Blocks

Blocks allow for logical grouping of tasks and in play error handling. Most of what you can apply to a single task (with the exception of loops) can be applied at the block level, which also makes it much easier to set data or directives common to the tasks. This does not mean the directive affects the block itself, but is inherited by the tasks enclosed by a block. i.e. a when will be applied to the tasks, not the block itself.

 tasks:
   - name: Install, configure, and start Apache
     block:
       - name: install httpd and memcached
         yum:
           name:
           - httpd
           - memcached
           state: present

       - name: apply the foo config template
         template:
           src: templates/src.j2
           dest: /etc/foo.conf
       - name: start service bar and enable it
         service:
           name: bar
           state: started
           enabled: True
     when: ansible_facts['distribution'] == 'CentOS'
     become: true
     become_user: root
     ignore_errors: yes

In the example above, each of the 3 tasks will be executed after appending the when condition from the block and evaluating it in the task’s context. Also they inherit the privilege escalation directives enabling “become to root” for all the enclosed tasks. Finally, ignore_errors: yes will continue executing the playbook even if some of the tasks fail.

Names for tasks within blocks have been available since Ansible 2.3. We recommend using names in all tasks, within blocks or elsewhere, for better visibility into the tasks being executed when you run the playbook.

Blocks error handling

Blocks also introduce the ability to handle errors in a way similar to exceptions in most programming languages. Blocks only deal with ‘failed’ status of a task. A bad task definition or an unreachable host are not ‘rescuable’ errors.

 tasks:
 - name: Handle the error
   block:
     - debug:
         msg: 'I execute normally'
     - name: i force a failure
       command: /bin/false
     - debug:
         msg: 'I never execute, due to the above task failing, :-('
   rescue:
     - debug:
         msg: 'I caught an error, can do stuff here to fix it, :-)'

This will ‘revert’ the failed status of the task for the run and the play will continue as if it had succeeded.

There is also an always section, that will run no matter what the task status is.

 - name: Always do X
   block:
     - debug:
         msg: 'I execute normally'
     - name: i force a failure
       command: /bin/false
     - debug:
         msg: 'I never execute :-('
   always:
     - debug:
         msg: "This always executes, :-)"

They can be added all together to do complex error handling.

- name: Attempt and graceful roll back demo
  block:
    - debug:
        msg: 'I execute normally'
    - name: i force a failure
      command: /bin/false
    - debug:
        msg: 'I never execute, due to the above task failing, :-('
  rescue:
    - debug:
        msg: 'I caught an error'
    - name: i force a failure in middle of recovery! >:-)
      command: /bin/false
    - debug:
        msg: 'I also never execute :-('
  always:
    - debug:
        msg: "This always executes"

The tasks in the block would execute normally, if there is any error the rescue section would get executed with whatever you need to do to recover from the previous error. The always section runs no matter what previous error did or did not occur in the block and rescue sections. It should be noted that the play continues if a rescue section completes successfully as it ‘erases’ the error status (but not the reporting), this means it won’t trigger max_fail_percentage nor any_errors_fatal configurations but will appear in the playbook statistics.

Another example is how to run handlers after an error occurred :

 tasks:
   - name: Attempt and graceful roll back demo
     block:
       - debug:
           msg: 'I execute normally'
         changed_when: yes
         notify: run me even after an error
       - command: /bin/false
     rescue:
       - name: make sure all handlers run
         meta: flush_handlers
 handlers:
    - name: run me even after an error
      debug:
        msg: 'This handler runs even on error'

Ansible also provides a couple of variables for tasks in the rescue portion of a block:

ansible_failed_task

The task that returned ‘failed’ and triggered the rescue. For example, to get the name use ansible_failed_task.name.

ansible_failed_result

The captured return result of the failed task that triggered the rescue. This would equate to having used this var in the register keyword.