How to convert a config file (of lines) to a dict list in Ansible

How to convert a config file (of lines) to a dict list in Ansible

In Ansible, you can convert the contents of a configuration file (which typically consists of lines in a specific format) into a list of dictionaries using the slurp module to read the file, followed by using filters like split and map to transform the data into the desired format. Here's a step-by-step approach to achieve this:

Example Configuration File (config.txt)

Assume your configuration file config.txt looks like this:

key1=value1 key2=value2 key3=value3

Ansible Playbook

You can create an Ansible playbook (convert_config_to_dict.yml) to read config.txt and convert its contents into a list of dictionaries:

--- - name: Convert config file to dictionary list hosts: localhost gather_facts: false tasks: - name: Read config file slurp: src: config.txt register: config_file - name: Convert contents to dictionary list set_fact: config_list: | {{ config_file.content | b64decode | split('\n') | select('match', '^\\w+=\\w+$') | map('regex_replace', '^([^=]+)=(.*)$', '{"key":"\\1","value":"\\2"}') | map('from_json') }} - name: Display converted dictionary list debug: var: config_list

Explanation

  1. Read Config File: Use the slurp module to read the contents of config.txt into config_file.content.

  2. Decode and Process Contents:

    • b64decode: Decode the base64-encoded content of the file.
    • split('\n'): Split the decoded content into lines.
    • select('match', '^\\w+=\\w+$'): Filter lines that match the pattern key=value.
    • map('regex_replace', '^([^=]+)=(.*)$', '{"key":"\\1","value":"\\2"}'): Replace each line with a JSON-formatted string representing a dictionary item.
    • map('from_json'): Convert each JSON string into a dictionary.

  3. Set Fact: Store the resulting list of dictionaries in the config_list variable.

  4. Debug: Display the config_list variable to verify the transformation.

Running the Playbook

Save the playbook as convert_config_to_dict.yml and run it using the ansible-playbook command:

ansible-playbook convert_config_to_dict.yml

Output

After running the playbook, you should see output similar to the following:

TASK [Display converted dictionary list] *************************************** ok: [localhost] => { "config_list": [ { "key": "key1", "value": "value1" }, { "key": "key2", "value": "value2" }, { "key": "key3", "value": "value3" } ] }

Notes:

  • Adjust the regular expressions and filters (select, map, regex_replace) as per your specific format and requirements of the configuration file.

  • Ensure that the playbook runs on the host where config.txt is located and accessible to Ansible.

  • This example assumes that each line in config.txt follows the key=value format. Adjust the regex pattern in select('match', ...) accordingly if your configuration format differs.

By following these steps, you can effectively convert a configuration file into a list of dictionaries using Ansible, facilitating further manipulation or usage within your playbooks.

Examples

  1. How to parse a config file into a dictionary in Ansible

    Description: This query focuses on parsing a simple config file with key-value pairs into an Ansible dictionary.

    Code:

    - name: Read config file into dictionary ansible.builtin.slurp: src: /path/to/config_file register: config_file_content - name: Convert config file to dictionary set_fact: config_dict: "{{ dict(config_file_content.content | b64decode | splitlines | map('split', '=') | map('list')) }}"

  2. Ansible - Convert multiline config file to dict list

    Description: This query converts a multiline config file into a list of dictionaries in Ansible.

    Code:

    - name: Read multiline config file ansible.builtin.slurp: src: /path/to/config_file register: config_file_content - name: Convert multiline config file to dict list set_fact: config_list: >- {{ config_file_content.content | b64decode | splitlines | map('split', ':', 1) | map('list') | map('to_dict', ['key', 'value']) }}

  3. Ansible - How to read a config file and convert it to a list of dictionaries

    Description: This query demonstrates reading a config file and converting each line into a dictionary entry.

    Code:

    - name: Read config file ansible.builtin.slurp: src: /path/to/config_file register: config_file_content - name: Convert config file to list of dictionaries set_fact: config_dict_list: >- {{ config_file_content.content | b64decode | splitlines | map('split', '=') | map('list') | map('to_dict', ['key', 'value']) }}

  4. Ansible - Parse config file lines to key-value dict list

    Description: This query converts each line of a config file into a key-value pair in a dictionary list.

    Code:

    - name: Read config file ansible.builtin.slurp: src: /path/to/config_file register: config_file_content - name: Convert lines to key-value pairs in a dict list set_fact: config_kv_list: >- {{ config_file_content.content | b64decode | splitlines | map('split', ':', 1) | map('list') | map('to_dict', ['key', 'value']) }}

  5. How to convert a properties file to a dict in Ansible

    Description: This query focuses on converting a Java-style properties file into a dictionary in Ansible.

    Code:

    - name: Read properties file ansible.builtin.slurp: src: /path/to/properties_file register: properties_file_content - name: Convert properties file to dict set_fact: properties_dict: >- {{ properties_file_content.content | b64decode | splitlines | map('split', '=', 1) | map('list') | map('to_dict', ['key', 'value']) }}

  6. Ansible - Convert CSV config file to list of dicts

    Description: This query demonstrates converting a CSV config file into a list of dictionaries in Ansible.

    Code:

    - name: Read CSV config file ansible.builtin.slurp: src: /path/to/config_file.csv register: csv_file_content - name: Convert CSV to list of dictionaries set_fact: csv_dict_list: >- {{ csv_file_content.content | b64decode | splitlines | map('csvsplit', ',') | map('list') | map('to_dict', ['field1', 'field2', 'field3']) }}

  7. Ansible - How to convert INI file to dict list

    Description: This query shows converting an INI config file into a list of dictionaries in Ansible.

    Code:

    - name: Read INI config file ansible.builtin.slurp: src: /path/to/config_file.ini register: ini_file_content - name: Parse INI file into dict list set_fact: ini_dict_list: >- {{ ini_file_content.content | b64decode | splitlines | select('match', '^\[') | map('regex_replace', '^\[|\]$') | map('community.general.ini', ini_file_content.content | b64decode) }}

  8. Ansible - Convert JSON config file to dict

    Description: This query involves converting a JSON config file into a dictionary in Ansible.

    Code:

    - name: Read JSON config file ansible.builtin.slurp: src: /path/to/config_file.json register: json_file_content - name: Convert JSON file to dictionary set_fact: json_dict: "{{ json_file_content.content | b64decode | from_json }}"

  9. Ansible - How to handle key-value config file to dict list

    Description: This query demonstrates handling a key-value config file and converting it to a dictionary list in Ansible.

    Code:

    - name: Read key-value config file ansible.builtin.slurp: src: /path/to/config_file register: kv_file_content - name: Convert key-value file to dict list set_fact: kv_dict_list: >- {{ kv_file_content.content | b64decode | splitlines | map('split', ':', 1) | map('list') | map('to_dict', ['key', 'value']) }}

  10. Ansible - Parse and convert YAML config file to dict

    Description: This query shows converting a YAML config file into a dictionary in Ansible.

    Code:

    - name: Read YAML config file ansible.builtin.slurp: src: /path/to/config_file.yaml register: yaml_file_content - name: Convert YAML file to dictionary set_fact: yaml_dict: "{{ yaml_file_content.content | b64decode | from_yaml }}"

More Tags

nlp clipboard provider cgpoint keyword feature-detection asp.net-core-1.0 cdi nginx-reverse-proxy move

More Programming Questions

More Animal pregnancy Calculators

More Fitness-Health Calculators

More Biology Calculators

More Geometry Calculators