extra_vars option: json format: string "true" turned into boolean "true"

[mysten-labs-charles-murphy]

I have the following use case:

  - name: Run ansible
    uses: dawidd6/action-ansible-playbook@671974ed60e946e11964cb0c26e69caaa4b1f559
    with:
              directory: ansible/
              playbook: ${{ inputs.playbook }}.yaml
              key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
              requirements: galaxy-requirements.yml
              options: |
                --inventory "inventory/${{ inputs.environment }}.yaml"
                --limit "${{ inputs.limit }}"
                --extra-vars "${{ inputs.extra_vars }}"
                --tags "${{ inputs.tags }}"
                --skip-tags "${{ inputs.skip_tags }}"

if 'extra_vars' is using the json-string method, it can contain a value like so:

{
"attr-a": true
"attr-b": "true"
}

My expectation is that 'attr-a' has the boolean true whilst 'attr-b' has the string 'true'. However, the reality is that both attributes have boolean true.

[dawidd6]

Okay, and you are 100% sure it is an issue with the action and not Ansible?

[mysten-labs-charles-murphy]

@dawidd6 Sorry for the late response.

Here is my ansible playbook CLI:

ansible-playbook [core 2.12.10]
  config file = None
  configured module search path = ['/Users/charles.murphy/.ansible/plugins/modules', '/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
  ansible python module location = /opt/homebrew/lib/python3.11/site-packages/ansible
  ansible collection location = /Users/charles.murphy/.ansible/collections:/usr/share/ansible/collections
  executable location = /opt/homebrew/bin/ansible-playbook
  python version = 3.11.4 (main, Jul 25 2023, 17:36:13) [Clang 14.0.3 (clang-1403.0.22.14.1)]
  jinja version = 3.1.2
  libyaml = True

Here is a playbook:

- name: Show ansible vars
  debug:
    var: vars['{{item}}']
  loop:
    - 'abc'
    - 'string'
    - 'boolean'

Here is my command:

➜  ansible git:(ecr-pull-user-playbook) ✗ ansible-playbook sui/sanity.local.yaml -e '{"abc": "xyz", "string": "true", "boolean": true}'
[WARNING]: No inventory was parsed, only implicit localhost is available
[WARNING]: provided hosts list is empty, only localhost is available. Note that the implicit localhost does not match 'all'

PLAY [Sanity Test (local)] *****************************************************************************************************************************************************

TASK [Gathering Facts] *********************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [sanity : Show ansible vars] **********************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => (item=abc) => {
    "ansible_loop_var": "item",
    "item": "abc",
    "vars['abc']": "xyz"
}
ok: [localhost] => (item=string) => {
    "ansible_loop_var": "item",
    "item": "string",
    "vars['string']": "true"
}
ok: [localhost] => (item=boolean) => {
    "ansible_loop_var": "item",
    "item": "boolean",
    "vars['boolean']": true
}

TASK [Run tree command on selected directories] ********************************************************************************************************************************
skipping: [localhost]

PLAY RECAP *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
localhost                  : ok=2    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=1    rescued=0    ignored=0   

This works as expected on the command line.

[dawidd6]

Don't know if that makes any difference, but in the action input you are surrounding your extra vars with double quotes and in the cli it is single quotes. Try using the same quotes here and there.

[mysten-labs-charles-murphy]

ok, thanks. i will try it next time i run into the problem.