# Ansible -Calling a playbook inside a playbook with vars\_prompt giving error : ERROR: vars\_prompt is not a legal parameter in an Ansible task or handler

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-calling-a-playbook-inside-a-playbook-with-vars-prompt-giving-error-error-vars-prompt-is-not-a-legal-parameter-in-an-ansible-task-or-handler/15979>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Tags:** ansible-project\
**Created:** [August 18, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-calling-a-playbook-inside-a-playbook-with-vars-prompt-giving-error-error-vars-prompt-is-not-a-legal-parameter-in-an-ansible-task-or-handler/15979 "2014-08-18T12:32:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan1)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-calling-a-playbook-inside-a-playbook-with-vars-prompt-giving-error-error-vars-prompt-is-not-a-legal-parameter-in-an-ansible-task-or-handler/15979/1 "2014-08-18T12:32:16Z")

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Looks like you are missing a tasks section and also have some indent issues.

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**Author:** ![Imran\_Khan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Imran\_Khan1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Imran_Khan1)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 7:54am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-calling-a-playbook-inside-a-playbook-with-vars-prompt-giving-error-error-vars-prompt-is-not-a-legal-parameter-in-an-ansible-task-or-handler/15979/2 "2014-08-19T07:54:27Z")

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Thanks for the quick reply. I fixed those issue, but the main problem remains. The if condition is not evaluated.  
P.S: I am going off topic here, but is there any way for me to place a when condition on a complete playbook or say for the first 10 tasks in a playbook etc?

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**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan1)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-calling-a-playbook-inside-a-playbook-with-vars-prompt-giving-error-error-vars-prompt-is-not-a-legal-parameter-in-an-ansible-task-or-handler/15979/3 "2014-08-19T18:40:57Z")

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On the first part, can you show your new playbook and the output?

As to your question, yes.

- hosts: all  
tasks:

- group\_by: key=test-{{ a \> b }}

- hosts: test-True  
tasks: # or roles, here, etc

- ping

- hosts: tests-False  
tasks:

- ping

The group\_by module basically carves up hosts based on arbitrary criteria, creating dynamic groups that are very useful for this sort of thing.

[http://docs.ansible.com/group\_by\_module.html](http://docs.ansible.com/group_by_module.html)

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**Author:** ![Imran\_Khan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Imran\_Khan1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Imran_Khan1)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-calling-a-playbook-inside-a-playbook-with-vars-prompt-giving-error-error-vars-prompt-is-not-a-legal-parameter-in-an-ansible-task-or-handler/15979/4 "2014-08-20T05:08:00Z")

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Thanks mate, I’ll give this a try!