# Attempting to yum install multiple packages using with\_items results in Python AttributeError: 'list' object has no attribute 'split' **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [November 25, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854 "2015-11-25T17:40:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jdelaporte](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jdelaporte/32/366_2.png) [@jdelaporte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jdelaporte)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/1 "2015-11-25T17:40:08Z")
Good afternoon, I am attempting to install multiple packages on a CentOS 7 server. I am using 2.0.0-rc1. I keep running into a python error. I tried using a yum task in a role, using with\_items like so: - yum: name={{ item }} state=present with\_items: - ypbind - rpcbind I think that is the way it should be done, based on documentation. However, I keep getting this error: failed: [HOSTNAME] =\> (item=[u’ypbind’, u’rpcbind’]) =\> {“failed”: true, “item”: [“ypbind”, “rpcbind”], “msg”: “Traceback (most recent call last):\r\n File "/tmp/.ansible/ansible-tmp-1448471787.66-61112899447177/yum", line 2744, in \r\n main()\r\n File "/tmp/.ansible/ansible-tmp-1448471787.66-61112899447177/yum", line 833, in main\r\n disablerepo, disable\_gpg\_check)\r\n File "/tmp/.ansible/ansible-tmp-1448471787.66-61112899447177/yum", line 718, in ensure\r\n items = pkgspec.split(‘,’)\r\n **AttributeError: ‘list’ object has no attribute ‘split’** \r\n”, “parsed”: false} ---
**Author:** ![David\_Karban](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@David\_Karban](https://forum.ansible.com/u/David_Karban)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/2 "2015-11-25T17:46:06Z")
Hi, if I`m looking right, it can be indentation problem, - yum: name={{ item }} state=present with\_items: - ypbind - rpcbind ---
**Author:** ![jdelaporte](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jdelaporte/32/366_2.png) [@jdelaporte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jdelaporte)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/3 "2015-11-25T19:00:42Z")
Hi David, Thanks. I also tried it with more indentation, with the same error result: - yum: pkg={{ item }} state=present with\_items: - ypbind - rpcbind ---
**Author:** ![jdelaporte](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jdelaporte/32/366_2.png) [@jdelaporte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jdelaporte)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/4 "2015-11-25T19:26:13Z")
I have also tried the following dictionary layouts, which resulted in the same ‘list object’ python error: - yum: name: “{{ item }}” state: present with\_items: - ypbind - rpcbind And this: - yum: name: - ypbind - rpcbind state: present Running the task with only one item works (both of the following succeeded): - yum: name=ypbind state=present - yum: name: rpcbind state: present ---
**Author:** ![jdelaporte](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jdelaporte/32/366_2.png) [@jdelaporte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jdelaporte)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/5 "2015-11-25T19:32:01Z")
Okay, so the yum module might actually be broken, because when I replaced “yum” with “package”, it started working correctly. This works: - package: name=“{{ item }}” state=present with\_items: - ypbind - rpcbind This doesn’t: - yum: name=“{{ item }}” state=present with\_items: - ypbind - rpcbind And fails with this error: failed: [HOSTNAME] =\> (item=[u’ypbind’, u’rpcbind’]) =\> {“failed”: true, “item”: [“ypbind”, “rpcbind”], “msg”: “Traceback (most recent call last):\r\n File "/tmp/.ansible/ansible-tmp-1448479744.44-240902329915911/yum", line 2742, in \r\n main()\r\n File "/tmp/.ansible/ansible-tmp-1448479744.44-240902329915911/yum", line 831, in main\r\n disablerepo, disable\_gpg\_check)\r\n File "/tmp/.ansible/ansible-tmp-1448479744.44-240902329915911/yum", line 716, in ensure\r\n items = pkgspec.split(‘,’)\r\nAttributeError: ‘list’ object has no attribute ‘split’\r\n”, “parsed”: false} ---
**Author:** ![Brian\_Coca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Brian\_Coca](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Brian_Coca)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/6 "2015-11-25T19:53:39Z")
package will just call yum module, the main difference is in the 'squashing', another check you can do to confirm this is set the env var ANSIBLE\_SQUASH\_ACTIONS="apt,pkgng", which would avoid that in yum (which is part of default list). ---
**Author:** ![jdelaporte](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jdelaporte/32/366_2.png) [@jdelaporte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jdelaporte)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/7 "2015-11-26T00:09:19Z")
Hi Brian, Okay, but why does my play work with package, but not yum? ---
