Actions from inventory variables

March 6, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

molecule

The role performs actions from inventory variables without creating a lot of tasks and copy-pasted roles

Role release to Ansible galaxy

  • clone me:

    git clone --recursive \
git@github.com:raven428/ansible-mega-var.git \
ansible-mega-var

  • make tag and send to release:

    git checkout master && git pull
git tag -fm $(git branch --sho) 1.0.7 && git push --force origin $(git describe)

Example site.yaml (TLDR)

For the whole role

In case you have most of the variables filled it's

- name: Perform some files, dirs, and templates upload
  hosts: mega_var
  become: true
  handlers:
    - import_tasks: handlers/main.yaml
  roles:
    - role: mega-var
      vars:
        meva_packages: "{{ meva_site_packages }}"
        meva_groups2create: "{{ meva_site_groups2create }}"
        meva_users2create: "{{ meva_site_users2create }}"
        meva_dirs2create: "{{ meva_site_dirs2create }}"
        meva_templates2upload: "{{ meva_site_templates2upload }}"
        meva_files2upload: "{{ meva_site_files2upload }}"
        meva_content2upload: "{{ meva_site_content2upload }}"
        meva_tree2rsync: "{{ meva_site_tree2rsync }}"
        meva_systemd4units: "{{ meva_site_systemd4units }}"
        meva_key2user: "{{ meva_site_key2user }}"
        meva_file2down: "{{ meva_site_file2down }}"
        meva_partitions: "{{ meva_site_partitions }}"
        meva_lvg: "{{ meva_site_lvg }}"
        meva_lvol: "{{ meva_site_lvol }}"
        meva_filesystems: "{{ meva_site_filesystems }}"
        meva_mounts: "{{ meva_site_mounts }}"
        meva_ghr2down: "{{ meva_site_ghr2down }}"
        meva_file2down: "{{ meva_site_file2down }}"
  tags: [mega-var]

By separate calls

In case you haven't filled most of the variables, a call of the role can be significantly speed up. Simple by using tasks_from: directive:

- name: Separate mega-var calls examples
  hosts: mega_var
  become: true
  handlers:
    - import_tasks: handlers/main.yaml
  tasks:
    - name: Install some packages outside of the whole role call
      ansible.builtin.include_role:
        role: mega-var
        tasks_from: _apt.yaml
      loop_control:
        loop_var: i
      loop: "{{ meva_site_packages }}"
    - name: Ensure some groups outside of the whole role call
      ansible.builtin.include_role:
        role: mega-var
        tasks_from: _group.yaml
      loop_control:
        loop_var: i
      loop: "{{ meva_site_groups2create }}"
    - name: Ensure some users outside of the whole role call
      ansible.builtin.include_role:
        role: mega-var
        tasks_from: _user.yaml
      loop_control:
        loop_var: i
      loop: "{{ meva_site_users2create }}"
    - name: Ensure some dirs outside of the whole role call
      ansible.builtin.include_role:
        role: mega-var
        tasks_from: _file.yaml
      loop_control:
        loop_var: i
      loop: "{{ meva_site_dirs2create }}"
    - name: Ensure some templates outside of the whole role call
      ansible.builtin.include_role:
        role: mega-var
        tasks_from: _template.yaml
      loop_control:
        loop_var: i
      loop: "{{ meva_site_templates2upload }}"
    - name: Ensure some files outside of the whole role call
      ansible.builtin.include_role:
        role: mega-var
        tasks_from: _copy.yaml
      loop_control:
        loop_var: i
      loop: "{{ meva_site_files2upload }}"
- name: Download some files from GitHub releases example
  hosts: download_github
  become: true
  handlers:
    - import_tasks: handlers/main.yaml
  tasks:
    - name: Download some files from GitHub releases
      ansible.builtin.include_role:
        role: mega-var
        tasks_from: _download.yaml
      loop_control:
        loop_var: i
      loop: "{{ meva_site_ghr2down }}"

Role variables description

All the variables except meva_ghr2down and meva_file2down is just wrapper and refers to according Ansible module documentation. Most keys of meva_ghr2down and meva_file2down variables also refers to ansible.builtin.get_url documentation

Here will be only non-obvious options of usage

Simple HTTP download with meva_file2down variable

There are the molecule tests cases description. Most options are available from ansible.builtin.get_url, ansible.builtin.file and ansible.builtin.copy

Single raw download (remote and local)

Case 1.1.1
- url: "http://url.to/download.ext"
  dest: "/dir/on/target/host/with/filename.ext"
  delegate_to: localhost
Case 1.1.2

With delegate_to: localhost is set, file from url will be downloaded to Ansible controller first. Then ansible.builtin.copy will spread file to destination hosts. This can be useful when url source isn't able to handle a lot of requests from hosts in configuration

Single compressed download

Case 1.2.1
- url: "http://url.to/download.ext.gz"
  dest: "/dir/on/target/host/with/"
  creates: "filename.ext"
  archive: true

This option will decompress downloaded file. Parameter dest should contain the destination directory name only, without a filename.

