ansible role can't start apache via handler

Question

I have this simple role for apache (in CentOS7):

roles/apache/tasks/main.yml

---
- name: Add epel-release repo
  yum:
    name: epel-release
    state: present

- name: Install Apache2
  yum:
    name: httpd
    state: present

- name: Insert Index Page
  copy:
    src: index.html
    dest: /var/www/html/index.html

roles/apache/handlers/main.yml

---
- name: Start Apache
  service: name=httpd state=started

- name: verify that the web service is running
  command: systemctl status httpd
  register: status_result

- name: debug
  debug: var=status_result

with-roles.yml - playbook same level as 'roles' directory

---
- name: Install apache2 in CentOS 7
  hosts: 1.23.4.56
  become: true
  roles:
    - apache

I then run the playbook as follows:

$ ansible-playbook -u root --private-key ~/.ssh/this_key.ppk with-roles.yml -i "1.23.4.56" -vvvv

Here's the tail-end part of the verbose output on screen:

    ...
    ...
    "mode": "0644", 
    "owner": "root", 
    "path": "/var/www/html/index.html", 
    "size": 11, 
    "state": "file", 
    "uid": 0
}
META: ran handlers
META: ran handlers

PLAY RECAP *******************************************************************************************************************
1.23.4.56              : ok=4    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0   

but when I logged-in to 1.23.4.56, machine has the httpd installed but is stopped (which means that the handler didn't run). What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

A handler is only executed when it's notified.

See Handlers: Running Operations On Change

Answer 2

The answer turns out to be in https://serverfault.com/questions/617548/always-trigger-handler-execution-in-ansible as per hints from René Pijl.

Specifically, I had to add this to the bottom of roles/apache/tasks/main.yml

...
...
- name: Apache Starter
  command: /bin/true
  notify: Start Apache