# Problem using results of 'find' module... **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [November 6, 2016, 3:18am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-results-of-find-module/22969 "2016-11-06T03:18:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Will\_Dennis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Will\_Dennis](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Will_Dennis)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 3:18am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-results-of-find-module/22969/1 "2016-11-06T03:18:07Z")
Hi all, Trying to use the ‘find’ module to collect a list of files that I will then operate on. To test this out, I wrote a simple playbook as follows: - name: test playbook #remote\_user: root hosts: localhost tasks: - name: find all vbox SysV init scripts in /etc/rc[0-6].d find: paths: “{{ item }}” patterns: “^.\*virtualbox$” use\_regex: True with\_items: - /etc/rc0.d - /etc/rc1.d - /etc/rc2.d - /etc/rc3.d - /etc/rc4.d - /etc/rc5.d - /etc/rc6.d register: vbox\_sysv\_scripts - debug: var=vbox\_sysv\_scripts verbosity=2 - name: Show me the files! command: ls -l {{ item.path }} with\_items: vbox\_sysv\_scripts.files However, when I run the playbook, I get an error on the “Show me the files!” task, which uses the result of the find registered var: bash-4.3$ ansible-playbook -i inventory/testing -k test-find.yml SSH password: PLAY [test playbook] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* TASK [setup] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* ok: [localhost] TASK [find all vbox SysV init scripts in /etc/rc[0-6].d] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* ok: [localhost] =\> (item=/etc/rc0.d) ok: [localhost] =\> (item=/etc/rc1.d) ok: [localhost] =\> (item=/etc/rc2.d) ok: [localhost] =\> (item=/etc/rc3.d) ok: [localhost] =\> (item=/etc/rc4.d) ok: [localhost] =\> (item=/etc/rc5.d) ok: [localhost] =\> (item=/etc/rc6.d) TASK [debug] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* skipping: [localhost] TASK [Show me the files!] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! =\> {“failed”: true, “msg”: “the field ‘args’ has an invalid value, which appears to include a variable that is undefined. The error was: ‘unicode object’ has no attribute ‘path’\n\nThe error appears to have been in ‘/home/istgroup/Documents/ansible-stuff/test-find.yml’: line 24, 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 - name: Show me the files!\n ^ here\n”} If I print the “vbox\_sysv\_scripts” var via the debug statement, I get the following: [https://gist.githubusercontent.com/wdennis/13197fe430a66da28b03de809474c294/raw/ae9d77ddc64bc3c3f55f46e0a7469bb5d1848de6/vbox\_sysv\_scripts](https://gist.githubusercontent.com/wdennis/13197fe430a66da28b03de809474c294/raw/ae9d77ddc64bc3c3f55f46e0a7469bb5d1848de6/vbox_sysv_scripts) Can someone tell me where I’m going wrong here? ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 8:34am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-results-of-find-module/22969/2 "2016-11-06T08:34:32Z")
When using with\_ and register the result is always a list stored in the \.results, for you that is vbox\_sysv\_scripts.results, as shown by you debug    ok: [localhost] =\> {      "vbox\_sysv\_scripts": {        "changed": false,        "msg": "All items completed",        "results": [          {            "\_ansible\_item\_result": true,            "\_ansible\_no\_log": false,            "\_ansible\_parsed": true,            "changed": false,            "examined": 17,            "files": [ The find module add all the files it find per item to a list stored in vbox\_sysv\_scripts.results.0.files for the fist item vbox\_sysv\_scripts.results.1.files for the second item vbox\_sysv\_scripts.results.2.files for the third item and so on. To get the paths you will have to use the with\_subelements: to get them in your "Show me the files!" [https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/playbooks\_loops.html#looping-over-subelements](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/playbooks_loops.html#looping-over-subelements)    - name: Show me the files!      command: ls -l {{ item.1.path }}      with\_subelements:        - "{{ vbox\_sysv\_scripts.results }}"        - files An alternative is to use a list in the module finds paths, then your "Show me the files!" will work    - name: find all vbox SysV init scripts in /etc/rc[0-6].d      find:        paths: ['/etc/rc0.d', '/etc/rc1.d', '/etc/rc2.d',                '/etc/rc3.d', '/etc/rc4.d', '/etc/rc5.d', '/etc/rc6.d']        patterns: "^.\*virtualbox$"        use\_regex: True      register: vbox\_sysv\_scripts ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Dennis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Will\_Dennis](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Will_Dennis)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-results-of-find-module/22969/3 "2016-11-07T01:41:40Z")
Thanks, Kai, for your kind help. I’ve never had to use “with\_subelements” before, and so it didn’t come to mind… I did see that there was a “results” list in the vbox\_sysv\_scripts var debug output, and thought that I may have to specify vbox\_sysv\_scripts.results to get at the files, but didn’t know how Ansible operates on that sort of structure… Also did not know that you could pass the file mod’s paths parameter a list, that’s pretty cool. So in any case, I rewrote the playbook as follows, which works: ` - name: test playbook #remote\_user: root hosts: localhost tasks: - name: find all vbox SysV init scripts in /etc/rc[0-6].d find: patterns: “^.\*virtualbox$” use\_regex: True paths: [ ‘/etc/rc0.d’, ‘/etc/rc1.d’, ‘/etc/rc2.d’, ‘/etc/rc3.d’, ‘/etc/rc4.d’, ‘/etc/rc5.d’, ‘/etc/rc6.d’ ] register: vbox\_sysv\_scripts - debug: var=vbox\_sysv\_scripts verbosity=2 - name: Show me the files! command: ls -l {{ item.path }} with\_items: “{{ vbox\_sysv\_scripts.files }}” `