Filename part of the decompressed file should be in creates key. The archive: true indicates that downloaded file should be decompressed extension from uri. Extension gz, bz2, lz4, zst, lzma, xz supported by decompress module. It can recognize file format only by extension, no content scan will be performed

Sometimes uri couldn't contain extension or even reliable filename. In this case you may set it by hand in down_name key. Temporary download will be placed to file in temporary directory with this name. Thus, decompress module able to handle file by extension

Case 1.2.2

If delegate_to: localhost is set, then downloading will be performed on the Ansible controller, decompressed, then propagated to a remote host after decompress

Archive with a directory tree: complete unarchive

Case 1.3.1
- url: "http://url.to/download.tar.gz"
  creates: "filename.ext"
  dest: "/dir/on/target/host"
  archive: true
  delegate_to: localhost
  files: []

This will download a file to a host, perform ansible.builtin.unarchive and then traverse result directory with chmod_tree module: directories to dir_mode, files with executive bit to exec_mode and non-executive files to file_mode

Case 1.3.2

If delegate_to: localhost is set, then downloading will be performed on the Ansible controller then downloaded result will be propagated to the remote host before unarchive

Archive with a directory tree: pick-me something

Case 1.4.1
- url: "http://url.to/download.tar.gz"
  creates: "filename.ext"
  dest: "/dir/on/target/host"
  archive: true
  files:
    - name: "relative/dir/of/file-in-archive.ext"
      dest: "sub-dir/from/parent/dest"
    - name: "some/other/in-archive.dump"
      dest: "/dir/for/other/"
    - name: "one/more/file-in-archive.jpg"
      dest: "/one/more/dir/picture.jpg"

This will download the file to a target host, perform ansible.builtin.unarchive, then pick elements from list of files: and propagate it to certain path

Case 1.4.2

If delegate_to: localhost is set, then downloading will be performed on the Ansible controller, perform ansible.builtin.unarchive also there, then pick elements from list of files: and propagate it to certain path

There are a lot of options in files: definitions (shown as f. below) the full list:

  • Both dest and f.dest are either relative or undefined or empty will raise error
  • If dest is defined, it should be absolute otherwise error will be raised. Other options are similar as above:
    • (0.0.0) Here f.dest can be empty or undefined, so result = i.dest ~ '/' ~ f.name | basename
    • (0.0.1) If f.dest ended by /, result = i.dest ~ '/' ~ f.dest ~ '/' ~ f.name | basename
    • (0.0.2) If f.dest is not ended by / then treated as file name: result = i.dest ~ '/' ~ f.dest
  • Either dest is empty or f.dest starts with / the result defined by f.dest and f.name only:
    • (0.1.0) If f.dest finished by /, result = f.dest ~ '/' ~ f.name | basename
    • (0.1.1) If f.dest is not finished by / then treated as path with filename: result = f.dest

Parameter f.name can be directory then will be propagated recursively. In this case two options of f.name are available to upload: w/ and w/o trailing /. Other rules are same as above multiplied on these options:

  • (0.2.0) If f.name ended by / only content of directory will be uploaded to the result
  • (0.2.1) Else the whole directory with content will be uploaded

This is the ansible.builtin.copy behavior. In both cases destination directory will be automatically created despite the result ended with / or not

Role development road-map

Add rsync ability to some cases of pick-me

For cases 1.4.1 and 1.4.2 when source is a directory and destination already contain some other files it will not be deleted. Just the new files will be placed near with existing ones. It will be nice to support sync state of source and destination directories

It can be achieved by using ansible.posix.synchronize module in _down2unp.yaml with the when condition near ansible.builtin.copy. The latter also should obtain when for avoiding simultaneous usage of both transfer modules

Add action plugin to decompress module

Unarchive module perform the upload of file to targets before unarchive, but decompress is not. This is inaccurate behavior, because upload of decompressed files may consume more traffic data than compressed. Also, this will consume more time to operate and this can be avoided

So, the better way is put compressed file to targets before decompress. This requires action plugin like done in unarchive. However, simple adding action plugin is not enough due to other role YAML-code expects decompressed file on the controller. So, these code also should be adapted

Replace docker to podman driver in molecule

Failed yet. I'm not able to start systemd inside a podman in podman container according to article. Grok and ChatGPT help also didn't work. However, docker in podman is tolerable here

Docker in docker also works. I choose the podman as first layer for the rootless approach which is impossible with the docker as a first layer. Probably, podman --remote with --url to host socket in podman should work. But there are no support for this in molecule_podman driver