Skip to content

Ansible Convert List to String

Avatar photo

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gineesh/ https://twitter.com/GiniGangadharan

I noticed many users are using different and wrong methods to convert a list data to string format. You can use existing filters and functions in Ansible to achieve the same.

Here is our list

  vars:
    my_list:
      - "apple"
      - "mango"
      - "orange"

Now we need to convert this to a single string with comma separated (or separated by any other character). I found users are using loops and adding to a string value but there is a simple way to do this as shown below.

    - name: Concatenate a list to string
      set_fact:
        my_string: "{{ my_list | join(',') }}"

Find the full playbook below.

---
- name: List to String Conversion
  hosts: localhost
  vars:
    my_list:
      - "apple"
      - "mango"
      - "orange"
  tasks:
    - name: Print the List
      debug:
        msg: "{{ my_list }}"

    - name: Concatenate a list to string
      set_fact:
        my_string: "{{ my_list | join(',') }}"

    - name: Print the String
      debug:
        msg: "{{ my_string }}"

Sample execution

$ ansible-playbook site.yml

PLAY [List to String Conversion] *********************************************************************************

TASK [Gathering Facts] *******************************************************************************************

ok: [localhost]

TASK [Print the List] ********************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
    "msg": [
        "apple",
        "mango",
        "orange"
    ]
}

TASK [Concatenate a list to string] ******************************************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [Print the String] ******************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
    "msg": "apple,mango,orange"
}

PLAY RECAP *******************************************************************************************************
localhost                  : ok=4    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0

Check Ansible Real Life GitHub repository for all use cases.

Want to learn Ansible from scratch ? Check you YouTube Playlist.

Disclaimer:

The views expressed and the content shared in all published articles on this website are solely those of the respective authors, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s employer or the techbeatly platform. We strive to ensure the accuracy and validity of the content published on our website. However, we cannot guarantee the absolute correctness or completeness of the information provided. It is the responsibility of the readers and users of this website to verify the accuracy and appropriateness of any information or opinions expressed within the articles. If you come across any content that you believe to be incorrect or invalid, please contact us immediately so that we can address the issue promptly.

Avatar photo


https://www.linkedin.com/in/gineesh/ https://twitter.com/GiniGangadharan
Gineesh Madapparambath is the founder of techbeatly and he is the author of the book - ๐—”๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น-๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ ๐—”๐˜‚๐˜๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป. He has worked as a Systems Engineer, Automation Specialist, and content author. His primary focus is on Ansible Automation, Containerisation (OpenShift & Kubernetes), and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform). (aka Gini Gangadharan - iamgini.com)

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.