**Author:** ![Brian\_Coca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Brian\_Coca](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Brian_Coca)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/8 "2015-11-26T00:10:35Z")
if you run the test i asked, i can confirm it will be because of argument squashing, which is an optimization that will run on yum but not on package. ---
**Author:** ![jdelaporte](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jdelaporte/32/366_2.png) [@jdelaporte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jdelaporte)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/9 "2015-11-26T00:22:11Z")
Yes, right. Sorry for my misunderstanding. I’ll get back to you with a test run after I feed my kids dinner. ---
**Author:** ![jdelaporte](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jdelaporte/32/366_2.png) [@jdelaporte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jdelaporte)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 12:44am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/10 "2015-11-26T00:44:50Z")
Alright, it worked with that variable you requested. I exported the env var (it didn’t work just set in the current shell): export ANSIBLE\_SQUASH\_ACTIONS=“apt,pkgng” And ran this play: - yum: name=“{{ item }}” state=present with\_items: - ypbind - rpcbind The play succeeded with this variable set. Thanks! Joanna ---
**Author:** ![Toshio\_Kuratomi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Toshio\_Kuratomi](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Toshio_Kuratomi)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/11 "2015-11-26T01:04:23Z")
> From the traceback you showed in your original message, it looks like somehow you have an old version of the yum module being used with the current rc1 for /usr/bin/ansible-playbook. items = pkgspec.split(',') from the traceback message is no longer present in the yum module. Perhaps there's some old version of ansible present on the machine and its yum module is overriding the one from rc1 or you have the ANSIBLE\_LIBRARY environment variable set to some path where an alternative yum module is living. -Toshio ---
**Author:** ![jdelaporte](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jdelaporte/32/366_2.png) [@jdelaporte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jdelaporte)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 1:19am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/12 "2015-11-26T01:19:27Z")
Hi Toshio, ANSIBLE\_LIBRARY is unset. $ ansible --version ansible 2.0.0 config file = /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg configured module search path = /usr/share/ansible With a little investigation, I see the long listing of /usr/share/ansible/packaging shows all files with a date of April 2014, even though one level up they are all dated 11/23/15. A couple days ago, I did an untar, make, make install of the package. Today, I attempted to reinstall pip because I was having these issues: pip install --upgrade [http://releases.ansible.com/ansible/ansible-2.0.0-0.6.rc1.tar.gz](http://releases.ansible.com/ansible/ansible-2.0.0-0.6.rc1.tar.gz) And just now I did a pip force reinstall: # pip install --force-reinstall [http://releases.ansible.com/ansible/ansible-2.0.0-0.6.rc1.tar.gz](http://releases.ansible.com/ansible/ansible-2.0.0-0.6.rc1.tar.gz) The module files are still all the old ones from April 2014. How do I get the updated module files? ---
**Author:** ![Toshio\_Kuratomi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Toshio\_Kuratomi](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Toshio_Kuratomi)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/13 "2015-11-26T02:55:37Z")
The modules are now installed in the ansible library directory (something like /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/ansible/ ... varies a little bit depending on the distribution that you are running). The files in /usr/share/ansible are likely from an old install. I'd try this: $ sudo mv /usr/share/ansible /usr/share/ansible.bak If you can then run your playbook/ansible commands and it still finds its modules (hopefully now the up-to-date modules 😉 then you should be able to rm -rf /usr/share/ansible.bak -Toshio ---
**Author:** ![jdelaporte](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jdelaporte/32/366_2.png) [@jdelaporte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jdelaporte)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 4:16am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/attempting-to-yum-install-multiple-packages-using-with-items-results-in-python-attributeerror-list-object-has-no-attribute-split/19854/14 "2015-11-26T04:16:49Z")
Thanks! I found the paths on my machines so I could set them in my ansible.cfg file. I appreciate the tip! For reference, I found the modules dirs in these two locations on my current control hosts: /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/ansible/modules (Ubuntu 14.04) /usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/ansible/modules (Slackware 14.1) This will probably fix several errors I have been trying to work around, mostly related to lists breaking, in 2.0. Thanks! Joanna