Error command is not a valid attribute for a play

September 20, 2021

---
- name: file module demo
  hosts: all
  vars:
    myfile: "~/example.txt"
  task:
    - name: Creating an empty
      ansible.builtin.file:
        path: "{{ myfile }}"
        state: touch

$ ansible-playbook -i demo/inventory troubleshooting/invalid_play_attribute_fix.yml
ERROR! 'task' is not a valid attribute for a Play
The error appears to be in 'ansible-pilot/troubleshooting/invalid_play_attribute_error.yml': line 2, column 3, but may
be elsewhere in the file depending on the exact syntax problem.
The offending line appears to be:
 - -
- name: file module demo
 ^ here

---
- name: file module demo
  hosts: all
  vars:
    myfile: "~/example.txt"
  tasks:
    - name: Creating an empty
      ansible.builtin.file:
        path: "{{ myfile }}"
        state: touch

$ ansible-playbook -i demo/inventory troubleshooting/invalid_play_attribute_fix.yml
PLAY [file module demo] *********************************************************************
TASK [Gathering Facts] **********************************************************************
ok: [demo.example.com]
TASK [Creating an empty file] ***************************************************************
changed: [demo.example.com]
PLAY RECAP **********************************************************************************
demo.example.com : ok=2 changed=1 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0

1. is not a valid attribute for a Play
   When ever you get the above error firstly crosscheck that the ansible attribute you have mentioned is correct. If it is correct then the issue probably is that you have created tasks as follows:

   ---
      - vars_prompt:
           - name: "var1"
             prompt: "Please pass variable"
             private: no
   
      - fail: msg="var1 is not passed or blank"
        when: var1 is undefined or ( var1 is defined and storeid == "" )

   when it should be as follows:

   ---
      vars_prompt:
         - name: "var1"
           prompt: "Please pass variable"
           private: no
   
      tasks:
        - fail: msg="var1 is not passed or blank"
          when: var1 is undefined or ( var1 is defined and storeid == "" )

   the example referenced is just a task. It is not a valid playbook because it is missings a hosts declaration and the module call is not under a tasks section.

2. ERROR! conflicting action statements: fail, command
   I get this error if I have a task as follows:
   – name: deploy
   win_get_url:
   url: ‘http://server_ip/builds/build.zip’
   dest: ‘D:build.zip’
   win_unzip:
   src: D:build.zip
   dest: D:You cannot have multiple actions listed inside a single task like this. Instead you need to do this:

       - name: deploy get url
         win_get_url:
            url: 'http://server_ip/builds/build.zip'
            dest: 'D:build.zip'
       - name: deploy unzip
         win_unzip:
            src: D:build.zip
            dest: D:

3. Ansible task to check API status
   Here I am checking ES cluster health:

       - name: Get ES cluster health
         uri:
           url: http://{{inventory_hostname}}:9200/_cluster/health
           return_content: yes
         register: cluster_status
   
       - set_fact:
           es_cluster_health: "{{ cluster_status.content | from_json }}"
   
       - fail: msg="ES cluster not healthy"
         when: "es_cluster_health.status != 'yellow'"
   
   

   You can compare the status with any string you want. Here I am comparing it with string “yellow”