Confusing wording in error message (netaddr)

[nxg]

SUMMARY

(This is a fairly trivial fix; reported in the main issue list, but I was redirected here)

When using a playbook which uses eg ansible.utils.ipv4('public'), I see an error message:

The ipv4 filter requires python's netaddr be installed on the ansible controller

Trying to parse this, I ended up perplexed – ‘in what sense does “python” have a network address; WTF?!’ – and it took a web search to realise that it's referring to a Python netaddr package. Fairly obvious in retrospect, of course (and I have in fact used that package before), but it took me a good 10 minutes to work out what the error message was reporting, rather than giving an immediate 'aha!’.

I suggest changing the wording to

The ipv4 filter requires that the Python netaddr package be installed on the ansible controller

(One for the intern...?)

ISSUE TYPE

• Bug Report

COMPONENT NAME

ansible-playbook

ANSIBLE VERSION

ansible [core 2.14.3]
  config file = /Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible.cfg
  configured module search path = ['/Users/norman/.ansible/plugins/modules', '/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
  ansible python module location = /Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible-venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/ansible
  ansible collection location = /Users/norman/.ansible/collections:/usr/share/ansible/collections
  executable location = /Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible-venv/bin/ansible
  python version = 3.9.6 (default, Oct 18 2022, 12:41:40) [Clang 14.0.0 (clang-1400.0.29.202)] (/Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible-venv/bin/python)
  jinja version = 3.1.2
  libyaml = True

COLLECTION VERSION

# /Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible-venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/ansible_collections
Collection    Version
------------- -------
ansible.utils 2.9.0  

CONFIGURATION

CONFIG_FILE() = /Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible.cfg
DEFAULT_HOST_LIST(/Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible.cfg) = ['/Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/inventory/hosts']
DEFAULT_MANAGED_STR(/Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible.cfg) = Ansible managed: modified on %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S
DEFAULT_ROLES_PATH(/Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible.cfg) = ['/Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/roles']
DEFAULT_VAULT_PASSWORD_FILE(/Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible.cfg) = /Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/.vault_pass
RETRY_FILES_ENABLED(/Users/Shared/common/checkouts/itm/ansible/ansible.cfg) = False

OS / ENVIRONMENT

macOS 13.2.1

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

Run any playbook which exploits features of the Python netaddr package, while that package isn't installed on the controller node

EXPECTED RESULTS

I expected an easy-to-parse/non-confusing error message

ACTUAL RESULTS

I got a confusing (clear only in retrospect) error message

[ashwini-mhatre]

closing this as #244 fixed it