakar Ravikumar]

So, I disqualified it because in Ansible 2.12, there is an ability to define defaults for module collections, more on that here.

In ansible-core 2.12, collections can define their own groups in the meta/runtime.yml file. module_defaults does not take the collections keyword into account, so the fully qualified group name must be used for new groups in module_defaults.

This means my playbook requires a value to begin with.

 module_defaults:

    group/ns.col.session:

      session_id: <VALUE>

Now, if I'm going to use set_fact, this is what my playbook looks like.

---

- hosts:

   - localhost

  vars:

    session_fact:

  module_defaults:

    group/ns.col.session:

      session_id: "{{ session_fact }}"

  tasks:

    - name: "SETTING VALUE FOR FACT session_fact"

      set_fact:

        session_fact: "MYSESSIONVALUE"

      delegate_to: localhost

      register: RESULT

    - name: "MY MODULE 1"

       ns.col.mymodule1 :

        param1: "val1"

As you can see,  I have to create a variable called session_fact , assign it to the module default, at this point, its value is Null, then in the first set_fact task, I assign it a proper value.

Now, it does work but I'm not sure if this is the cleanest approach, naming a variable a fact.

Thanks

Dhiwakar

[Todd Lewis]

I've done it like this. Perhaps this will be useful to you.

```

- hosts: all
  tasks:
  - name: Snarf the playbook start time on the first host.
    # We'll use this time stamp on backup files in the next play.
    set_fact:
      ansible_playbook_starttime: "{{ ansible_date_time.date + ' at ' + ansible_date_time.time }}"
    when: ansible_play_hosts_all | first == ansible_fqdn
    run_once: yes

- hosts: all
  vars:
    ansible_playbook_starttime: "{{ hostvars[ansible_play_hosts_all | first]['ansible_playbook_starttime'] }}"

  tasks:

   [...]

```