# ansible: set fact with multiple values **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [August 2, 2018, 6:13am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-set-fact-with-multiple-values/28232 "2018-08-02T06:13:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![christian.tremel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@christian.tremel](https://forum.ansible.com/u/christian.tremel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 6:13am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-set-fact-with-multiple-values/28232/1 "2018-08-02T06:13:34Z")
i am writing an ansible role for setting some kind of “hostgroups” based on outputs from commands, path etc… thing is one host can be a member of more then one of such groups, and there is the problem. how to i append multiple values to one particular fact, without using a gazillion of different variables for the groups, as this list might get really long. someone over there at stackoverflow mentioned the ternary filter, but i can not get my head around it, so some example code wold be really great. best would be a list like this: “itsv\_hostgroup”: {WBG,LNZ,…} in this example the WBG value is overwritten by the VIE value in the end. ` Ente ```auto - shell: /usr/bin/uname -L | cut -d ' ' -f2 register: itsv_lparname - command: /usr/sbin/lsattr -El sys0 -a systemid -F value register: itsv_machine_serial - set_fact: itsv_hostgroup: "LNZ" cacheable: true when: (itsv_machine_serial.stdout is match "IBM,02781A6BX") or (itsv_machine_serial.stdout is match "IBM,02781A6CX") or (itsv_machine_serial.stdout is match "IBM,02781A6DX") - debug: var: itsv_hostgroup - set_fact: itsv_hostgroup: "WBG" cacheable: true when: (itsv_machine_serial.stdout is match "IBM,022199BF7") - debug: var: itsv_hostgroup - set_fact: itsv_hostgroup: "GBG" cacheable: true when: (itsv_machine_serial.stdout is match "IBM,022199BB7") - debug: var: itsv_hostgroup - set_fact: itsv_hostgroup: "VIE" cacheable: true when: (itsv_machine_serial.stdout is match "IBM,022199BF7") or (itsv_machine_serial.stdout is match "022199BB7") or (itsv_machine_serial.stdout is match "IBM,02060CE6R") - debug: var: itsv_hostgroup root@lpgaixmgmtlx01:/etc/ansible/aix>ansible-playbook -i AIXWUKIT, testplay.yml PLAY [run test play] ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** TASK [Gathering Facts] **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** ok: [AIXWUKIT] TASK [hostgroups : shell] ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* changed: [AIXWUKIT] TASK [hostgroups : command] *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** changed: [AIXWUKIT] TASK [hostgroups : set_fact] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** skipping: [AIXWUKIT] TASK [hostgroups : debug] ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* ok: [AIXWUKIT] => { "itsv_hostgroup": [] } TASK [hostgroups : set_fact] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** ok: [AIXWUKIT] TASK [hostgroups : debug] ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* ok: [AIXWUKIT] => { "itsv_hostgroup": "WBG" } TASK [hostgroups : set_fact] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** skipping: [AIXWUKIT] TASK [hostgroups : debug] ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* ok: [AIXWUKIT] => { "itsv_hostgroup": "WBG" } TASK [hostgroups : set_fact] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** ok: [AIXWUKIT] TASK [hostgroups : debug] ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* ok: [AIXWUKIT] => { "itsv_hostgroup": "VIE" } TASK [print out the hostname of target] *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************** changed: [AIXWUKIT] ``` r code here… ` ---
**Author:** ![christian.tremel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@christian.tremel](https://forum.ansible.com/u/christian.tremel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 8:15am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-set-fact-with-multiple-values/28232/2 "2018-08-02T08:15:05Z")
i dont see any relation to my problem, seems like you posted to the wrong thread. ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 8:27am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-set-fact-with-multiple-values/28232/3 "2018-08-02T08:27:34Z")
Can you please stop hijacking other people thread and make your own. This consider a very rude behavior. Hopefully the moderators put you on moderation or ban you from the list. ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 8:49am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-set-fact-with-multiple-values/28232/4 "2018-08-02T08:49:34Z")
> best would be a list like this: > > "itsv\_hostgroup": {WBG,LNZ,...} Typo I guess list is is ["WBG","LNZ",...] > - set\_fact: >         itsv\_hostgroup: "LNZ" >         cacheable: true >   when: (itsv\_machine\_serial.stdout is match "IBM,02781A6BX") or >         (itsv\_machine\_serial.stdout is match "IBM,02781A6CX") or >         (itsv\_machine\_serial.stdout is match "IBM,02781A6DX") To add just do this to all of them    itsv\_hostgroup: '{{ itsv\_hostgroup | default() + ["LNZ"] }}' The default() is there so it doesn't fail when itsv\_hostgroup is not defined, it will then be set to a empty list . And the rest just add a element to the list. ---
**Author:** ![christian.tremel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@christian.tremel](https://forum.ansible.com/u/christian.tremel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 9:36am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-set-fact-with-multiple-values/28232/5 "2018-08-02T09:36:06Z")
hmm…this seems a little bit sophisticated as the list of groups is much longer in reality as in my example code which has only 4, so this leads to a big variable mess. no way to reference the group names in any other way? ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-set-fact-with-multiple-values/28232/6 "2018-08-03T16:54:57Z")
I don't think I understand the problem. Your are writing gazillion variables and big variable mess, what do you mean by that? As I can see you only have to itsv\_hostgroup and itsv\_machine\_serial.stdout that's only two variable and very manageable in Ansible.