How to use vars to work with to_datetime

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1

Hello everyone,

My registered vars are not working with my math equation using to_datetime filter it will work with the string “2019-04-01” but not with my var.

`
PLAY [localhost] *********************************************************************************************************************************************

TASK [Gathering Facts] ***************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [get the file] ******************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [localhost]

TASK [debug] *************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
“today”: {
“changed”: true,
“cmd”: “du -h --time /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg | grep -Eo ‘[[:digit:]]{4}-[[:digit:]]{2}-[[:digit:]]{2}’”,
“delta”: “0:00:00.011270”,
“end”: “2019-05-01 09:27:11.662919”,
“failed”: false,
“rc”: 0,
“start”: “2019-05-01 09:27:11.651649”,
“stderr”: “”,
“stderr_lines”: ,
“stdout”: “2019-04-30”,
“stdout_lines”: [
“2019-04-30”
]
}
}

TASK [get current date] **************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [localhost]

TASK [debug] *************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
“current”: {
“changed”: true,
“cmd”: “date +%F”,
“delta”: “0:00:00.010083”,
“end”: “2019-05-01 09:27:12.031688”,
“failed”: false,
“rc”: 0,
“start”: “2019-05-01 09:27:12.021605”,
“stderr”: “”,
“stderr_lines”: ,
“stdout”: “2019-05-01”,
“stdout_lines”: [
“2019-05-01”
]
}
}

TASK [debug] *************************************************************************************************************************************************
fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {“msg”: “the field ‘args’ has an invalid value ({u’msg’: u"{{ ( ‘current’ | to_datetime(‘%Y-%m-%d’) - ‘today’ | to_datetime(‘%Y-%m-%d’) ).days }}"}), and could not be converted to an dict.The error was: time data ‘current’ does not match format ‘%Y-%m-%d’\n\nThe error appears to have been in ‘/etc/ansible/wipstat.yml’: line 20, column 5, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n\n - debug:\n ^ here\n”}

PLAY RECAP ***************************************************************************************************************************************************
localhost : ok=5 changed=2 unreachable=0 failed=1

`

2

It's hard without the actual playbook, but I think you need to use 'current.stdout' inserted of just 'current' in that last task.

3

So I have resolved my issue thanks to others advice what worked is to

  1. stat the file get its mtime and

  2. register and

  3. assign it to a variable and the same for the current date and

  4. put both variables and include to convert them to an INT into a jinja subtraction arithmetic and divide all inside the jinja {{ }}

  5. register the sum total and include the INT

  6. add another debug and msg to output SUM as a whole number instead of a float.

`
[root@ansible ansible]# ansible-playbook mystat.yml

PLAY [localhost] *****************************************************************************************************************

TASK [Gathering Facts] ***********************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [stat] **********************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [debug] *********************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
“file_age.stat.mtime”: “1556662665.1”
}

TASK [debug] *********************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
“ansible_date_time.epoch”: “1556746971”
}

TASK [age of file in days] *******************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
“msg”: “0.975763888889”
}

TASK [debug] *********************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
“msg”: {
“changed”: false,
“failed”: false,
“msg”: “0.975763888889”
}
}

TASK [debug] *********************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
“msg”: " Your file is 0 days old"
}

PLAY RECAP ***********************************************************************************************************************
localhost : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0

[root@ansible ansible]#

`

AND my playbook looks like this above is the results.

`

4

You’re using the “debug:” module to set the “msg” variable so the date value isn’t in the “{{ msg }}” variable, rather it’s in the “{{ msg.msg }}” variable.

Try these lines in stead:

  • name: FIXED - age of file in days stored in msg
    set_fact:
    msg: “{{ (ansible_date_time.epoch|int - file_age.stat.mtime|int)/(86400|round|int) }}”

  • name: FIXED - Show msg
    debug:
    var: msg

  • name: FIXED - Show msg as integer
    debug:
    msg: " Your file is {{ msg|int }} days old"

That then stores the computation done in the “set_fact:” module in the “msg” variable as expected.