--- ansible_collections/community/general/plugins/modules/slackpkg.py	2023-12-04 18:10:10.000000000 +0100
+++ ansible_collections/community/general/plugins/modules/slackpkg.py.BBqse	2024-07-03 17:55:58.652562080 +0200
@@ -74,9 +74,42 @@
     state: latest
 '''
 
+import platform
+import os
+import re
 from ansible.module_utils.basic import AnsibleModule
 
+# check package(s) at PACKAGES.TXT file
+# and return a list of valid package names
+def get_packages(module, slackpkg_path, packages):
+    
+    package_c = 0
+    pkgs = []
 
+    machine = platform.machine()
+
+    for package in packages:
+
+        # Exception for kernel-headers package on x86_64
+        if package == "kernel-headers" and machine == "x86_64":
+            machine = "x86"
+    
+        PKG_FILE = "/var/lib/slackpkg/PACKAGES.TXT"
+        pattern = re.compile('%s.*-(%s|noarch|fw)-[^-]+$' % (re.escape(str(package)), re.escape(machine)))
+
+        fh = open(PKG_FILE, "r").read()
+        for line in re.findall("PACKAGE NAME:  %s.*" % re.escape(str(package)), fh):
+            pkg_name = line.split(":")[1].replace(' ','').replace('.txz','')
+            if pattern.match(pkg_name):
+                package_c += 1
+                pkgs.append(pkg_name)
+                break
+
+        if not package_c > 0:
+            module.fail_json(msg="package %s not at PACKAGES.TXT" % package)
+
+    return pkgs
+ 
 def query_package(module, slackpkg_path, name):
 
     import platform
@@ -194,13 +227,20 @@
 
     pkgs = p['name']
 
+    # format pkgs list
+    pkgs = (' '.join(map(str, pkgs))).replace(',',' ')
+    pkgs = " ".join(pkgs.split())
+    pkgs = list(pkgs.split(' '))
+
     if p["update_cache"]:
         update_cache(module, slackpkg_path)
 
     if p['state'] == 'latest':
+        pkgs = get_packages(module, slackpkg_path, pkgs)
         upgrade_packages(module, slackpkg_path, pkgs)
 
     elif p['state'] in ['present', 'installed']:
+        pkgs = get_packages(module, slackpkg_path, pkgs)
         install_packages(module, slackpkg_path, pkgs)
 
     elif p["state"] in ['removed', 'absent']: