* Added recommendation about module name
Added general guidelines for naming a module.
Fixes: #19665
Signed-off-by: Abhijeet Kasurde <akasurde@redhat.com>
pull/49523/head
Abhijeet Kasurde6 years agocommitted bySandra McCann
* Each module should be self-contained in one file, so it can be be auto-transferred by Ansible.
* Module name MUST use underscores instead of hyphens or spaces as a word separator. Using hyphens and spaces will prevent Ansible from importing your module.
* Always use the ``hacking/test-module`` script when developing modules - it will warn you about common pitfalls.
* If you have a local module that returns facts specific to your installations, a good name for this module is ``site_facts``.
* Eliminate or minimize dependencies. If your module has dependencies, document them at the top of the module file and raise JSON error messages when dependency import fails.
@ -56,10 +57,10 @@ Python tips
* Include a ``main`` function that wraps the normal execution.
* Call your ``main`` function from a conditional so you can import it into unit tests - for example:
.. code-block:: python
..code-block:: python
if __name__ == '__main__':
main()
if __name__ == '__main__':
main()
.._shared_code:
@ -71,29 +72,31 @@ Importing and using shared code
* Do NOT use wildcards (*) for importing other python modules; instead, list the function(s) you are importing (for example, ``from some.other_python_module.basic import otherFunction``).
* Import custom packages in ``try``/``except``, capture any import errors, and handle them with ``fail_json()`` in ``main()``. For example:
.. code-block:: python
..code-block:: python
import traceback
import traceback
from ansible.basic import missing_required_lib
from ansible.basic import missing_required_lib
LIB_IMP_ERR = None
try:
import foo
HAS_LIB = True
except:
HAS_LIB = False
LIB_IMP_ERR = traceback.format_exc()
LIB_IMP_ERR = None
try:
import foo
HAS_LIB = True
except:
HAS_LIB = False
LIB_IMP_ERR = traceback.format_exc()
Then in ``main()``, just after the argspec, do
.. code-block:: python
Then in ``main()``, just after the argspec, do
if not HAS_LIB:
module.fail_json(msg=missing_required_lib("foo"),
exception=LIB_IMP_ERR)
..code-block:: python
And document the dependency in the ``requirements`` section of your module's :ref:`documentation_block`.
if not HAS_LIB:
module.fail_json(msg=missing_required_lib("foo"),
exception=LIB_IMP_ERR)
And document the dependency in the ``requirements`` section of your module's :ref:`documentation_block`.