Loop with var in var file with ANSIBLE

Question

I would like to loop on variables that are in a vars.yml file but with an identical id here is my example:

In my playbook :

     - name: Mise en conformité avec la CMDB
       replace:
         path: "{{ playbook_dir }}/results/wifi.csv"
         regexp: '{{ item.syslocation }}'
         replace: '{{ item.emplacement_cmdb }}'
       with_items:
          - { syslocation: "{{ syslocation_var }}", emplacement_cmdb: "{{ emplacement_cmdb_var }}" }

In my var file:

syslocation_var: ;test;
emplacement_cmdb_var: ;newtest;
syslocation_var: ;test2;
emplacement_cmdb_var: ;newtest2;

I would like to do the same thing :

     - name: Mise en conformité avec la CMDB
       replace:
         path: "{{ playbook_dir }}/results/wifi.csv"
         regexp: '{{ item.syslocation }}'
         replace: '{{ item.emplacement_cmdb }}'
       with_items:
          - { syslocation: ;test;, emplacement_cmdb: ;newtest; }
          - { syslocation: ;test2;, emplacement_cmdb: ;nextest2; }

But in var file

I hope I'm understandable enough...

Thks

Answer 1

Yaml is.... yaml. A dict in yaml is... a dict. You cannot have duplicated keys in a dict although it is not an error: a linter will simply issue a warning except that the last definition wins. So for essence:

a: 1
a: 2
a: 3

results in

a: 3

Now, you say that you want to do the same thing as in:

       with_items:
          - { syslocation: ;test;, emplacement_cmdb: ;newtest; }
          - { syslocation: ;test2;, emplacement_cmdb: ;nextest2; }

You are actually looping on a list of dicts which could also be written as:

       with_items:
          - syslocation: ;test;
            emplacement_cmdb: ;newtest;
          - syslocation: ;test2;
            emplacement_cmdb: ;nextest2;

You simply have to define a var in your vars.yml file:

mes_entrees_cmdb:
  - syslocation: ;test;
    emplacement_cmdb: ;newtest;
  - syslocation: ;test2;
    emplacement_cmdb: ;nextest2;

Then load that file either in a vars_files section in your play or in a task with include_vars. And finally loop on that variable in your task:

     - name: Mise en conformité avec la CMDB
       replace:
         path: "{{ playbook_dir }}/results/wifi.csv"
         regexp: '{{ item.syslocation }}'
         replace: '{{ item.emplacement_cmdb }}'
       with_items: "{{ mes_entrees_cmdb }}"