with_items: expects a list or a set by using it with when:

[bshbg]

I have the following two statements which have the same when part. The first one is skipped correctly but the second creates an error. It should be skipped also.

- debug: var="{{ sites[env].restricted_areas }}"
  when: sites[env].restricted_areas is defined
 
- template: src="apache/site_credentials" dest="{{ apache_vhost_base_path }}/{{ sites[env].server_name }}/conf/{{ item.area.internal_name }}"
  with_items: sites[env].restricted_areas | list
  when: sites[env].restricted_areas is defined
  tags: create

result:

TASK: [website | debug var="{{sites[env].restricted_areas}}"] *****************
skipping: [TSSDMZPORTAL002]


TASK: [website | template src="apache/site_credentials" dest="{{apache_vhost_base_path}}/{{sites[env].server_name}}/conf/{{item.area.internal_name}}"] ***
fatal: [TSSDMZPORTAL002] => with_items expects a list or a set

can someone help me?

[Michael DeHaan]

The when is evaluated for each step in the loop, not before looping, which is the source of confusion here.

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[Frank Lye]

I'm having the same issue. How can we make this task check if the variable exists before looping ? If we can't use when here, what can we do ?

[Markus Ellers]

you could put the tasks in a different yml file and do a conditional include based on your "when".

[Brian Coca]

first no moustaches in var, it just wants a variable name

- debug: var=sites[env].restricted_areas

you are putting several variables that can be undefined in your when
statement so to be safe you should check each step:

when: env is defined and env in sites and 'restricted_areas' in sites[env]

Now you can split them up and check each step to make sure what you
expect to be defined is there


--
Brian Coca

[Frank Ly]

Markus,

That's exactly what I ended up doing. Thanks for your help.