# Elasticsearch not recognizing valid syntax

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-not-recognizing-valid-syntax/71844>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [January 17, 2017, 10:35am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-not-recognizing-valid-syntax/71844 "2017-01-17T10:35:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Evesy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/evesy/32/29520_2.png) [@Evesy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Evesy)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 10:35am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-not-recognizing-valid-syntax/71844/1 "2017-01-17T10:35:10Z")

</div>

Hi,

I'm using the official elasticsearch cookbook to configure elasticsearch however the elasticsearch config yaml file generated when trying to configure the xpack.monitoring.exporters parameter is not being accepted by Elasticsearch and the service is failing to start:

Inside of the 'elasticsearch\_configure' resource I have the below:

```
'xpack.monitoring.exporters' => "id1:
 type: http
 host: [\"#{node['elk_elasticsearch']['xpack']['monitoring']['export_url']}\"]",

```

This resource generates the following lines within elasticsearch.yml:

```
xpack.monitoring.exporters: |-
  id1:
   type: http
   host: ["localhost"]

```

Elasticsearch then fails to start with the below error:

```
java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: unknown setting [xpack.monitoring.exporters] did you mean [xpack.monitoring.enabled]?
    at org.elasticsearch.common.settings.AbstractScopedSettings.validate(AbstractScopedSettings.java:278) ~[elasticsearch-5.1.1.jar:5.1.1]
    at org.elasticsearch.common.settings.AbstractScopedSettings.validate(AbstractScopedSettings.java:246) ~[elasticsearch-5.1.1.jar:5.1.1]
    at org.elasticsearch.common.settings.SettingsModule.<init>(SettingsModule.java:138) ~[elasticsearch-5.1.1.jar:5.1.1]
    at org.elasticsearch.node.Node.<init>(Node.java:325) ~[elasticsearch-5.1.1.jar:5.1.1]
    at org.elasticsearch.node.Node.<init>(Node.java:229) ~[elasticsearch-5.1.1.jar:5.1.1]

```

If I remove the multiline characters, |-, then elasticsearch starts just fine. Both are valid yml so I'm not sure why it is failing to start.

This is using cookbook version 3.0.2, configuring elasticsearch 5.1

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![colings86](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/colings86/32/44960_2.png) [@colings86](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/colings86)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 11:17am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-not-recognizing-valid-syntax/71844/2 "2017-01-17T11:17:20Z")

</div>

> [@Evesy](#):
>
> ```auto
> xpack.monitoring.exporters: |-
> id1:
> type: http
> host: ["localhost"]
> 
> ```

You are right that this is valid YAML but it is not equivilent to:

```auto
xpack.monitoring.exporters:
  id1:
   type: http
   host: ["localhost"]

```

The first code block says 'set the value of the setting `xpack.monitoring.exporters` to the string:

```auto
'id1:
   type: http
   host: ["localhost"]'

```

The latter example says 'set `xpack.monitoring.exporters.id1.type` to `http` and `xpack.monitoring.exporters.id1.host` to `["localhost"].'

I think the reason it is doing this is that the value in

> ```auto
> xpack.monitoring.exporters' => "id1:
> type: http
> host: [\"#{node['elk_elasticsearch']['xpack']['monitoring']['export_url']}\"]",
> 
> ```

is surrounded in `"`'s so is being dumped as a string. I am not familar with the cookbook myself so I am not sure exactly what the fix is to allow the cookbook to interpret the value as structured settings rather than a string but you could either try removing the `"`'s:

```auto
'xpack.monitoring.exporters' => id1:
type: http
host: [\"#{node['elk_elasticsearch']['xpack']['monitoring']['export_url']}\"],

```

or maybe specify the settings separately:

could either try removing the `"`'s:

```auto
'xpack.monitoring.exporters.id1.type' => "http",
'xpack.monitoring.exporters.id1.host' => [\"#{node['elk_elasticsearch']['xpack']['monitoring']['export_url']}\"],

```

Hope that helps

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 11:17am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-not-recognizing-valid-syntax/71844/3 "2017-02-14T11:17:19Z")

</div>

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