feature request: looping over blocks

[smiller171]

Issue Type:

Feature Idea

Component Name:

blocks

Ansible Version:

Ansible 2.0.0_rc-1

Ansible Configuration:

NA

Environment:

Ubuntu 15.10

Summary of Decision:

We're open to implementing this but want it to go through the proposal process. Please see: #13262 (comment) for details.

Summary:

There are a number of use-cases where it would be valuable to be able to loop over a block of tasks, such that a few tasks are done in order, and that specific block of tasks are looped over for some set of values. It seems that the new block functionality could lend itself well to this if you were to enable looping over blocks.

Steps To Reproduce:

- hosts: localhost
  connection: local
  tasks:
  - block:
    - debug: msg="task 1 loop {{item}}"
    - debug: msg="task 2 loop {{item}}"
    with_items:
    - "1"
    - "2"

Expected Results:

PLAY ***************************************************************************

TASK [setup] *******************************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [debug msg=task 1 loop {{item}}] ******************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
    "changed": false, 
    "msg": "task 1 loop 1"
}

TASK [debug msg=task 2 loop {{item}}] ******************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
    "changed": false, 
    "msg": "task 2 loop 1"
}

TASK [debug msg=task 1 loop {{item}}] ******************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
    "changed": false, 
    "msg": "task 1 loop 2"
}

TASK [debug msg=task 2 loop {{item}}] ******************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
    "changed": false, 
    "msg": "task 2 loop 2"
}

PLAY RECAP *********************************************************************
localhost                  : ok=5    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0

Actual Results:

ERROR! 'with_items' is not a valid attribute for a Block

The error appears to have been in '/root/test.yml': line 5, column 5, but may
be elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.

The offending line appears to be:

  tasks:
  - block:
    ^ here

[smiller171]

@bcoca no, I absolutely understand the functionality here. Currently you can only loop over a certain task, but I want to be able to loop over a set of tasks in series. I need to run (task 1 then task 2)x3 instead of (task 1)x3 then (task2)x3

Currently the only way to do this is to create a script that does tasks 1 and 2, or perhaps call a playbook from within a playbook.

Looping over roles would allow for the same behavior.

[bcoca]

you can loop over includes, sorry about the response, I misread this as a bug report

[smiller171]

@bcoca I hadn't seen the docs on looping over includes, which seems the better solution than what I have suggested, as my method could quickly result in code that is more difficult to follow.

[messiahUA]

I want this, because includes are very slow (even after recent fix) and clutter output with full hosts lists and are processed even if skipped (tags).

[RuBiCK]

+1 for this feature.

[hewo]

+1

[srgvg]

+1

[sergevs]

+1

[Lowess]

+1

[lystor]

+1024

[aturetta]

+1

first thing I tried after installing 2.0, disappointed it doesn't work...

[tyl0r]

+1 (feature would be very helpful)