Search for value in variable array

[Rod Oliver]

I have created a couple of arrays using responses from commands via ntc_ansible to a Cisco switch, one containing CDP neighbor information (with keys "local_interface", "neighbor" and "neighbor_interface") and the other from a listing of interfaces on the switch. I want to use the presence of a combination of the "neighbor" and "neighbor_interface" values (from the CDP neighbor array) in the interface list array as a condition on the running of a task.

The playbook currently looks that below.

---

- hosts: production

  gather_facts: no

  connection: local

  vars:

    provider:

      host: "{{ inventory_hostname }}"

      username: "{{ enc_username }}"

      password: "{{ enc_password }}"

      transport: cli

      platform: cisco_nxos

  tasks:

  - include_vars: authentication.yml

  - name: Run SHOW CDP NEI and store output

    ntc_show_command:

      command: "show cdp neig"

      template_dir: "./ntc-templates/templates"

      provider: "{{ provider }}"

    register: cdp_nei

  - name: Run SHOW INT STATUS and store output

    ntc_show_command:

      command: "show int status"

      template_dir: "./ntc-templates/templates"

      provider: "{{ provider }}"

    register: int_stat

  - name: Create interface description statements where needed

    blockinfile:

      dest: ./Output/cdp-output-processed

      insertafter: EOF

      marker: "!"

      block: |

        interface {{ item.local_interface }}

          description ->{{ item.neighbor | regex_replace("\(.*") }}_{{ item.neighbor_interface }}

    with_items: "{{ cdp_nei.response }}"

    when: int_stat.response | search("{{ cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor }}"_"{{ cdp_nei.response.item.local_interface }}")

The last task fails as below

TASK [Create interface description statements where needed] ************************************************************

 [WARNING]: when statements should not include jinja2 templating delimiters such as {{ }} or {% %}. Found:

int_stat.response | search("{{ cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor }}"_"{{ cdp_nei.response.item.local_interface }}")

fatal: [switch]: FAILED! => {"failed": true, "msg": "The conditional check 'int_stat.response | search(\"{{ cdp_nei.r

esponse.item.neighbor }}\"_\"{{ cdp_nei.response.item.local_interface }}\")' failed. The error was: error while evaluati

ng conditional (int_stat.response | search(\"{{ cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor }}\"_\"{{ cdp_nei.response.item.local_int

erface }}\")): 'list object' has no attribute 'item'\n\nThe error appears to have been in '/home/vagrant/ansible/Automat

ion/cdp-description.yml': line 26, column 5, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\

nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n    register: int_stat\n  - name: Create interface description statements where ne

eded\n    ^ here\n"}

Any tips on how to proceed?

[Kai Stian Olstad]

Do as the warning say, remove {{ }}. So something like this might work

when: int_stat.response | search(cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor ~ "_" ~
cdp_nei.response.item.local_interface)

--
Kai Stian Olstad

[Rod Oliver]

Thanks for your respoinse Kai.

I changed the conditional statement to that below. It wasn't what I really wanted but I figured if it worked I could build on it. I got a further error.

Statement:

  when: int_stat.response | search(cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor)

Error:

TASK [Create interface description statements where needed] ************************************************************

fatal: [switch]: FAILED! => {"failed": true, "msg": "The conditional check 'int_stat.response | search(cdp_nei.respon

se.item.neighbor)' failed. The error was: error while evaluating conditional (int_stat.response | search(cdp_nei.respons

e.item.neighbor)): 'list object' has no attribute 'item'\n\nThe error appears to have been in '/home/vagrant/ansible/Aut

omation/cdp-description.yml': line 26, column 5, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem

.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n    register: int_stat\n  - name: Create interface description statements wher

e needed\n    ^ here\n"}

I tried to surround cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor with "" and got yet a different error.

Statement:

  when: int_stat.response | search("cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor")

Error:

TASK [Create interface description statements where needed] ************************************************************

fatal: [switch]: FAILED! => {"failed": true, "msg": "The conditional check 'int_stat.response | search(\"cdp_nei.resp

onse.item.neighbor\")' failed. The error was: Unexpected templating type error occurred on ({% if int_stat.response | se

arch(\"cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor\") %} True {% else %} False {% endif %}): expected string or buffer\n\nThe error a

ppears to have been in '/home/vagrant/ansible/Automation/cdp-description.yml': line 26, column 5, but may\nbe elsewhere

in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n    register: int_stat\n  - n

ame: Create interface description statements where needed\n    ^ here\n"}

[Kai Stian Olstad]

On 08. juni 2017 17:05, Rod Oliver wrote:
> Thanks for your respoinse Kai.
>
> I changed the conditional statement to that below. It wasn't what I really
> wanted but I figured if it worked I could build on it. I got a further
> error.
>
> Statement:
> when: int_stat.response | search(cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor)
>
> Error:
> TASK [Create interface description statements where needed]
> ************************************************************
>
> fatal: [switch]: FAILED! => {"failed": true, "msg": "The conditional check
> 'int_stat.response | search(cdp_nei.respon
> se.item.neighbor)' failed. The error was: error while evaluating
> conditional (int_stat.response | search(cdp_nei.respons
> e.item.neighbor)): 'list object' has no attribute 'item'\n\nThe error
> appears to have been in '/home/vagrant/ansible/Aut
> omation/cdp-description.yml': line 26, column 5, but may\nbe elsewhere in
> the file depending on the exact syntax problem
> .\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n register: int_stat\n - name:
> Create interface description statements wher
> e needed\n ^ here\n"}

The message says cdp_nei.response does not contain the attribute item.
So what is the content of cdp_nei.response?

- debug: var=cdp_nei.response

Will give you the content.

> I tried to surround cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor with "" and got yet a
> different error.
>
> Statement:
> when: int_stat.response | search("cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor")

With "" it will be the literal string cdp_nei.response.item.neighbor and
not the content of the variable.


I also suspect that int_stat.response and is not a string but a list.
The search filter need a string.


--
Kai Stian Olstad

[Rod Oliver]

Thanks again for your reply. I think I have a faulty understanding with the way that loops and conditionals apply in Ansible.

cdp_nei.response is a list of dictionaries (containing values for interface name, neighbor name and neighbor interface) and I'm using that as an input for a loop to build the configuration of the description of the interface of switch ports (a combination of neighbor name and neighbor interface). This works without the conditional.

I want to add a conditional that only runs the loop element when neighbor name is not present in int_stat.response (also a list of dictionaries) which contains the configured state of the interfaces. Basically the idea is to create the configuration template to reconfigure the interface description where it is wrong but not otherwise.

[Kai Stian Olstad]

If I understand you correctly you are looking for a loop in a loop.
Do do that in Ansible check out loop control
https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/playbooks_loops.html#loop-control


--
Kai Stian Olstad