shell script gives different output when invoked using Ansible shell module.

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1

I have check.sh script that I wish to run on the target nodes:

`
cat check.sh

str=echo $1 | sed -e 's#[\][\]n# #g'
echo $str>check.row
`

It is suppose to replace \n with a single white space from the argument and save it in check.row file.

When I run it manually on the target server i get good output results as shown below:

bash -x ./check.sh ‘/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql’
++ echo ‘/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql’
++ sed -e ‘s#n# #g’

  • str=‘/fin/app/01/scripts /fin/app/01/sql’
  • echo /fin/app/01/scripts /fin/app/01/sql

Here is the check.row file output:

[user1@remotehost1 ~]$ cat check.row
/fin/app/01/scripts /fin/app/01/sql

However, when i run the same using ansible shell or command module I do not get the expected results.

Below is my playbook:

`
tasks:

  • copy:
    src: “{{ playbook_dir }}/files/check.sh”
    dest: “~/”
    mode: 0754

  • set_fact:
    install_dir: “{{ hostvars['localhost']['command_result'].stdout.split(‘\t’)[2] }}”

  • shell: “bash -x ~/check.sh ‘{{ install_dir }}’ > ~/check_rollback.log”
    `

See ansible’s debug output below:

changed: [10.8.44.55] => {
“changed”: true,
“cmd”: “bash -x ~/check.sh ‘/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql’ > ~/check_rollback.log”,
“delta”: “0:00:00.118943”,
“end”: “2019-09-04 10:50:16.503745”,
“invocation”: {
“module_args”: {
“_raw_params”: “bash -x ~/check.sh ‘/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql’ > ~/check_rollback.log”,
“_uses_shell”: true,
“argv”: null,
“chdir”: null,
“creates”: null,
“executable”: null,
“removes”: null,
“stdin”: null,
“stdin_add_newline”: true,
“strip_empty_ends”: true,
“warn”: true
}
},
“rc”: 0,
“start”: “2019-09-04 10:50:16.384802”,
“stderr”: “++ echo ‘/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql’\n++ sed -e ‘s#[\][\]n# #g’\n+ str=‘/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql’\n+ echo ‘/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql’”,
“stderr_lines”: [
“++ echo ‘/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql’”,
“++ sed -e ‘s#[\][\]n# #g’”,
“+ str=‘/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql’”,
“+ echo ‘/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql’”
],
“stdout”: “”,
“stdout_lines”:
}

And here is the check.row file output:

[user1@remotehost1 ~]$ cat check.row
/fin/app/01/scripts\n/fin/app/01/sql

As you can instead of single whitespace it is now printing \n.

One can replicate this issue easily. Can you please suggest why am I getting this issue and how to fix this?

2

Mohtashim,

Try using “echo -e”.