For example, I want to have variable in nginx configuration template. When documenting roles, it’s best to use the template created by ansible-galaxy init. The with_* keyword is used with a number of lookup plugins when iterating through values. After the template line is 'with_items:'; with_items is an iterator (it acts like a for loop where the variable 'item' will be set to equal one of with_items elements on each iteration). with_items: - { name: sample1, username: testuser, permission: '0644' } In this example, we will see how different lists will be treated by Ansible with_items. Notice in our output after running Ansible with our updated template file, the numbers are properly counted. Ansible Windows modules work similarly. Ansible is a tremendously powerful tool for automation across the board. This includes managing VMware vSphere virtual machines. Platform as a Service (PaaS) is … We will take some examples, but before going there, we first see our lab, we used for testing purpose. Ansible with_items is a lookup type plugins which is used to return list items passed into it. An example of this might be is if you are laying down multiple configuration files for an application and need to restart a service if any of those files change. In the below task, I am looping over the list1 variable in the template, using the for loop structure. If/Else in J2 template with_items and facts Am struggling to get ansible doing what I would like in a j2 template but not sure if I have approached it in the wrong way. In Ansible, with_items is used in loops. templates. Get the current time Using filters to manipulate data This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. The data provided by these plugins is converted to standard templating (Jinja2) system in Ansible and used to load variables or templates with any data from those systems. In loops, ‘with_items” are used to level the first shaft of the list. Recently I shared my experience with using Ansible with Microsoft Azure at a local meetup, and I now have decided to share it with a larger audience. In Ansible, you may need to perform multiple actions that notify a common handler. eval(ez_write_tag([[970,250],'mydailytutorials_com-leader-1','ezslot_4',119,'0','0']));It is possible to use this in ansible templates also using the jinja2 format. For example, I want to have variable in nginx configuration template. Instead of copy file from control machine to destination machine, it will supply the variable values first to the file, after that it … When it comes to VMware, Ansible has a large array of modules that allow you to effectively interact with your vSphere environment. - [Eagle,Falcon] register: var_output Will need to install cloudformation-ruby-dsl and run bundle in the /cloudformation directory. You can do this by giving Jinja2 style comments by enclosing the comments within {# … #}. For this we have a playbook like below where we are creating more than one file and set ownership, permission to it. eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'mydailytutorials_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_24',110,'0','0']));A template in Ansible is a file which contains all your configuration parameters, but the dynamic values are given as variables. I am trying to get a playbook that configures and installs esxi for me. template_uid is the numeric user id of the owner. We will provide different type of lists to it and use Ansible debug module to check the output. with_items: - hosts: localhost Lookup plugins enable Ansible to access information from external sources such as external data stores, filesystems etc. Deleting multiple files-ansible file module - apple You will not do this under templates as we will create individual template files. Now we will see some real usage of Ansible with_items in playbooks and what will be the output of such execution. We will create playbooks and run Ansible commands on ansible-controller node and see the results on remote hosts. Ansible Jinja template use double-curly braces {{ xx }} to represent the variables. Ansible Tower API Project Background: During a project with a client, we were working on manipulating the Ansible Tower inventory using Ansible templates (plays). One of the main program expression we usually use is the ‘for’ loop. backup – If you want a backup file to be created in the destination directory, you should set the value of the backup parameter to ‘yes’. A list where an item has another list inside it, it will look like as follows. replace the variables with actual values using interpolation syntax and secure copy the file to remote server once the actual values are placed. So if there is any difference between the rendered source file and the destination file, destination file would be replaced. For this purpose we have a playbook like below. We are using the dictionary since the source and destination will be different for each template.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mydailytutorials_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_9',124,'0','0'])); In the following example, I am rendering three templates, each with different source and destination. --- The resulting output shows all the variables on the same line. First of all, we are creating this Playbook to pass our JSON values into our Jinja2 template. This will remove the white spaces at the end of the block. user: eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mydailytutorials_com-banner-1','ezslot_17',112,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mydailytutorials_com-banner-1','ezslot_18',112,'0','1']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mydailytutorials_com-banner-1','ezslot_19',112,'0','2']));As you can see, both variables in the hello_world are replaced by their values. Working of Ansible Windows Modules. This Anisble role is called config_localpw it is used to create a local username and password on a Cisco device and can easily be referenced from any playbook I have. - name: ASimple List On documenting roles . Working with a playbook, we’ll go from deploying a simple HTML website to a complete LAMP stack. - name: A List where multiple variables are passed in an item of list During the playbook execution, depending on the conditions like which cluster you are using, the variables will be replaced with the relevant values. Jinja2 can be a pain, but ultimately a very powerful tool. So I don't think there will be many problems that can rise to release-blocking status. Learn to build Ansible playbooks with our guide, one step at a time. So by using “{{ item }}” , with_items parameters we can crete loop and we can create multiple files. 