# register shell output, set as custom fact and use it as a condition of the playbook running **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [March 12, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/register-shell-output-set-as-custom-fact-and-use-it-as-a-condition-of-the-playbook-running/17734 "2015-03-12T20:23:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chris\_Short](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac8455/32.png) [@Chris\_Short](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chris_Short)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/register-shell-output-set-as-custom-fact-and-use-it-as-a-condition-of-the-playbook-running/17734/1 "2015-03-12T20:23:53Z")
I am trying to register the output of a shell command, set it as a fact, and then run the playbook only when there is not a match. Example: ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Peters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Michael\_Peters](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_Peters)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/register-shell-output-set-as-custom-fact-and-use-it-as-a-condition-of-the-playbook-running/17734/2 "2015-03-12T21:08:52Z")
You're trying to compare a structure to a string. You probably meant to use "git\_installed\_version" in your when conditional. Also, you either need to quote the "{{ git\_version }}" in the conditional so that the string is quoted, or just leave it off entirely since it's using 2 variables, no need to bring templating into it. You'll probably want something like this: - name: Dump git\_installed\_version to file   debug: msg="success"   when: git\_installed\_version == git\_version   tags: dump ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Short](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac8455/32.png) [@Chris\_Short](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chris_Short)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/register-shell-output-set-as-custom-fact-and-use-it-as-a-condition-of-the-playbook-running/17734/3 "2015-03-13T01:36:21Z")
I’m running around in circles I feel. Below is my flattened playbook. Ideally the variable is the version of software I want installed. Everything else is to determine if the version on a system matches the variable or not. The issue is that no matter how I skin this cat the version never matches (it should as the version installed on the system I’m testing against does match the variable). Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Short](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac8455/32.png) [@Chris\_Short](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chris_Short)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:43pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/register-shell-output-set-as-custom-fact-and-use-it-as-a-condition-of-the-playbook-running/17734/4 "2015-03-13T12:43:55Z")
When running with the -v flag I was getting this: TASK: [Set git\_installed\_version fact] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* ok: [cld-lab0-cshort01] =\> {“ansible\_facts”: {“git\_installed\_version”: “git\_version\_output.stdout\_lines”}} So clearly something wasn’t right. I tried this: - name: Set git\_installed\_version fact set\_fact: git\_installed\_version={{ git\_version\_output.stdout\_lines }} tags: fact1 And then the output seemed to be close to desired: TASK: [Set git\_installed\_version fact] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* ok: [cld-lab0-cshort01] =\> {“ansible\_facts”: {“git\_installed\_version”: “[‘2.3.2’]”}} My problem is the JSON’y format of that output. Is there a way to just get the output without the formatting? ---
**Author:** ![Brian\_Coca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Brian\_Coca](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Brian_Coca)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:22pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/register-shell-output-set-as-custom-fact-and-use-it-as-a-condition-of-the-playbook-running/17734/5 "2015-03-13T13:22:52Z")
stdout\_lines returns a list/array, that is why you are getting ['2.3.2'], this is what Micheal was referring to when he mentioned you are comparing a string to a structure. Use stdout. ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Short](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac8455/32.png) [@Chris\_Short](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chris_Short)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/register-shell-output-set-as-custom-fact-and-use-it-as-a-condition-of-the-playbook-running/17734/6 "2015-03-13T13:37:06Z")
First facepalm of the day recorded at 9:35 AM. Thank you, Brian. ---
**Author:** ![Bence\_Takacs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Bence\_Takacs](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Bence_Takacs)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 9:37am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/register-shell-output-set-as-custom-fact-and-use-it-as-a-condition-of-the-playbook-running/17734/7 "2015-03-16T09:37:54Z")
Let me highlight the solution for the posterity 🙂 If you want to register a variable based on a shell script: > - name: Register git version that is installed on system > shell: git --version | sed ‘s/git\ version\ //g’ > register: git\_version\_output > tags: register You expect that the variable will store the output of the script. But this is not the case This wil store a dict/struct that stores many things: the script itself, the timestamp of run, the exit value, etc So if you are interested on simply the output itself, you need to address it like: > - name: Dump git\_installed\_version to file > debug: msg=“success” > when: **git\_version\_output.stdout** == {{ git\_version }} > tags: dump Regards: Bence 1. március 13., péntek 14:37:06 UTC+1 időpontban Chris Short a következőt írta: