how to use Ansible meta module to halt playbook execution upon task Failure.

[Mohtashim S]

I wish to search for a string ("AC245") in all files with extension *.db under /home/examples directory.

If the string is found I wish to abort the play immediately marking the playbook as FAILED. 

Apart from aborting the play using "meta: end_play" I was able to achieve everything. 

Can you help suggest how can I update my current code to add the end_play feature as soon as the string is found in any *.db file ?

---
- name: "Find the details here "


  hosts: localhost
  any_errors_fatal: true
  serial: 1
  tasks:
  - name: Ansible find files multiple patterns examples
    find:
      paths: /home/examples
      patterns: "*.db"
      recurse: yes
    register: files_matched


  - name: Search for Number in the matched files
    command: grep -i {{ myString }} {{ item.path }}
    register: command_result
    failed_when: command_result.rc == 0
    with_items:
       - "{{ files_matched.files }}"  

You can run the above find.yml using this command: ansible-playbook find.yml -e "myString=AC245"

[Zolvaring]

If you want to use meta it's simple but will not mark the play as failed, as far as I know there's no explicit way to do that with meta:

- name: abort if string was found
meta: end_play
when: command is failed

It might be better to try the fail module since it will return the failed state you want:

- name: fail if string was found
fail:
msg: string was found!
when: command is failed