Sending email with results

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1

Hi guys,

So I have been using the following simple playbook to keep a folder clean from files. Everything is working fine. However, I got into thinking that it will not hurt, if I get a notification, containing what has been deleted.
So my question is - may I use the variable into a body of an email? I have tried to view the contents of the registered variable, and I cannot seem to find a way.
How can I configure an email that will have something like "I have deleted the following files - file1, file2, etc.?

Thank you in advance.

2

Use https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/modules/mail_module.html
and set the body argument to an inline jinja template, then iterate
over your "files_to_delete.files" variable.

- name: Sending an email
  mail:
    body: |
      Deleted some files - {% for f in files_to_delete.files %}f, {% endfor %}

etc etc

3

Thank you for the fast response,

So I added the following at the end of the .yml file, but I guess I do not know the correct syntax, because I get an error.
#added from suggestion

  • name: Sending an email about it
    mail:
    body: |
    Deleted some files - {% for f in files_to_delete.files %}f, {% endfor %}
4

You could generate the app specific password for gmail and use it to try again.

Thanks

5

I do not understand your suggestion. I am using my gmail account password in the .yml file. Am I supposed to use some other?

6

Believe me, I work for google (not gmail). Google generally doesn’t permit you to use the password directly. You must generate an app password for the third party application.

Thanks

7

Well, tried it (generated an app password) but still getting the same error. I cannot seem to send any email via Ansible - tried just a simple one (no the loop that was suggested) without success. Tried my local mail-server as sender - again no success.
Also in the app password page of my google account, I see that “last used” column is empty - as if I have never used the pass.
Any suggestions?

8

Can you configure the credentials with a regular mail client such as thunderbird to see if your gmail SMTP works correctly?

Thanks

9

Hello,

you're missing an indentation on the line after

body: |

Luca

10

:slight_smile: - was just trying that - and my gmail works fine both with my password and with my app password. It is something Ansible related - I am digging into the 1st line of the error - ERROR! couldn’t resolve module/action ‘mail’. This often indicates a misspelling, missing collection, or incorrect module path.
Maybe something’s wrong with the mail module. Looking on how to check instllation/view modules, etc.

11

Thank you for the fast response,

So I added the following at the end of the .yml file, but I guess I do not know the correct syntax, because I get an error.
#added from suggestion
- name: Sending an email about it
mail:
body: |
Deleted some files - {% for f in files_to_delete.files %}f, {% endfor %}
subject: Deleted files overview
host: smtp.gmail.com
port: 587
username: my_user_name@gmail.com
password: my_very_secure_password
to: my_private_username@my_private_domain

===
The error is as follows:
ERROR! We were unable to read either as JSON nor YAML, these are the errors we got from each:
JSON: Expecting value: line 1 column 1 (char 0)

Syntax Error while loading YAML.
could not find expected ':'

Your indendation is wrong.

It should be like:

  mail:
    body: |
      Deleted some files - {% for f in files_to_delete.files %}f, {% endfor %}

Regards
         Racke

12

Thanks for all the help, but I cannot seem to get it to work… below is my .yml file… and the error. If anyone feels to help, please do :slight_smile: thanks in advance.

13

Please use the EXACT code I sent in my first message.
As Stefan pointed out your indentation is wrong.
FYI indentation means the number of spaces, which matters.
And very likely the Gmail as well - but that has been said enough
times now I think.

14

Hello,

seems like you're not reading the suggestions we sent you. So read
this accurately:

  - name: Sending mail
    mail:
    host: smtp.gmail.com
    port: 587
    username: my_user_name@gmail.com
    password: my_pass
    body: |
      sender: my_user_name@gmail.com
    Deleted some files - {% for f in files_to_delete.files %}f, {% endfor %}

as you can notice, sender is indented by *two spaces*. That's the
error ansible is reporting you. Your playbook is an invalid yaml,
that's why doesn't work.

Luca

15

Thanks again,

I read them all and tried different spaces configs still nothing.
OK, you have done enough (and more) - so I will continue reading on yaml syntax and get back to sending mails with Ansible.

16

Final resolution:
As I suspected the main problem was missing “mail” module. I am a fan of the gentoo distribution, and I compile everything from source, but this time, the package was incomplete (even with the proper use flags). Ansible is re-compiled and mails are sent now…

@Dick Visser - if you still feel like helping, may you please suggest something about your script. What output I am getting - if I have 4 files deleted, I receive an email with a body like that: “f, f, f, f”. If I have no files deleted - empty body.
Thanks in advance.

17

ah yes, that f should be in double brackets:

{{ f }}

18

Great! Thanks a lot for everything.