private_role_vars=yes prevents to import roles using vars from the parent role

[kvaps]

SUMMARY

private_role_vars=yes prevents to import roles using vars from the parent role

ISSUE TYPE

• Bug Report

COMPONENT NAME

import_role

ANSIBLE VERSION

ansible 2.8.0
  config file = /tmp/bug-57477/ansible.cfg
  configured module search path = ['/home/kvaps/.ansible/plugins/modules', '/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
  ansible python module location = /usr/lib/python3.7/site-packages/ansible
  executable location = /usr/bin/ansible
  python version = 3.7.3 (default, Mar 26 2019, 21:43:19) [GCC 8.2.1 20181127]

CONFIGURATION

DEFAULT_PRIVATE_ROLE_VARS(/tmp/bug-57477/ansible.cfg) = True

OS / ENVIRONMENT

Arch Linux

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

mkdir /tmp/bug-57477
cd /tmp/bug-57477
mkdir -p roles/{go_walk,print_string}/tasks

cat > roles/print_string/tasks/main.yaml <<EOT
- debug:
    var: string
EOT

cat > roles/go_walk/tasks/main.yaml <<EOT
- import_role:
    name: print_string
  vars:
    string: "{{ user }} went for a walk"
EOT

cat > plabook.yaml <<EOT
- hosts: localhost
  gather_facts: false
  roles:

  - name: go_walk
    vars:
      user: "Leo Tolstoi"
EOT

cat > ansible.cfg <<EOT
[defaults]
private_role_vars   = yes
EOT

ansible-playbook plabook.yaml

EXPECTED RESULTS

print_string role should inherit var string="Leo Tolstoi went for a walk" because this var is intentionally specified for the import_role task

ok: [localhost] => {
    "string": "Leo Tolstoi went for a walk"
}

ACTUAL RESULTS

print_string does not see var string because it contains variable from the parent role

ok: [localhost] => {
    "string": "VARIABLE IS NOT DEFINED!"
}

[kvaps]

Workaround to avoid this behavior is to assign this variables before using set_fact module and remove afterwards:

cat > roles/go_walk/tasks/main.yaml <<EOT
- block:
  - set_fact:
      user: "{{ user }}"
  - import_role:
      name: print_string
    vars:
      string: "{{ user }} went for a walk"
  always:
  - set_fact:
      user: Null
EOT

[sivel]

This issue was resolved in bd03fa8 and included in v2.12

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