Unable to get value of variable from another Play in Ansible

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1

I wish to obtain the value of “f_APP” variable of Play 2 into Play 3.

Below is my playbook which case be used as a testcase:

`

  • name: “Play 1”
    hosts: localhost
    tasks:

  • add_host: name={{ item }}
    groups=dest_nodes
    ansible_user={{ USER }}
    with_items: “{{ Dest_IP.split(‘,’) }}”

  • name: “Play 2”
    hosts: dest_nodes
    user: “{{ USER }}”
    tasks:

  • set_fact:
    f_APP: “Yellow”

  • name: “Play 3”

hosts: localhost
user: “{{ USER }}”

vars:
dbfiledet: “{{ hostvars[‘dest_nodes’][‘f_APP’] }}”

tasks:

  • debug: msg=“{{ dbfiledet.stdout }}”

`

I get the below error for my attempt:

playbook RUN command:

ansible-playbook variabletest.yml -e “USER=user1 Dest_IP=10.17.44.26,10.17.54.26”

[WARNING]: provided hosts list is empty, only localhost is available. Note that the implicit localhost does not match ‘all’

PLAY [Play 1]

TASK [Gathering Facts] ************************************************************************************************************************************** ok: [localhost]

TASK [add_host] ********************************************************************************************************************************************* changed: [localhost] => (item=10.17.44.26) changed: [localhost] => (item=10.17.54.26)

PLAY [Play 2]

TASK [Gathering Facts] ************************************************************************************************************************************** ok: [10.17.54.26] ok: [10.17.44.26]

TASK [set_fact] ********************************************************************************************************************************************* ok: [10.17.44.26] ok: [10.17.54.26]

PLAY [Play 3]

TASK [Gathering Facts] ************************************************************************************************************************************** ok: [localhost]

TASK [debug] ************************************************************************************************************************************************ fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {“msg”: “The task includes an option with an undefined variable. The error was: "hostvars[‘dest_nodes’]" is undefined\n\nThe error appears to be in ‘variabletest.yml’: line 36, column 6, but may\nbe elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.\n\nThe offending line appears to be:\n\n\n - debug: msg="{{ dbfiledet.stdout }}"\n ^ here\nWe could be wrong, but this one looks like it might be an issue with\nmissing quotes. Always quote template expression brackets when they\nstart a value. For instance:\n\n with_items:\n - {{ foo }}\n\nShould be written as:\n\n with_items:\n - "{{ foo }}"\n”}

PLAY RECAP

10.17.44.26 : ok=2 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0

10.17.54.26 : ok=2 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0 localhost

: ok=3 changed=1 unreachable=0 failed=1 skipped=0

rescued=0 ignored=0

I’m on the latest version of ansible and python 2.7.5

Can someone suggest what is wrong and how can i get the value for the variable in Play 3 please ?

2

Unfortunately play variables do not persist in between plays by design in Ansible, generally I would try and group the tasks in a play together but you can write your vars to files on the local Host or remote node in play 2 and then read that file in play 3. One thing I can also suggest although I don’t have a laptop to test currently is:

Play2:
Hosts: test
Tasks:
set_fact:
myvar: foo

Play3
Hosts: test
Tasks:
set_fact:
myvar: “{{ hostvars[‘test’][‘myvar’] }}”

^ that might work as I believe hostvars once defined will be carried throughout execution

3

I’ve read variables don’t survive across “hosts” lines.

Mike

4

They do.
Variables is register to the host and is available in subsequent plays.

But to read variables from another host you always need to use hostvars to access them.

5

"dest_nodes" is the group of hosts. "hostvars" requires a host as an index.
This is the reason of the error:

    The error was: "hostvars['dest_nodes']" is undefined

Cheers,

  -vlado