Surveys

You might have noticed the Survey tab when looking at a Template. A survey is a way to create a simple form to ask for parameters that get used as variables when a Template is launched as a Job.

You have installed Apache on all hosts in the job you just run. Now we’re going to extend on this:

  • Use a proper role which has a Jinja2 template to deploy an index.html file.

  • Create a job Template with a survey to collect the values for the index.html template.

  • Launch the job Template.

Additionally, the role will also make sure that the Apache configuration is properly set up - in case it got mixed up during the other exercises.

The survey feature only provides a simple query for data - it does not support four-eye principles, queries based on dynamic data or nested menus.

The Apache-configuration Role

The Playbook and the role with the Jinja template already exist in the directory rhel/apache in the Github repository https://github.com/ansible-labs-crew/playbooks_summit2021 you already configured as a Project.

Head over to the Github UI and have a look at the content: the playbook apache_role_install.yml merely references the role. The role can be found in the roles/role_apache subdirectory.

  • Inside the role, note the two variables in the templates/index.html.j2 template file marked by {{…​}}.

  • Also, check out the tasks in tasks/main.yml that deploy the file from the template.

What is this Playbook doing? It creates a file (dest) on the managed hosts from the template (src).

The role also deploys a static configuration for Apache. This is to make sure that all changes done in the previous chapters are overwritten and your examples work properly.

Because the Playbook and role is located in the same Github repo as the apache_install.yml Playbook you don’t have to configure a new project for this exercise.

Create a Template with a Survey

Now you create a new Template that includes a survey.

Create Template

  • Go to Templates, click the add button and choose Add job template

  • Name: Create index.html

  • Configure the template to use:

    • Webserver as Inventory.

    • Ansible Workshop Examples as the Project.

    • Default execution environment for the Execution Environment.

    • apache_role_install.yml as the Playbook to execute.

    • Workshop Credentials as credentials.

    • privilege escalation.

Try for yourself, the solution is below.

Click here for Solution

  • Name: Create index.html

  • Job Type: Run

  • Inventory: Webserver

  • Project: Ansible Workshop Examples

  • Execution Environment: Default execution environment

  • Playbook: rhel/apache/apache_role_install.yml

  • Credentials: Workshop Credentials

  • Options: Privilege Escalation

  • Click Save

Do not run the template yet!

Add the Survey

  • In the Template, go to the Survey tab

  • Click Add and fill in:

    • Question: First Line

    • Answer variable name: first_line

    • Answer Type: Text

  • Click Save

  • In the same way add a second survey question

    • Question: Second Line

    • Answer variable name: second_line

    • Answer type: Text

  • Click Save

Now click the blue Preview button to see how the survey is going to look. Close the preview again.

To enable the survey, while still on the Survey tab switch the slider button to On

Launch the Template

Now launch the Create index.html job template.

Before the actual launch the survey will ask for First Line and Second Line. Fill in some text and click Next. The next window shows the launch details and at the bottom the values the survey has prompted for. If all is good run the Job by clicking Launch.

Note how the two survey lines are shown on the Details tab of the Job view as Variables.

After the job has completed, check the Apache homepage. In your VS Code terminal, execute curl against http://node1.<GUID>.internal:

[lab-user@bastion ~]$ curl http://node1.<GUID>.internal
<body>
<h1>Apache is running fine</h1>
<h1>This is survey field "First Line": line one</h1>
<h1>This is survey field "Second Line": line two</h1>
</body>

Note how the two variables where used by the playbook to create the content of the index.html file.

What About Some Practice?

Here is a list of tasks:

Please make sure to finish these steps as the next chapter depends on it!

  • Take the inventory Webserver and add node node2.<GUID>.internal to it.

  • Run the Create index.html Template again.

  • Verify the results on http://node2.<GUID>.internal by using curl.