Can I combine with_items and when?

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1

HI,
can I combine when: and with_items clauses as in this example?

become: true
become_user: root
tasks:

  • block:
  • debug:
    msg: “riga {{item}}”
  • user:
    name: “{{ item.split(‘:’)[0] }}”
    home: “{{ item.split(‘:’)[1] }}”
    when: item search(“:”)
    with_items: [ “abc:def”, “yyy.zzz”]

The sad output is the following, indicating that “item” is undefined in the loop.

TASK [debug] ***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {“msg”: “The task includes an option with an undefined variable. The error was: ‘item’ is undefined\n\nThe error appears to have been in ‘/home/nico2601/block.yml’: line 25, column 9, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n - block:\n - debug:\n ^ here\n\nexception type: <class ‘ansible.errors.AnsibleUndefinedVariable’>\nexception: ‘item’ is undefined”}
to retry, use: --limit @/home/nico2601/block.retry

What I want to do is ensuring that the user before the : is set only when the string that I’m looping over does contain :
What’s the right way to do it?
Thanks.

2

HI,
can I combine when: and with_items clauses as in this example?

  become: true
  become_user: root
  tasks:
    - block:
      - debug:
          msg: "riga {{item}}"
      - user:
          name: "{{ item.split(':')[0] }}"
          home: "{{ item.split(':')[1] }}"
        when: item search(":")
        with_items: [ "abc:def", "yyy.zzz"]

The sad output is the following, indicating that "item" is undefined in
the loop.

when is executing before the loop so that's the reason this will not work.

TASK [debug]
***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"msg": "The task includes an option with an
undefined variable. The error was: 'item' is undefined\n\nThe error appears
to have been in '/home/nico2601/block.yml': line 25, column 9, but may\nbe
elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe
offending line appears to be:\n\n - block:\n - debug:\n ^
here\n\nexception type: <class
'ansible.errors.AnsibleUndefinedVariable'>\nexception: 'item' is undefined"}
to retry, use: --limit @/home/nico2601/block.retry

What I want to do is ensuring that the user before the : is set only when
the string that I'm looping over does contain :
What's the right way to do it?

If you but the user code in a file and use include_tasks it will work.

user.yml

3

You’ll note that this error is from the ‘debug’ task, which has neither a loop nor a ‘when’ clause. item is undefined because item has not been defined for that task.

If you were attempting to apply the loop to the entire block, that is not supported.

4

You are right, I don't know what I was thinking.

So Nico, forget what I wrote.

5

OK, it’s working now. Thanks!

become: true
become_user: root
tasks:

  • block:
    #- debug:

msg: “riga {{item}}”

  • include_tasks: user.yml
    when: item | search(“:”)
    with_items: [ “abc:/home/def”, “ghi:/home/jkh”]

But as noted by floweryoursong…

6

Yes, I was trying to loop the whole block, the equivalent of
while(something)
{
-1
-2
-3
}

So ansible can’t do it?

7

You can't loop block. To loop two or more tasks you would need to put it in a file and use include_tasks as I described.

Allowed directives for block is listed here
https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbooks_keywords.html#block

8

FYI, when executes INSIDE the loop, contrary to what was mentioned above.

9

Yeah, it was a brain fart on my side, don't know why since I use when and loop a lot.