# Sending email with results **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [September 15, 2020, 11:54am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812 "2020-09-15T11:54:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sandy\_Toshev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Sandy\_Toshev](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Sandy_Toshev)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 11:54am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/1 "2020-09-15T11:54:48Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Visser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@Dick\_Visser](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Dick_Visser)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 12:14pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/2 "2020-09-15T12:14:31Z")
Use [https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/modules/mail\_module.html](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 ---
**Author:** ![Sandy\_Toshev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Sandy\_Toshev](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Sandy_Toshev)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 12:36pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/3 "2020-09-15T12:36:30Z")
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 %} ---
**Author:** ![timothy\_pember](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@timothy\_pember](https://forum.ansible.com/u/timothy_pember)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/4 "2020-09-15T12:40:52Z")
You could generate the app specific password for gmail and use it to try again. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Sandy\_Toshev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Sandy\_Toshev](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Sandy_Toshev)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 12:45pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/5 "2020-09-15T12:45:39Z")
I do not understand your suggestion. I am using my gmail account password in the .yml file. Am I supposed to use some other? ---
**Author:** ![timothy\_pember](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@timothy\_pember](https://forum.ansible.com/u/timothy_pember)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/6 "2020-09-15T12:57:51Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Sandy\_Toshev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Sandy\_Toshev](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Sandy_Toshev)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 1:32pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/7 "2020-09-15T13:32:50Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![timothy\_pember](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@timothy\_pember](https://forum.ansible.com/u/timothy_pember)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 1:35pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/8 "2020-09-15T13:35:47Z")
Can you configure the credentials with a regular mail client such as thunderbird to see if your gmail SMTP works correctly? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Luca\_remix\_tj\_Lorenz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea666f/32.png) [@Luca\_remix\_tj\_Lorenz](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Luca_remix_tj_Lorenz)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/9 "2020-09-15T13:41:45Z")
Hello, you're missing an indentation on the line after body: | Luca ---
**Author:** ![Sandy\_Toshev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Sandy\_Toshev](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Sandy_Toshev)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/10 "2020-09-15T13:43:15Z")
🙂 - 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. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/11 "2020-09-15T13:45:22Z")
> 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 ---
**Author:** ![Sandy\_Toshev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Sandy\_Toshev](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Sandy_Toshev)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/12 "2020-09-15T14:13:50Z")
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 🙂 thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Visser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@Dick\_Visser](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Dick_Visser)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/13 "2020-09-15T14:16:28Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Luca\_remix\_tj\_Lorenz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea666f/32.png) [@Luca\_remix\_tj\_Lorenz](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Luca_remix_tj_Lorenz)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 2:17pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/14 "2020-09-15T14:17:46Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Sandy\_Toshev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Sandy\_Toshev](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Sandy_Toshev)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/15 "2020-09-15T14:30:38Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Sandy\_Toshev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Sandy\_Toshev](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Sandy_Toshev)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 6:18am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/16 "2020-09-18T06:18:35Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Visser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@Dick\_Visser](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Dick_Visser)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 6:29am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/17 "2020-09-18T06:29:45Z")
ah yes, that f should be in double brackets: {{ f }} ---
**Author:** ![Sandy\_Toshev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Sandy\_Toshev](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Sandy_Toshev)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 7:04am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/sending-email-with-results/33812/18 "2020-09-18T07:04:12Z")
Great! Thanks a lot for everything.