# Problem using when condition for empty variable **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [May 7, 2020, 8:35am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-when-condition-for-empty-variable/32871 "2020-05-07T08:35:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dudu.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/278dde/32.png) [@dudu.c](https://forum.ansible.com/u/dudu.c)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 8:35am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-when-condition-for-empty-variable/32871/1 "2020-05-07T08:35:02Z")
i have a variable (domain\_name) located on external YML file, I wish to run a task in case the variable is empty. From some reason, it is always skipping no matter if i have a value or not **External Yaml** ```auto domain_name: ldap_server_hostname: 10.168.233.77 # Ip can be used as well ldap_port: 389 ``` **Playbook** ```auto - hosts: k8s_master become: true gather_facts: true vars_files: ./keycloak_configuration.yml tasks: - debug: msg: "{{domain_name}}" ### Copy realm for none LDAP Support ### - name: Copy realm LDAP Support copy: src: "{{ realm_src_path }}{{ realm_template_file_name }}" dest: "{{ realm_dest_path }}{{ realm_updated_file_name }}" when: domain_name == "" ``` **result** TASK [debug] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* task path: /data/ansible/new2\_keycloak/create-realm-secert.yml:18 ok: [10.164.237.140] =\> { “msg”: null } Read vars\_file ‘./keycloak\_configuration.yml’ TASK [Copy realm LDAP Support] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* task path: /data/ansible/new2\_keycloak/create-realm-secert.yml:23 skipping: [10.164.237.140] =\> { “changed”: false, “skip\_reason”: “Conditional result was False” } META: ran handlers META: ran handlers **result** - When updating domain\_name with **test** value TASK [debug] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* task path: /data/ansible/new2\_keycloak/create-realm-secert.yml:18 ok: [10.164.237.140] =\> { “msg”: “test” } Read vars\_file ‘./keycloak\_configuration.yml’ TASK [Copy realm LDAP Support] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* task path: /data/ansible/new2\_keycloak/create-realm-secert.yml:23 skipping: [10.164.237.140] =\> { “changed”: false, “skip\_reason”: “Conditional result was False” } META: ran handlers META: ran handlers ---
**Author:** ![racke](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/racke/32/4767_2.png) [@racke](https://forum.ansible.com/u/racke)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 8:41am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-when-condition-for-empty-variable/32871/2 "2020-05-07T08:41:32Z")
> i have a variable (domain\_name) located on external YML file, > I wish to run a task in case the variable is empty. From some reason, it is always skipping no matter if i have a > value or not You are doing a string test on an undefined variable, try (untested): when: domain\_name | default("") == "" Regards         Racke ---
**Author:** ![vbotka](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/vbotka/32/359_2.png) [@vbotka](https://forum.ansible.com/u/vbotka)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 8:52am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-when-condition-for-empty-variable/32871/3 "2020-05-07T08:52:15Z")
> when: domain\_name | default("") == "" Don't compare to empty string. Test the length instead [https://github.com/ansible/ansible-lint/blob/master/lib/ansiblelint/rules/ComparisonToEmptyStringRule.py](https://github.com/ansible/ansible-lint/blob/master/lib/ansiblelint/rules/ComparisonToEmptyStringRule.py)   when: domain\_name|default("")|length \> 0 ---
**Author:** ![dudu.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/278dde/32.png) [@dudu.c](https://forum.ansible.com/u/dudu.c)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 9:22am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-when-condition-for-empty-variable/32871/4 "2020-05-07T09:22:59Z")
when using **domain\_name|default(“”)|length \> 0** and the paramter is empry i’m geeting the follwoing error message. When the parameter include value it is working fatal: [10.164.237.140]: FAILED! =\> {“msg”: “The conditional check ‘domain\_name | default("") | length \> 0’ failed. The error was: Unexpected templating type error occurred on ({% if domain\_name | default("") | length \> 0 %} True {% else %} False {% endif %}): object of type ‘NoneType’ has no len()\n\nThe error appears to be in ‘/data/ansible/new2\_keycloak/create-realm-secert.yml’: line 13, 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: Copy realm no LDAP Support\n ^ here\n”} ---
**Author:** ![dudu.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/278dde/32.png) [@dudu.c](https://forum.ansible.com/u/dudu.c)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 9:25am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-when-condition-for-empty-variable/32871/5 "2020-05-07T09:25:16Z")
Using domain\_name | default(“”) == “” skip the task no matter if i have value or not ---
**Author:** ![vbotka](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/vbotka/32/359_2.png) [@vbotka](https://forum.ansible.com/u/vbotka)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 9:48am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-when-condition-for-empty-variable/32871/6 "2020-05-07T09:48:57Z")
Compare the lenght to 0 then     when: domain\_name|default("")|length == 0 ---
**Author:** ![vbotka](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/vbotka/32/359_2.png) [@vbotka](https://forum.ansible.com/u/vbotka)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 9:57am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-when-condition-for-empty-variable/32871/7 "2020-05-07T09:57:58Z")
This is not what I see. Both the comparison to an empty string and testing the length should work. For example hosts: localhost   tasks:     - debug:         msg: Non-existent or empty       when: domain\_name|default("") == ""     - debug:         msg: Non-existent or empty       when: domain\_name|default("")|length == 0     - set\_fact:         domain\_name: example.com     - debug:         msg: Non-existent or empty       when: domain\_name|default("") == ""     - debug:         msg: Non-existent or empty       when: domain\_name|default("")|length == 0 gives   TASK [debug] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   ok: [localhost] =\> {       "msg": "Non-existent or empty"   }   TASK [debug] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   ok: [localhost] =\> {       "msg": "Non-existent or empty"   }   TASK [set\_fact] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   ok: [localhost]   TASK [debug] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   skipping: [localhost]   TASK [debug] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   skipping: [localhost] The comparison to an empty string is deprecated. HTH,   -vlado ---
**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:** [May 11, 2020, 8:50pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/problem-using-when-condition-for-empty-variable/32871/8 "2020-05-11T20:50:48Z")
> Using domain\_name | default("") == "" skip the task no matter if i have > value or not The reason this doesn't work is because default only work on undefined variable, but your variable is not undefined it's set to null.