# Accessing extra-vars inside playbook

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/accessing-extra-vars-inside-playbook/16750>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [November 11, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/accessing-extra-vars-inside-playbook/16750 "2014-11-11T19:12:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kenny\_Garland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Kenny\_Garland](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kenny_Garland)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/accessing-extra-vars-inside-playbook/16750/1 "2014-11-11T19:12:34Z")

</div>

I would like to access the string values used at runtime from the ansible-playbook -e argument. In this case the user passes in “public\_subnet” which renders to the value subnet-12345678 from group\_vars. I would like to take actions based on the string value “public\_subnet”

playbook.yml

`  
vpc\_subnet\_id: “{{ subnet }}”  
assign\_public\_ip: “{% if subnet == public\_subnet %}True{% endif %}”

`

group\_vars/dev

`public_subnet: subnet-12345678`

command line

`  
ansible-playbook -i inventory/local playbook.yml -v -e “subnet=public\_subnet”

`