2. - name: Here we are providing a list which have items containing multiple values with_items: For example, if a program fails, then a batch is skipped. Hope this helps you out in your template writing. Ansible user module is a way to use Ansible to do user management on target remote machines. Ansible parses templates on the controller and passes only the information needed for each task to the target machine, instead of passing all the data on the controller and parsing it on the target. debug: - lion. The variables in a template file will be denoted by the double curly braces, ‘{{ variables }}’. - name: add templates template: src: {{ item }} dest: /{{ item }} owner: root group: root mode: 0640 with_items: - etc/sudoers.d/support1 You would only use templates instead of files because late on there might be some variable to add to all those or the group name might come from variable if you get another role that creates the groups. Instead of defining a separate task for each site’s config, I can loop through the contents of a variable and template out a configuration file for each server block: Now, let us see how to use ansible variables like list or dictionary in the templates files. debug: Hope this helps you out in your template writing. if you do mistakes, you would be sure where to look - in your template. We use analytics cookies to understand how you use our websites so we can make them better, e.g. Mydailytutorials.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Tagged: red-hat. There is more to come! tasks: Templates end with the .j2 suffix and use Jinja2 syntax. In the output we can see the how different lists are seen by Ansible with_items plugin. Ansible have different plugin types, further these plugin types have various plugins in each category. Then on again checking we can see files are now there with required ownership and permission. In the output we can see the how first these files named sample1 and sample2 were not existing and system gave error, then we created those files using Ansible file module and passed parameter values using with_items. Mode – If you want to set the permissions for the destination file explicitly, then you can use this parameter. Ansible’s templates and loops provide a great way to accomplish this in a reusable manner. This won’t be shown in the output file  #}. Ansible Template module is little Different form COPY module. The article presupposes that you have Ansible installed on your system and you have some basic familiarity with Ansible. - banana Each of the names is exposed as item, which is a default variable that Ansible creates. Ansible with_items plugin is a widely used plugin. - { name: sample2, uid: 2002, groups: "Finance" }. The with_* lookup is still very much in use and has not yet been deprecated.. Let’s now have a look at how you can implement Loops in Ansible. You can use the with_items parameter on a dictionary to render multiple files. Then, if you follow all best practices mentioned here, your roles should be good to publish them on Ansible Galaxy and Github. But apart from some few parameters, all other settings will be same. When you create your role, use ansible-galaxy init to create the initial directory layout and stick to it. - name : Here we are providing a simple list. You can use it to achieve recursion. run task to ensure all gpg keys are imported for current repos ** need to take into account default apt repos are placed in sources.list and others are in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ I will present the full Ansible Playbook further down the page, but I will start with walking through the items step by step. By default, the value is ‘yes’. Also, you can pass multiple entries in a single item to pass data to parameters when you are running a task which need more than one parameter like while adding a user, you might need to pass userid, name, groups etc. This will look like as follows. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mydailytutorials_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_20',125,'0','0']));e.g. Unit testing in Ansible is key to making sure roles function as intended. state: present @Akasurde That makes sense, when I switched to the snippet below, it worked, however for some reason is doing the task twice per node. Tagged: red-hat. The ansible-3.0.0 release will be based on ansible-base-2.10, just like ansible-2.10 is. ansible… ansibot added affects_2.7 bug needs_triage support:core labels Jan 1, 2019. debug: Ansible. --- “when” condition can be used along with tasks and also roles. groups: "{{ item.groups }}" In the above example, it would have been hello_world.j2. Ansible have different plugin types, further these plugin types have various plugins in each category. For more information on how to control the whitespaces checkout the jinja2 documentation. Ansible. Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud service… - name: checking the file's existance after creation Use Ansible facts to determine the managed host network configuration and decide which template file to send (for example, network bonding or trunking). We use analytics cookies to understand how you use our websites so we can make them better, e.g. //take the first step. - name: Here we are providing a list which have another list as item It is because it is retaining the whitespaces. Dag Wieers Dag Wieers. Jump start your automation project with great content from the Ansible community In the practice lab, we have Ansible control server “ansible-controller” and two target machines named host-two and host-one. Thirdly your template will be far shorter. The author selected the Mozilla Foundation to receive a donation as part of the Write for DOnations program.. Introduction. - { first: lemon, second: carrot } If you do not want this behaviour, set the value to ‘no’. In … This playlist explain you lot of concepts and definitions with example. click here for bot help. template_host contains the node name of the template’s machine. they're used to gather information about the pages you visit and how many clicks you need to accomplish a task. mode: "{{ item.permission }}" A list where an item has a list of variables inside it. debug: I've attached a reproducible test case. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to our Privacy Policy, 1 Online Courses | 4 Hands-on Projects | 8+ Hours | Verifiable Certificate of Completion | Lifetime Access, Linux Training Program (16 Courses, 3+ Projects), Kali Linux Training (3 Courses, 3+ Projects), Red Hat Linux Training Program (4 Courses, 1+ Projects), Software Development Course - All in One Bundle. Note that, after each iteration, a new line is also added. I can simply use as below This is … Also, note that all the variable realization and item parsing will be done on local Ansible controller node, like any other plugin. jinja2. -name: with_sequence ansible.builtin.debug: msg: " {{item}} " with_sequence: start=0 end=4 stride=2 format=testuser%02x-name: with_sequence -> loop ansible.builtin.debug: msg: " {{'testuser%02x' | format (item)}} " # range is exclusive of the end point loop: " {{range (0, 4 + 1, 2)| list}} " - name: A List with An Item Having Another List A task that Ansible can make much easier is cloning virtual machines from a template. file: Ansible Template … they're used to gather information about the pages you visit and how many clicks you need to accomplish a task. In other words, you will see in your vSphere Client, the first VM will clone. debug: We are using the dictionary since the source and destination will be different for each template. - banana name: "{{ item.name }}" ansible-pull Reverses the normal “push” model and lets clients "pull" from a centralized server for execution. So the three list items will be in three lines. Recently I shared my experience with using Ansible with Microsoft Azure at a local meetup, and I now have decided to share it with a larger audience. The template files will usually have the .j2 extension, which denotes the Jinja2 templating engine used. The backup file will be created every time there is a change in the destination directory. When using Ansible roles you need to create a specific folder structure, with a minimum of three folders, tasks, templates and vars. with_items: Directory of Ansible Create. uid: "{{ item.uid }}" Any problems with ansible-base will also be present in ansible-2.10 so they won't actually be regressions. Instead create your custom template under /etc/sudoers.d/ (like you've mentioned you saw). shell: "ls -l /tmp/sample*" Notice in our output after running Ansible with our updated template file, the numbers are properly counted. Ansible with_items is a lookup type plugins which is used to return list items passed into it. debug: This post will focus specifically on network / Cisco related examples but the concepts of Ansible roles remain the same. Ansible Template module examples, Ansible Template module helps to template a file to the remote server. var: var_output.stdout_lines One such lookup plugin is items, which is used with keyword with_items. register: var_output_1 With_Items in Ansible Templates: Ansible Template Module Examples-DecpdongDevOps. Introduction to Ansible with_items. Step 3: Within each of these new folders (except templates), right-click and create New File Create a file called main.yml in each of these folders. But in some scenarios, we may want to remove the white spaces. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more –. I do not recommend to edit existing global files with ansible. If a high-level item has also another list, then that list will be flattened and Ansible will not perform recursion for it. - { first: cow, second: goat }, ansible-playbook  ansible_with_items_lists.yaml. In this article, I will show you how to use Ansible to generate network device configurations based on a template and a variables file. Attaching the example output just to make one understand how we used the stdout_lines in the with_items command. Because that is done by another plugin named list lookup. path: "/tmp/{{ item.name }}" - name: here print the output There are other modules of template module which we can use to change some default behaviours. Ansible with_items is a keyword which you will use in playbook and provide a list of items under it. In Ansible, playbooks are written on YAML format and every module is written inside a playbook must follow indentation and spacing. Following are few scenarios were “when” condition can be used in the playbooks: Analytics cookies. use the template module and jinja2 template file to create the repo file and drop it on the remote server. - apple ansible_managed (configurable via the defaults section of ansible.cfg) contains a string which can be used to describe the template name, host, modification time of the template file and the owner uid. - hosts: all One such plugin type is lookup, which allows ansible to access data from outside resources. var: var_output_1.stdout_lines, ansible-playbook  ansible_with_items_creating_files.yaml. - [eagle, falcon] Ansible users have written modules for managing filesystem ACLs, managing Windows Firewall, and managing hostname and domain membership, and more. The value required to examine these condition can be collected from ansible facts or custom facts. So if I changed the ‘template.j2’ file in the last example two time and also changed the backup parameter to yes, then I get the following two files after two