strange error message from file lookup plugin

[christia...@itsv.at]

until now i believed that the file lookup only bites when the file is available (ssh key in this example), but instead it fails if it not exists. any hints on the reason of this strange behaviour?

error message:

TASK [manage_ldap_users : authorized_key] *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 [WARNING]: Unable to find 'files/keys/kwo.key.pub' in expected paths (use -vvvvv to see paths)

fatal: [TESTHOST]: FAILED! => {}

MSG:

An unhandled exception occurred while running the lookup plugin 'file'. Error was a <class 'ansible.errors.AnsibleError'>, original message: could not locate file in lookup: files/keys/user2.key.pub
Enter code here...

play:

- block:
       - name: enable aml users
         blockinfile:
                    dest: /etc/security/user
                    backup: no
                    marker: "*** {mark} ***"
                    marker_begin: "BEGIN - ADDED WITH ANSIBLE - {{ item.name }}"
                    marker_end: "END - ADDED WITH ANSIBLE - {{ item.name }}"
                    state: "{{ item.state }}"
                    block: |
                         {{ item.name }}:
                                 SYSTEM = "LDAP"
                                 registry = LDAP
         with_items: "{{ aml_users }}"

       - name: prepare homes
         include_tasks: "{{ role_path }}/tasks/create_homes.yml"
         with_items: "{{ aml_users }}"
  when: create_aml_users.stat.exists
Enter code here...

included task:

- shell: "lsuser -R LDAP -a pgrp {{ item.name }} | awk '{print $2}' | cut -d= -f2"
  register: primary_group
  failed_when: false
  changed_when: false

- shell: "lsuser -R LDAP -a home {{ item.name }} | awk -F= '{print $2}'"
  register: home_dir
  failed_when: false
  changed_when: false

- file:
      path: '{{ home_dir.stdout | default("/home/"+item.name) }}'
      state: directory
      owner: "{{ item.name }}"
      group: '{{ primary_group.stdout | default(item.name) }}'
  when: "item.state == 'present'"

- file:
      path: '{{ home_dir.stdout | default("/home/"+item.name) }}'
      state: absent
      owner: "{{ item.name }}"
      group: '{{ primary_group.stdout | default(item.name) }}'
  when: "item.state == 'absent'"

- authorized_key:
                user: "{{ item.name }}"
                state: "{{ item.state }}"
                key: "{{ lookup('file', 'files/keys/'+ item.name + '.key.pub') }}"
  when: "item.state == 'present'"
Enter code here...

vars file structure:

aml_users:
         - name: "user1"
           comment: "some name"
           state: present
         - name: "user2"
           comment: "some name"
           state: present
         - name: "user3"
           comment: "some name"
           state: present
         ...

[Brian Coca]

I'm not sure i understand exactly what you are expecting, but in newer
version of ansible you can control lookup errors

https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/plugins/lookup.html#using-lookup-plugins

--
----------
Brian Coca

[christia...@itsv.at]

well, dumbass me was absolutly shure that the file lookup only occurs if the named file exists...so the error came from the authorized_key module not from the lookup plugin.

the following fixed it...

- stat:
      path: "{{ role_path+'/files/keys/'+item.name+'.key.pub' }}"
  register: has_key
  delegate_to: 127.0.0.1

- authorized_key:
                user: "{{ item.name }}"
                state: present
                key: "{{ lookup('file', 'files/keys/'+item.name+'.key.pub') }}"
  when: (item.state == 'present') and
        (has_key.stat.exists == True)