In a YAML playbook, I need to run multiple commands through each element in an array. I am using with_items to iterate, but I am getting syntax errors when I try to blend debug into the tasks.

Everything works when I remove the debug module, but than I can't see whats happening. Example provided below.

Produces Syntax Error:

- name: Iterate through array and display results  
  shell: "run command 1 on {{ item }}"  
  register: command1  
  debug:  
    msg: "Command 1 || {{ command1.stdout_lines}}"  
  shell: "run command 2 on {{ item }}"  
  register: command2  
  debug:  
    msg: "Command 2 || {{ command2.stdout_lines}}"  
  with_items: "{{ array_name }}"

Everything seems to be working fine when I remove the debugs, but I need to see what each command produces because it has important info.

Is there some way to print/debug the results while keeping it inside the with_items iterations?

Edit:

I also tried a few more things but they also gave me a syntax error

Also Tried 1:

- name: Iterate through array and display results  
- shell: "run command 1 on {{ item }}"  
  register: command1  
- debug:  
    msg: "Command 1 || {{ command1.stdout_lines}}"  
- shell: "run command 2 on {{ item }}"  
  register: command2  
- debug:  
    msg: "Command 2 || {{ command2.stdout_lines}}"  
  with_items: "{{ array_name }}"

Also Tried 2:

- name: Iterate through array and display results  
  - shell: "run command 1 on {{ item }}"  
    register: command1  
  - debug:  
      msg: "Command 1 || {{ command1.stdout_lines}}"  
  - shell: "run command 2 on {{ item }}"  
    register: command2  
  - debug:  
      msg: "Command 2 || {{ command2.stdout_lines}}"  
  with_items: "{{ array_name }}"

CodePudding user response：

As the comments of β.εηοιτ.βε already stated

In Ansible, you can only have one module per item in the list (tasks is a list of tasks, each being an Ansible module) ... you have to have a new item in the list (a dash -), in front of all the debug and shell tasks.

This means,

integrate debug into iterations I try to blend debug into the tasks

you can't do debugging in that way since the debug_module is for

Print statements during execution

only. However, according your question

Is there some way to print/debug the results while keeping it inside the with_items iterations?

it seems for me that you are more interested in Debugging tasks, play, role or block itself. So for this

Ansible offers a task debugger so you can fix errors during execution instead of editing your playbook and running it again to see if your change worked.

For usage you have to Enabling the debugger with the debugger keyword and may have a look into the Examples, Resolving errors in the debugger and Available debug commands.

Further questions here on SO are

• How to debug Ansible issues?
• Does Ansible have any feature to allow for debugging/pausing?

CodePudding user response：

I was able to solve the issue, Ansible does not allow iterations through multiple tasks. I had to put the tasks in a separate yml playbook and use include_tasks: to call the playbook.