Often you'll want to do many things in one task, such as create a lot of users, install a lot of packages, or
repeat a polling step until a certain result is reached.
Sometimes you want to repeat a task multiple times. In computer programming, this is called a loop. Common Ansible loops include changing ownership on several files and/or directories with the :ref:`file module <file_module>`, creating multiple users with the :ref:`user module <user_module>`, and
repeating a polling step until a certain result is reached. Ansible offers two keywords for creating loops: ``loop`` and ``with_<lookup>``.
This chapter is all about how to use loops in playbooks.
..note::
* We added ``loop`` in Ansible 2.5. It is not yet a full replacement for ``with_<lookup>``, but we recommend it for most use cases.
* We have not deprecated the use of ``with_<lookup>`` - that syntax will still be valid for the foreseeable future.
* We are looking to improve ``loop`` syntax - watch this page and the `changelog <https://github.com/ansible/ansible/tree/devel/changelogs>`_ for updates.
..contents:: Topics
..contents::
:local:
Comparing ``loop`` and ``with_*``
=================================
* The ``with_<lookup>`` keywords rely on :ref:`lookup_plugins` - even ``items`` is a lookup.
* The ``loop`` keyword is equivalent to ``with_list``, and is the best choice for simple loops.
* The ``loop`` keyword will not accept a string as input, see :ref:`query_vs_lookup`.
* Generally speaking, any use of ``with_*`` covered in :ref:`migrating_to_loop` can be updated to use ``loop``.
* Be careful when changing ``with_items`` to ``loop``, as ``with_items`` performed implicit single-level flattening. You may need to use ``flatten(1)`` with ``loop`` to match the exact outcome. For example, to get the same output as:
..code-block:: yaml
with_items:
- 1
- [2,3]
- 4
you would need::
loop: [1, [2,3] ,4] | flatten(1)
* Any ``with_*`` statement that requires using ``lookup`` within a loop should not be converted to use the ``loop`` keyword. For example, instead of doing:
To save some typing, repeated tasks can be written in short-hand like so::
Repeated tasks can be written as standard loops over a simple list of strings. You can define the list directly in the task::
- name: add several users
user:
@ -26,42 +64,43 @@ To save some typing, repeated tasks can be written in short-hand like so::
- testuser1
- testuser2
If you have defined a YAML list in a variables file, or the 'vars' section, you can also do::
You can define the list in a variables file, or in the 'vars' section of your play, then refer to the name of the list in the task::
loop: "{{ somelist }}"
The above would be the equivalent of::
Either of these examples would be the equivalent of::
- name: add user testuser1
user:
name: "testuser1"
state: present
groups: "wheel"
- name: add user testuser2
user:
name: "testuser2"
state: present
groups: "wheel"
..note:: Before 2.5 Ansible mainly used the ``with_<lookup>`` keywords to create loops, the `loop` keyword is basically analogous to ``with_list``.
Some plugins like, the yum and apt modules can take lists directly to their options, this is more optimal than looping over the task.
See each action's documentation for details, for now here is an example::
You can pass a list directly to a parameter for some plugins. Most of the packaging modules, like :ref:`yum_module` and :ref:`apt_module`, have this capability. When available, passing the list to a parameter is better than looping over the task. For example::
- name: optimal yum
yum:
name: "{{list_of_packages}}"
name: "{{ list_of_packages }}"
state: present
- name: non optimal yum, not only slower but might cause issues with interdependencies
- name: non-optimal yum, slower and may cause issues with interdependencies
yum:
name: "{{item}}"
name: "{{item}}"
state: present
loop: "{{list_of_packages}}"
loop: "{{ list_of_packages }}"
Check the :ref:`module documentation <modules_by_category>` to see if you can pass a list to any particular module's parameter(s).
Note that the types of items you iterate over do not have to be simple lists of strings.
