unpredictable 'working directory' on local machine

Archives Ansible Project
1

Hi,

I have found that ansible is unpredictable in terms of determining the current working directory on the LOCAL machine.
Invoking the same shell command as a lookup, or as a command, changes the apparent working directory.

Is this expected behaviour?

e.g. for the playbook given below, and invoked as follows:

~/projectdir $ ansible-playbook -i inventory ~/automation/ansible/playbook.yaml

vars:
inifile: “{{ lookup(‘pipe’,‘locate_config.py --inifile’) }}”

runs from the location of the current playbook
i.e. ~/automation/ansible/playbook.yaml

However,

tasks:

  • name: Get ini properties file
    action: command locate_config.py --inifile
    register: gce_project_ini

runs from the location from which the playbook was invoked
i.e. ~/projectdir

‘locate_config.py --inifile’ is a script that outputs the path to a uniquely-named INI file, specific to the project (but could be a call to pwd)

I want to have the lookup command use the latter ~/projectdir location as its pwd.

Any advice or suggestions gratefully received.

The Playbook is below

  • name: Gather GCE info from localhost
    hosts: localhost
    environment:
    PATH: “{{ lookup(‘env’, ‘PATH’) }}”
    vars:
    inifile: “{{ lookup(‘pipe’,‘locate_config.py --inifile’) }}”

tasks:

  • name: Get ini properties file
    action: command locate_config.py --inifile
    register: gce_project_ini

  • debug: msg=“infile={{ inifile }}”

  • debug: msg=“gce_project_ini={{ gce_project_ini.stdout_lines }}”

Follow us on:

Appsbroker Consulting Limited, Registered office: Appsbroker House, The Square, Swindon,

SN1 3EB, Company Number: 5702796, VAT Number: GB 876 3533 92, Company registered in England and Wales.

2

just tested this against 2.0:

  • hosts: localhost
    gather_facts: False
    vars:
    third: “{{lookup(‘pipe’, ‘pwd’)}}”
    tasks:

  • shell: pwd
    register: cwd

  • debug: msg={{cwd}}

  • debug: msg={{lookup(‘pipe’, ‘pwd’)}}

  • debug: msg={{third}}

and all 3 give the same result.

3

Sorry to be pedantic, but did you try e.g.

~/projectdir $ ansible-playbook ~/automation/ansible/playbook.yaml

or just

ansible-playbook playbook.yaml

On two separate installations both ansible 2.0.0, I get the behaviour I have described, when the former is used

That is, pwd reports one location for the lookup calls (2nd & third in your example report location of playbook) and a different location for the shell task (location of ansible invocation)
WHEN the playbook and the invocation are in different locations.

Any chance you could check again?

Cheers

Jonathan

4

I see what you mean now, but not unpredictable. Lookups are always relative to the role or play.

Local tasks are relative to the cwd from which you execute.

5

Thanks, that is excellent info.
I have not found this documented anywhere.