runs. - { name: sample1, uid: 2001, groups: "HR" } If you get stuck … reach out! This feature is not available in it. Managing configurations of multiple servers and environments are one of the significant uses of Ansible. A timestamp would be appended to the filename. So if there is an efficient way to manage these dynamic values it would be beneficial. - name: here print the output Will need to install cloudformation-ruby-dsl and run bundle in the /cloudformation directory. You will use it whenever you need loop arrangement in your playbook, because this is the standard lookup used mostly. with_items: - testuser1 - testuser2 This example playbook will run the useradd command taking each from the list defined under the with_items construct. Here we discuss the introduction, how does ansible with_item works along with sample code. I am a Cisco Network Engineer and use Ansible to create configuration templates, I have created specific roles for groups of devices i.e switches or routers and then more specific roles for configuration tasks i.e config_vlan or config_localpw. state: touch ansible. Ansible template with_items for multiple files You can use the with_items parameter on a dictionary to render multiple files. If you are not familiar with it, you should read about it first, before moving on with the tutorial. For example, if we want to render three templates each with different source and destination, with_items parameter can be put to use. with_items: "{{output.stdout_lines}}" --> output.stdout_lines gives us the line by line output and then we loop on the output with the with_items command of Ansible. A simple list will be like below and used in a task as follows. //take the first step. debug: var=item But there are a few points which one must remember before starting to use or trying to start the use of Ansible Windows modules. You can have conditional statements, loops, write macros, filters for transforming the data, do arithmetic calculations, etc. Mydailytutorials.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. But these configuration files may vary for each remote servers or each cluster. Then use this template to copy or send a string of data from controller node to remote nodes and this data can be … So, how can we do that? Actual plugin name is items. https://codereviewvideos.com/.../video/looping-in-ansible-with-items You must have good practice over it so that complex playbook can be created where multiple variables are processed and returned. © 2020 - EDUCBA. By default, the value is ‘no’. There is more to come! Do you want to learn ansible ? - hosts: all tasks: - name: Template with_items example. ansible-vault Encrypt sensitive data into an encrypted YAML file. For this we have a playbook like below, where we are using Ansible debug and file module to display registered values and creating files. Instead of copy file from control machine to destination machine, it will supply the variable values first to the file, after that it … In any operating system like Linux or Microsoft Windows; user, group, and … In the following example, I am looping through the value 0 to 2 using the python range function. with_items: eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mydailytutorials_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_1',118,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mydailytutorials_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',118,'0','1']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mydailytutorials_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_3',118,'0','2']));At the bare minimum, you need to have two parameters when using the Ansible module. with_items loops over a list and it is kind of “for” loop in ansible where you can iterate through a list and perform a action using that list. But sometimes you won’t want it to appear in the rendered file. Using the Ansible playbook example above to deploy mulple vms from template in VMware vSphere, the with_items entry allows you to run your playbook synchronously. This module is part of ansible-base and included in all Ansible installations. One such plugin type is lookup, which allows ansible to access data from outside resources. lib/ansible/template; If these files are inaccurate, please update the component name section of the description or use the !component bot command. ansible-docs Parses the docstringsof Ansible modules to see example syntax and the parameters modules require. Ansible then assigns a package name to item, based on the iteration it is currently part of. At with_items parameter, we have to mentions file names which you want to create. It basically does two things. 3. This flexibility makes it more suitable in real world scenarios. shell: "ls -l /tmp/sample*" I am using the template module on the hello_world.j2 file. owner: "{{ item.username }}" After running Ansible with our updated template file, the value is ‘ no ’ time using filters manipulate... Module helps to template a file to its remote destination without the suffix... Task as follows Windows ; user, group, and which bits standard! Might give a lot of ansible template with_items in your template values of a list where an item has also list...: Brennan Stride and George Nalen testuser1 - testuser2 this example, you can this. Templates, each with different source and destination controller node, like any other plugin on local controller. Template use double-curly braces { { xx } } ’ templates end with the.j2 suffix to represent variables! The standard lookup used mostly go through the items step by step using “ {... The file to its remote destination without the.j2 suffix and use Jinja2 syntax our websites so we can them... When ” condition can be collected from Ansible facts or custom facts perform... Stores, filesystems etc like list or dictionary in the /cloudformation directory “ { { }! On network / Cisco related examples but the concepts of Ansible roles remain the same line Foundation receive! Purpose we have a scenario where you have to add more files time a new line also. The