If you have a list of hashes, you can reference subkeys using things like::
Iterating over a list of hashes
-------------------------------
If you have a list of hashes, you can reference subkeys in a loop. For example::
- name: add several users
user:
@ -72,8 +111,11 @@ If you have a list of hashes, you can reference subkeys using things like::
- { name: 'testuser1', groups: 'wheel' }
- { name: 'testuser2', groups: 'root' }
Also be aware that when combining :doc:`playbooks_conditionals` with a loop, the ``when:`` statement is processed separately for each item.
See :ref:`the_when_statement` for an example.
When combining :ref:`playbooks_conditionals` with a loop, the ``when:`` statement is processed separately for each item.
See :ref:`the_when_statement` for examples.
Iterating over a dictionary
---------------------------
To loop over a dict, use the ``dict2items``:ref:`dict_filter`::
@ -90,79 +132,18 @@ To loop over a dict, use the ``dict2items`` :ref:`dict_filter`::
Here, we don't want to set empty tags, so we create a dictionary containing only non-empty tags.
Registering variables with a loop
=================================
.._complex_loops:
Complex loops
`````````````
Sometimes you need more than what a simple list provides, you can use Jinja2 expressions to create complex lists:
For example, using the 'nested' lookup, you can combine lists::
..note::``with_`` loops are actually a combination of things ``with_`` + ``lookup()``, even ``items`` is a lookup. ``loop`` can be used in the same way as shown above.
Using lookup vs query with loop
```````````````````````````````
In Ansible 2.5 a new jinja2 function was introduced named :ref:`query`, that offers several benefits over ``lookup`` when using the new ``loop`` keyword.
This is better described in the lookup documentation. However, ``query`` provides a simpler interface and a more predictable output from lookup plugins, ensuring better compatibility with ``loop``.
You can register the output of a loop as a variable. For example::
In certain situations the ``lookup`` function may not return a list which ``loop`` requires.
- shell: "echo {{ item }}"
loop:
- "one"
- "two"
register: echo
The following invocations are equivalent, using ``wantlist=True`` with ``lookup`` to ensure a return type of a list::
Sometimes you would want to retry a task until a certain condition is met. Here's an example::
- shell: /usr/bin/foo
register: result
until: result.stdout.find("all systems go") != -1
retries: 5
delay: 10
The above example runs the shell module iteratively until the module's result has "all systems go" in its stdout or the task has
been retried for 5 times with a delay of 10 seconds. The default value for "retries" is 3 and "delay" is 5.
The task returns the results returned by the last task run. The results of individual retries can be viewed by -vv option.
The registered variable will also have a new key "attempts" which will have the number of the retries for the task.
..note:: If the ``until`` parameter isn't defined, the value for the ``retries`` parameter is forced to 1.
Using register with a loop
``````````````````````````
After using ``register`` with a loop, the data structure placed in the variable will contain a ``results`` attribute that is a list of all responses from the module.
Here is an example of using ``register`` with ``loop``::
- shell: "echo {{ item }}"
loop:
- "one"
- "two"
register: echo
This differs from the data structure returned when using ``register`` without a loop::
When you use ``register`` with a loop, the data structure placed in the variable will contain a ``results`` attribute that is a list of all responses from the module. This differs from the data structure returned when using ``register`` without a loop::
{
"changed": true,
@ -218,13 +199,52 @@ During iteration, the result of the current item will be placed in the variable:
register: echo
changed_when: echo.stdout != "one"
.._complex_loops:
Complex loops
=============
Looping over the inventory
``````````````````````````
Iterating over nested lists
---------------------------
If you wish to loop over the inventory, or just a subset of it, there are multiple ways.
One can use a regular ``loop`` with the ``ansible_play_batch`` or ``groups`` variables, like this::
You can use Jinja2 expressions to iterate over complex lists. For example, a loop can combine nested lists::
You can use the ``until`` keyword to retry a task until a certain condition is met. Here's an example::
- shell: /usr/bin/foo
register: result
until: result.stdout.find("all systems go") != -1
retries: 5
delay: 10
This task runs up to 5 times with a delay of 10 seconds between each attempt. If the result of any attempt has "all systems go" in its stdout, the task succeeds. The default value for "retries" is 3 and "delay" is 5.
