How to convert o/p of ansible playbook to a proper readable format

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1

Hi ,

I have a role for deleting VM using PWSH script via ansible :

2

Hi ,

I have a role for deleting VM using PWSH script via ansible :
---
- name: Run PowerShellGet VM script
delegate_to: localhost
shell: pwsh /home/raka/delete-snapshot{{item}}.ps1
ignore_errors: yes
changed_when: false
register: powershell_VM_snapshot_delete
with_items: "{{ inventory_hostname }}"

- debug:
# msg: "{{ item.stdout_lines }}"
msg: "{{ powershell_VM_snapshot_delete }}"
# loop: "{{ powershell_VM_snapshot_delete.results }}"
~

Add the following to your ansible.cfg (under [defaults]).

# Use the YAML callback plugin.
stdout_callback = yaml

# Use the stdout_callback when running ad-hoc commands.
bin_ansible_callbacks = True

You can also try the debug callback plugin.

Regards
         Racke

3

Hi Racke,
Thanks for your suggestion
I have modified as per your instructions and used the callback plugins, It just formatted the lines to a compact form but still somewhat not readable. Is there any way to present teh o/p in more refined way

stdout: ’ Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 ’
stdout_lines:

  • ’ Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove
    snapshot percent complete: 0 Remove snapshot percent complete: 0 ’
4

Hi Racke,
Thanks for your suggestion
I have modified as per your instructions and used the callback plugins, It just formatted the lines to a compact form
but still somewhat not readable. Is there any way to present teh o/p in more refined way

Hello Rakesh,

how does it look like if you run the command outside of Ansible? I suppose it shows the progress and updates that
frequently, which could explain the jumbled output.

Regards
         Racke

5

Hi Racke,

Yes it gives me continuously this o/p on the powershell cli .
Remove snapshot

[ percent complete: 0

6

Hi Racke,
Yes it gives me continuously this o/p on the powershell cli .
Remove snapshot
[ percent complete: 0

Hello Rakesh,

so the solution for your problem would be to change the powershell script to suppress the progress meter
when called from Ansible.

Regards
         Racke

7

Hi Racke,

Thanks for the Suggestion , i have modified the pwsh script to run in “async” mode and it solved my issue and got some human readable format:
TASK [VMS-Mgmt : debug] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [BVXXXX] => (item={‘_ansible_parsed’: True, ‘stderr_lines’: , ‘_ansible_item_result’: True, u’end’: u’2019-11-26 01:17:55.494731’, ‘_ansible_no_log’: False, ‘_ansible_delegated_vars’: {‘ansible_delegated_host’: u’localhost’, ‘ansible_host’: u’localhost’}, u’cmd’: u’pwsh /home/raka/delete-snapshot.ps1’, u’rc’: 0, u’stdout’: u’\nName State % Complete Start Time Finish Time\n---- ----- ---------- ---------- -----------\nRemoveSnapshot_Task Running 0 01:17:55 AM ‘, ‘item’: u’BVXXXX’, u’delta’: u’0:00:06.928732’, ‘_ansible_item_label’: u’‘, u’stderr’: u’‘, u’changed’: False, u’invocation’: {u’module_args’: {u’warn’: True, u’executable’: None, u’_uses_shell’: True, u’_raw_params’: u’pwsh /home/raka/delete-snapshot.ps1’, u’removes’: None, u’argv’: None, u’creates’: None, u’chdir’: None, u’stdin’: None}}, ‘stdout_lines’: [u’‘, u’Name State % Complete Start Time Finish Time’, u’---- ----- ---------- ---------- -----------‘, u’RemoveSnapshot_Task Running 0 01:17:55 AM ‘], u’start’: u’2019-11-26 01:17:48.565999’, ‘_ansible_ignore_errors’: True, ‘failed’: False}) =>
msg:

  • ‘’
  • Name State % Complete Start Time Finish Time
  • ‘---- ----- ---------- ---------- -----------’
  • 'RemoveSnapshot_Task Running 0 01:17:55 AM ’