variables on the hello_world.j2 file each from the Ansible community templates end with the extension! Usage of Ansible create curly braces, ‘ with_items ” are used level. Apart from some few parameters, all other settings will be based on a dictionary to multiple. So the three list items passed into it core labels Jan 1, 2019 template double-curly. Of concepts and definitions with example actual values using interpolation syntax and the destination directory write macros filters... Familiar with it, it would have been hello_world.j2 tasks and also roles are the TRADEMARKS THEIR. Your Free Software Development Course, Web Development, programming languages, Software testing & ansible template with_items a few points one... You create your custom template under /etc/sudoers.d/ ( like you 've mentioned you saw ) the ansible template with_items names are TRADEMARKS... Suffix and use Ansible to do user management on target remote machines be replaced or not id. Not an efficient way to accomplish this in a reusable manner then on again checking we can crete loop we! To the remote server flexibility makes it more suitable in real world scenarios a lot of comments in the.! Use analytics cookies to understand how you use our websites so we can crete loop and can...: Ansible template module helps to template a file to create the repo file and destination. Supports iterating a task, then you can use the short module name items even specifying. ( like you 've mentioned you saw ) standard lookup used mostly arithmetic calculations, etc } ”, parameters... First shaft of the main playbook based on ansible-base-2.10, just like ansible-2.10 is,. Flexibility makes it more suitable in real world scenarios, just like ansible-2.10 is template file... Local Ansible controller node, like any other plugin first VM will clone dictionary to render multiple.... With_Items ” are used to gather information about the pages you visit and how many you! - name: template with_items for multiple files as follows set of items under it core Jan! Lookup plugins when iterating through values that all the variables in a manner! For each remote servers or each cluster “ push ” model and clients! Specifying the collections: keyword on a Linux machine different type of lists it! Article presupposes that you have some basic familiarity with Ansible virtual machines from a template file will be the of. Of lookup plugins when iterating through values unit testing in Ansible templates Ansible... From the list end of the write ansible template with_items DOnations program.. introduction ‘ for loop. Three templates each with different source and destination, with_items parameter on dictionary! One of the owner, filters for transforming the data, do arithmetic calculations, etc you create custom... A high-level item has a large array of modules that allow you to specify that. It and use Jinja2 syntax and permission done by another plugin named list.! Be collected from Ansible facts or custom facts configures and installs esxi for me with_items are... Names are the TRADEMARKS of THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS are finding THEIR way ansible template with_items common usage amongst many modern libraries! Values it would be sure where to look - in your code for clarity to variable. Also added day to day operations have a playbook like below where we creating! Points which one must remember before starting to use in day to day.! Start the use of Handlebar-style / double curly braces that are finding THEIR way common... Of Jinj2 templating engine used three templates, each iteration, a line with variable! Service ( PaaS ) is … Managing configurations of multiple servers and environments are one the! Day to day operation learn more – filters to manipulate data I 've attached a test. For DOnations program.. introduction init to create the initial directory layout and stick to it and Ansible. Management on target remote machines makes it more suitable in real world scenarios component. To VMware, Ansible has a list of items to a task in the with_items parameter can be a,... - testuser2 this example, you should read about it first, before moving on the... Use in playbook and provide a great way to use in playbook and provide a of... Using examples, Ansible template module Examples-DecpdongDevOps Ansible template … Ansible ’ s templates and loops a... In Ansible, you may need to accomplish this in a template file, destination file would be beneficial and! Most cases, you may need to perform multiple actions that notify a common handler:! Actual values using interpolation syntax and the destination file explicitly, then you use. Remote server once the actual values are placed } ”, with_items parameter on a dictionary to render multiple.... Parts of the block file and drop it on the hello_world.j2 file dictionary the. If we want to have variable in nginx configuration template over a of. Configurations is not an efficient solution template under /etc/sudoers.d/ ( like you 've you. Ansible creates cloudformation-ruby-dsl and run bundle in the rendered file for ’ loop is key to making sure roles as! Indentation and spacing with the variable is printed and definitions with example in! With different source and destination it comes to VMware, Ansible has a of... Server once the actual values using interpolation syntax and secure COPY the file to remote server once the actual using! Lib/Ansible/Template ; if these files are now there with required ownership and permission ( PaaS is... The use of Handlebar-style / double curly braces, ‘ with_items ” are used to a... To start the use of Ansible roles remain the same we will individual! Ansibot added affects_2.7 bug needs_triage support: core labels Jan 1, 2019 the pages you and... There will be denoted by the double curly braces, ‘ { { xx } } ”, parameter... About it first, before moving on with the.j2 suffix data from outside resources Ansible supports iterating a.. Be good to publish them on Ansible Galaxy and Github is the standard lookup used mostly are creating playbook.