# different groups with different variables using the same role in the same host **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [January 28, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/different-groups-with-different-variables-using-the-same-role-in-the-same-host/14444 "2014-01-28T15:38:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Guillem\_Liarte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@Guillem\_Liarte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Guillem_Liarte)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/different-groups-with-different-variables-using-the-same-role-in-the-same-host/14444/1 "2014-01-28T15:38:11Z")
Hello, I think I have got to a point where I really get confused about teh way variables are used. I need some clarity to understand how you would do this with ansible: Lets say I have one single hosts where I want to create a collection of directories in /data/db/{project1,project2,n} I am using the structure described in the Ansible best practices: [http://docs.ansible.com/playbooks\_best\_practices.html](http://docs.ansible.com/playbooks_best_practices.html) in /etc/ansible/hosts I have: [test1] host1 [test2] host1 Yes, the same host in two different groups. I believe this is legal. cat test.yml ---
**Author:** ![kahlil.hodgson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9bd4f/32.png) [@kahlil.hodgson](https://forum.ansible.com/u/kahlil.hodgson)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 10:11pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/different-groups-with-different-variables-using-the-same-role-in-the-same-host/14444/2 "2014-01-28T22:11:43Z")
Hi Guillem. This looks like a modeling problem: the project variables need to be detached from the host/group variables. Try something like: # group\_vars/all.yml ---
**Author:** ![Guillem\_Liarte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@Guillem\_Liarte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Guillem_Liarte)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 10:43am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/different-groups-with-different-variables-using-the-same-role-in-the-same-host/14444/3 "2014-01-31T10:43:52Z")
Kahlil, Thanks for the reply. I have tried your exact example in a new ansible instance. I had to adapt it as the playbook would not pass syntax checks: ---
**Author:** ![Guillem\_Liarte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@Guillem\_Liarte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Guillem_Liarte)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/different-groups-with-different-variables-using-the-same-role-in-the-same-host/14444/4 "2014-01-31T15:07:26Z")
This works however: ---
**Author:** ![Guillem\_Liarte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@Guillem\_Liarte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Guillem_Liarte)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/different-groups-with-different-variables-using-the-same-role-in-the-same-host/14444/5 "2014-01-31T15:31:00Z")
Kahlil, I found a way to adress those values stored in the array: - name: Create directories file: state=directory path=/data/db/{{ project[item].domain }} owner=root group=root mode=0770 with\_items: project\_list This creates effectively: /data/ └── db ├── [test1.com](http://test1.com) └── [test2.com](http://test2.com) Which is what i wanted to do. Excellent. ---
**Author:** ![adam2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@adam2](https://forum.ansible.com/u/adam2)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/different-groups-with-different-variables-using-the-same-role-in-the-same-host/14444/6 "2014-01-31T19:25:25Z")
I've been using variants of dict.keys(), dict.values(), and dict.items() when utilizing with\_items iteration. ---
**Author:** ![Guillem\_Liarte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@Guillem\_Liarte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Guillem_Liarte)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/different-groups-with-different-variables-using-the-same-role-in-the-same-host/14444/7 "2014-02-01T18:07:53Z")
Adam, Would you be so kind to explain that or link to the right documentation? I have not been able to find a solution that way. Are you saying there is a better way to do this? ---
**Author:** ![kahlil.hodgson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9bd4f/32.png) [@kahlil.hodgson](https://forum.ansible.com/u/kahlil.hodgson)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 6:16am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/different-groups-with-different-variables-using-the-same-role-in-the-same-host/14444/8 "2014-02-02T06:16:23Z")
Sorry Guillem, I typed that up in a hurry. I should have quoted the key 'domain' like so: - debug: msg="{{ project[item]['domain'] }}" or as use have discovered, the equivalent:    {{ project[item].domain }} Mixing dictionary lookup forms (that is, using both dots and brackets) can be a little confusing to other people reading the code, so I prefer to use one or the other but not both at the same time. K Kahlil (Kal) Hodgson GPG: C9A02289 Head of Technology (m) +61 (0) 4 2573 0382 DealMax Pty Ltd (w) +61 (0) 3 9008 5281 Suite 1415 401 Docklands Drive Docklands VIC 3008 Australia "All parts should go together without forcing. You must remember that the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Therefore, if you can't get them together again, there must be a reason. By all means, do not use a hammer." -- IBM maintenance manual, 1925 ---
**Author:** ![Guillem\_Liarte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@Guillem\_Liarte](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Guillem_Liarte)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 8:46am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/different-groups-with-different-variables-using-the-same-role-in-the-same-host/14444/9 "2014-02-04T08:46:40Z")
Kahlil, Many thanks for this. I am finding lots of power in Ansible, but also lots of ‘hidden’ gotchas. I have now revamped my configuration to be used with your suggestion and it works really well. The next pit I found was in the variable precedence. I honestly understood from the best practice and the docuementation that if you had a role called web, then placing a file called web.yml in there would make the tasks in web to lookup variables stored in web.yml. However if I had another file lets say test.yml before, it would use it instead. So in order to overcome this problem I see two solutions, manually forcing vars\_file from each playbook or store all variables for all playbooks in one file. I’m still deciding what would be the best behavior for the future… Many thanks for your input so far, you healped me overcome a fundamental issue I had in here. Guillem