[SOLVED] Declaring Ansible variable within a var/main.yml

skagnola · 07-05-2022, 10:34 AM

Hello, all

I'm looking for help, another pair of eyes on this. I have a feeling this is my misunderstanding of the way a 'root' playbook vars file is used to declare additional vars within it. :-)

What I am trying to do is have a single var line that can be edited for whatever RPM version is desired to install vs. using a text substitution method in VIM or similar.

Code in the vars/main.yml

Code:

phpver: php73

php_rpms:
 - '{{ vars["phpver"] }}'           # this works fine if left alone as-is, being a single line in the list. 
 - '{{ vars["phpver"] }}'-php-cli   # if I add this, it blows up due to the '-' after the declared var. 
 ...                                # multiple lines like the second one above for other RPMs following the same format.

I can make this work like so...

Code:

#phpver: php73                     # not using this guy, of course. just a fly on the wall. 

php_rpms:
 - php73
 - php73-php-cli
 - php73-php-fpm
...

... but then I have to use VIM and the usual :%s/php73/php74/g stuff. Figured if there was a way to have just the one variable phpver: whatever_you_want is easier/quicker to maintain after creation.

grail · 07-05-2022, 10:27 PM

I am only new to ansible myself, but looking at the doco I am wondering what the reason for "var[]" is?

Is it not as simple as:

Code:

phpver: php73

php_rpms:
 - '{{phpver}}'
 - '{{phpver}}-php-cli'
...

I was looking at the Simple Variable section found here

skagnola · 07-06-2022, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grail

I am only new to ansible myself, but looking at the doco I am wondering what the reason for "var[]" is?

Is it not as simple as:

Code:

phpver: php73

php_rpms:
 - '{{phpver}}'
 - '{{phpver}}-php-cli'
...

I was looking at the Simple Variable section found here

Hey, grail! Thanks for the response.

I'm kicking myself! Heh, that was it.

I believe I was accustomed to using with_items loop in a playbook task, something like /var/opt/{{ item }}/. It got my wires crossed and I was thinking I had to do a single quote close around the mustaches only, in the root var file and not on the whole line. Doh!

Anywho, once again, you all are the best! Thanks so much!

P.S. I used the var[] from my troubleshooting and found a reference to try a var lookup that way.