Run command fails when passing --var-file option with an existing vars file

[geerlingguy]

ISSUE TYPE

• Bug Report

container.yml

version: "2"
settings:
  conductor_base: debian:9

services:
  solr:
    from: "debian:9"
    ports:
      - "8983:8983"
    command: "{{ container_start_command }}"
    roles:
      - setup
      - geerlingguy.java
      - geerlingguy.solr

OS / ENVIRONMENT

See: https://gist.github.com/geerlingguy/98cb8a4b61baa285bafe813823eb2b23

SUMMARY

It seems that when I use the run command, I can't also pass a --var_file. I am defining my service's command as a variable in my container.yml, and trying to set the variable in a var file for each environment.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

1. Create a vars-test.yml file with a variable container_start_command defined in it.
2. Use a container.yml file like the one above.
3. Try running the run command after building the container(s) along with the --var_file option.

It says in the docs line that [--var-file VAR_FILE] is one of the options... and it works fine with the build option, but it seems not to be accepted by run.

EXPECTED RESULTS

The variables defined in vars-test.yml should be used by the run command allowing variables to be used in container.yml.

ACTUAL RESULTS

$ ansible-container --var_file ./vars-test.yml run
usage: ansible-container [-h] [--debug] [--devel] [--engine ENGINE_NAME]
                         [--project-path BASE_PATH]
                         [--project-name PROJECT_NAME] [--var-file VAR_FILE]
                         [--no-selinux]
                         {run,help,deploy,stop,destroy,restart,init,version,build,install,push,import}
                         ...
ansible-container: error: argument subcommand: invalid choice: './vars-test.yml' (choose from 'run', 'help', 'deploy', 'stop', 'destroy', 'restart', 'init', 'version', 'build', 'install', 'push', 'import')

[geerlingguy]

See geerlingguy/solr-container#7 for the configuration I'm currently using.

[chouseknecht]

@geerlingguy

I tested running from source with the following:

# Init the project with ac-solr role
$ ansible-container init geerlingguy.ac-solr

# Build using latest AC source
$ ansible-container --var-file vars-6.x.yml --debug --devel build

# Run with --var-file, using latest AC source:
$ ansible-container --var-file vars-6.x.yml --debug --devel run

# Check if the container is actually running
$ docker ps
WARNING: Error loading config file:/Users/chouseknecht/.docker/config.json - EOF
CONTAINER ID        IMAGE                         COMMAND                  CREATED             STATUS              PORTS                    NAMES
655ad410ceae        ac-solr-solr:20170710150458   "/opt/solr/bin/sol..."   3 minutes ago       Up 3 minutes        0.0.0.0:8983->8983/tcp   acsolr_solr_1

Looks like in your comments above, and in your docs, you're specifying the --var-file param incorrectly. Notice in both places you have --var_file, emphasis on the _.

[geerlingguy]

🤦🏻‍♂️

Will try that out, and if it works, close this issue.

I think I was confusing myself the night I posted this issue with the underscores and dashes!

[geerlingguy]

Yep. Thanks for the help, and sorry about the noise!