trying to parse a dict to add users: missing something easy...

[Dan Geist]

Hi, I'm trying to update user accounts on a number of linux hosts vi a dict containing the users. Here's a sample vars:

        "user_accounts": [

            {

                "testusr": {

                    "gecos": "Test User", 

                    "grp": "wheel", 

                    "pass": "123abc", 

                    "status": "enabled", 

                    "username": "testusr"

                }

            }

        ]

Here's the play:

- name: Sync User Accounts (create)

  user:

    name: "{{ item['username'] }}"

    comment: "{{ item['gecos'] }}"

    password: "{{ item['pass'] | default('notavalidpassword') }}"

    group: "{{ item['grp'] | default('') }}"

    shell: "{{ item['shell'] | default('/bin/bash') }}"

    update_password: always

    state: present

  when: "{{ item['status'] }}" == 'enabled'

  with_items:

    - "{{ user_accounts }}"

  tags: users

I'm getting a syntax error:

The offending line appears to be:

    state: present

  when: "{{ item['status'] }}" == 'enabled'

                               ^ here

We could be wrong, but this one looks like it might be an issue with

missing quotes.  Always quote template expression brackets when they

start a value. For instance:

Any ideas?

Dan

[Stankovic, Marko]

Hi Dan,

1. If you use a quote at the start, you should close it only at the end. So this should work:

when: "{{ item['status'] }} == 'enabled'"

2. In line above, you don't need {{ and thus quotes, when using when: 'always use {{ }} except when when:'<http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/faq.html#when-should-i-use-also-how-to-interpolate-variables-or-dynamic-variable-names>

3. You are missing "testusr" when accessing an item's elements, or better said, "testusr" part in var definition is an extra.
This would work better:

"user_accounts": [
{

"gecos": "Test User",
"grp": "wheel",
"pass": "123abc",
"status": "enabled",
"username": "testusr"
}
]

If you really need "testusr" data, you could put it as an additional element:

"user_accounts": [
{

"id": "testusr",

"gecos": "Test User",
"grp": "wheel",
"pass": "123abc",
"status": "enabled",
"username": "testusr"
}
]

So, with the variable declared as above, this would be a cleaner way to accomplish what you want:
when: item.status == 'enabled'

Cheers,
Marko


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