# Variable file path in lookup **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [October 15, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-file-path-in-lookup/13688 "2013-10-15T21:45:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chris\_Carter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Chris\_Carter](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chris_Carter)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-file-path-in-lookup/13688/1 "2013-10-15T21:45:39Z")
Hi there, I’m attempting to configure a variable lookup to a public key file, and am running into some trouble. What confuses me is that the variable substitution works fine in a debug statement, but then blows up in the lookup statement for assigning authorized key values. Here’s the general idea; ## provisioning/git.yml (playbook): > * * * > > - hosts: git > > sudo: true > > roles: > > - { role: git, git\_users: [‘me’] } ## provisioning/roles/git/tasks/main.yml: > * * * > > - user: name=git state=present home=/opt/git > > - debug: msg={{ ‘../../users/files/’ + item + ‘.pub’ }} > > with\_items: git\_users > > - authorized\_key: user=git key={{ lookup(‘file’, ‘../../users/files/’ + item + ‘.pub’) }} > > with\_items: git\_users When I run ansible against the git.yml playbook, I end up with the following: > TASK: [debug msg=../../users/files/.pub] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > > ok: [[dev-build-c.oedev.us](http://dev-build-c.oedev.us)] =\> (item=me) =\> {“item”: “me”, “msg”: “../../users/files/me.pub”} > > ERROR: blah/blah/blah/provisioning/roles/users/files/.pub does not exist I’m really struggling with understanding what I am missing in terms of looping and the lookup functionality. We’re using lookups elsewhere with dynamically constructed paths for passwords, and it seems to work like I’d expect. But when I introduce a loop, it falls apart. Thanks for any pointers to relieve me of my ignorance! Chris ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan2](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan2)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-file-path-in-lookup/13688/2 "2013-10-16T19:55:34Z")
I don’t see this as blowing up, I see this as reporting an error that it couldn’t find the file. Help me understand why the file is not where you think it is? ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Carter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Chris\_Carter](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chris_Carter)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-file-path-in-lookup/13688/3 "2013-10-16T20:21:30Z")
In the debug and error lines: > ok: [[dev-build-c.oedev.us](http://dev-build-c.oedev.us/)] =\> (item=me) =\> {“item”: “me”, “msg”: “…/…/users/files/me.pub”} > > ERROR: blah/blah/blah/provisioning/roles/users/files/.pub does not exist The item it’s supposed to be supplying is “me”, so I would expect the path it derives for the lookup to be “…/…/users/files/me.pub”, but instead it’s hitting the lookup as “…/…/users/files/.pub”, and the portion where the replacement would occur is blank (hence it’s “.pub” and not “me.pub”. Does that make sense? ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Carter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Chris\_Carter](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chris_Carter)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-file-path-in-lookup/13688/4 "2013-10-16T20:35:04Z")
I’ve managed to create a test case for this (these files fall under an ansible-test directory): > **## looptest.yml** > > * * * > > - hosts: 127.0.0.1 > > connection: local > > vars: > > mylist: > > - “item1” > > roles: > > - looptest > **## roles/looptest/tasks/main.yml** > > * * * > > - debug: msg=“{{ item }}” > > with\_items: mylist > > - debug: msg=“{{ lookup(‘file’, ‘…/…/filerole/files/item1.txt’) }}” > > - debug: msg=“{{ lookup(‘file’, ‘…/…/filerole/files/’ + item + ‘.txt’) }}” > > with\_items: mylist > **## roles/filerole/files/item1.txt** > > Testing! This produces the following output on Ansible 1.3.2, Python 2.7.5 (Homebrew), Mac OSX 10.8.5, using the command **ansible-playbook looptest.yml -i “127.0.0.1,”** : > PLAY [127.0.0.1] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > > GATHERING FACTS \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > ok: [127.0.0.1] > > TASK: [debug msg=“”] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > ok: [127.0.0.1] =\> (item=item1) =\> {“item”: “item1”, “msg”: “item1”} > > TASK: [debug msg=“Testing”] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > ok: [127.0.0.1] =\> {“item”: “”, “msg”: “Testing”} > ERROR: /blah/blah/blah/ansible-test/roles/filerole/files/.txt does not exist I would expect that ERROR line to be searching for /blah/blah/blah/ansible-test/roles/filerole/files/item1.txt, not just a “.txt” file with no filename portion. Does that help at all? Chris ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan2](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan2)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-file-path-in-lookup/13688/5 "2013-10-16T20:52:39Z")
Please file a github ticket. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Carter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Chris\_Carter](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chris_Carter)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-file-path-in-lookup/13688/6 "2013-10-16T21:32:18Z")
You bet, [ticket 4549](https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/4549) created!