To see the results of individual retries, run the play with ``-vv``.
When you run a task with ``until`` and register the result as a variable, the registered variable will include a key called "attempts", which records the number of the retries for the task.
..note:: You must set the ``until`` parameter if you want a task to retry. If ``until`` is not defined, the value for the ``retries`` parameter is forced to 1.
Looping over inventory
----------------------
To loop over your inventory, or just a subset of it, you can use a regular ``loop`` with the ``ansible_play_batch`` or ``groups`` variables::
# show all the hosts in the inventory
- debug:
@ -248,41 +268,37 @@ There is also a specific lookup plugin ``inventory_hostnames`` that can be used
The ``loop`` keyword requires a list as input, but the ``lookup`` keyword returns a string of comma-separated values by default. Ansible 2.5 introduced a new Jinja2 function named :ref:`query` that always returns a list, offering a simpler interface and more predictable output from lookup plugins when using the ``loop`` keyword.
In 2.0 you are again able to use loops and task includes (but not playbook includes). This adds the ability to loop over the set of tasks in one shot.
Ansible by default sets the loop variable ``item`` for each loop, which causes these nested loops to overwrite the value of ``item`` from the "outer" loops.
As of Ansible 2.1, the ``loop_control`` option can be used to specify the name of the variable to be used for the loop::
You can force ``lookup`` to return a list to ``loop`` by using ``wantlist=True``, or you can use ``query`` instead.
The ``loop_control`` keyword lets you manage your loops in useful ways.
Limiting loop output with ``label``
-----------------------------------
..versionadded:: 2.2
When using complex data structures for looping the display might get a bit too "busy", this is where the ``label`` directive comes to help::
When looping over complex data structures, the console output of your task can be enormous. To limit the displayed output, use the ``label`` directive with ``loop_control``::
- name: create servers
digital_ocean:
@ -299,11 +315,13 @@ When using complex data structures for looping the display might get a bit too "
loop_control:
label: "{{ item.name }}"
This will now display just the ``label`` field instead of the whole structure per ``item``, it defaults to ``{{ item }}`` to display things as usual.
The output of this task will display just the ``name`` field for each ``item`` instead of the entire contents of the multi-line ``{{ item }}`` variable.
Pausing within a loop
---------------------
..versionadded:: 2.2
Another option to loop control is ``pause``, which allows you to control the time (in seconds) between execution of items in a task loop.::
To control the time (in seconds) between the execution of each item in a task loop, use the ``pause`` directive with ``loop_control``::
# main.yml
- name: create servers, pause 3s before creating next
@ -316,19 +334,47 @@ Another option to loop control is ``pause``, which allows you to control the tim
loop_control:
pause: 3
Tracking progress through a loop with ``index_var``
If you need to keep track of where you are in a loop, you can use the ``index_var`` option to loop control to specify a variable name to contain the current loop index.::
To keep track of where you are in a loop, use the ``index_var`` directive with ``loop_control``. This directive specifies a variable name to contain the current loop index::
- name: count our fruit
debug:
msg: "{{ item }} with index {{ my_idx }}"
loop:
- apple
- banana
- pear
loop_control:
index_var: my_idx
- name: count our fruit
debug:
msg: "{{ item }} with index {{ my_idx }}"
Defining inner and outer variable names with ``loop_var``
You can nest two looping tasks using ``include_tasks``. However, by default Ansible sets the loop variable ``item`` for each loop. This means the inner, nested loop will overwrite the value of ``item`` from the outer loop.
You can specify the name of the variable for each loop using ``loop_var`` with ``loop_control``::
Alicia Cozine
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