Hi All,
I'm using the following task to ensure static files have an up to date pre-compressed version (so nginx can serve them more quickly):
- name: 'ensure static files have been gziped'
with_lines:
- find $src_path/root/static/ -regex '.*\.\(css\|js\)$' || true
shell: gzip -n -9 -c $item > $item.gz;
This takes _ages_ to complete (like whole seconds). Ideally I'd only like to run the command if the modification time of $item is more recent than $item.gz. (Like a Makefile would).
I've tried something like
- name: 'ensure static files have been gziped'
with_lines:
- find $src_path/root/static/ -regex '.*\.\(css\|js\)$' || true
shell: >
if [ $item -nt $item.gz ];
then
gzip -n -9 -c $item > $item.gz;
else
true;
fi
(needs to return true so the task doesn't fail)
This appears to work, but looks absolutely awful.
Any ideas on a better approach?
Cheers,
Kal
A few things here. For every 'with_lines' you're making a new ssh
connection to the box to gzip one item. You'd be much better off dropping
the 'with_lines' and just putting the whole thing in one shell call.
Something like this: (untested psuedo-bash-code)
- name: 'ensure static files have been gziped'
shell: find $src_path/root/static/ -regex '.*\.\(css\|js\)$' -print0 |
xargs -0 -n 10 `if [ -- -nt "--".gz ] then gzip -n -9 -c "--".gz else true
fi`
That way it's run in one ssh connection. There are probably cleaner/better
shell ways to do it but you get the idea 
(try to fit it in one ssh
invocation). Another easy way I'd be tempted to deal with this is just
create a nice little script for this and use ansible's 'script' module to
push it down and run it or better yet create yourself a ansible module to
do it!
Hello Romeo,
A few things here. For every 'with_lines' you're making a new ssh
connection to the box to gzip one item. You'd be much better off
dropping the 'with_lines' and just putting the whole thing in one shell
call.
Curiously, I'm actually running this as a 'local_action' ... my thinking is definitely not right.
Another easy way I'd be tempted to deal with
this is just create a nice little script for this and use ansible's
'script' module to push it down and run it or better yet create yourself
a ansible module to do it!
I think I may be trying to use the wrong 'hammer' to hit this one. A module may be the right way to go. Basically I want to run some local pre-processing before I run a play. I could just wrap this in a little script, but where would it live? This pre-processing is intrinsically linked with the task, never used anywhere else. I don't to have to maintain a little independent pre-proc script that gets shared with the admins.
Wondering if a there is scope for a 'prep' module that does some pre-task local pre-processing, that is, runs a local script under, say,'./bin', and can be nicely bundled with the playbook.
Cheers,
Kal
This may actually be a great case for the 'script' module, which is a
way of pushing and running an arbitrary script.
Excellent idea! Works brilliantly. I've added a corresponding pro-tip:
https://coderwall.com/p/xlbxkq
Thanks guys!
K