# Generate temaplate file when  having with\_items and array

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/generate-temaplate-file-when-having-with-items-and-array/38630>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [December 16, 2023, 10:24am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/generate-temaplate-file-when-having-with-items-and-array/38630 "2023-12-16T10:24:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dudu.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/278dde/32.png) [@dudu.c](https://forum.ansible.com/u/dudu.c)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 10:24am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/generate-temaplate-file-when-having-with-items-and-array/38630/1 "2023-12-16T10:24:14Z")

</div>

I need to generate few files based on jinja template ,

In the first run it is easy when I need to generate single file per user

**Basic input:**

user:

- { username: user1, action: get , file: 1.txt }
- { username: user2, action: get , file: 2.txt }

**Jinja template:**

User: {{ item.users }}  
Permission: {{ item.action}}  
File-access: {{ite.file}}

**Playbook:**

- name: generate files  
template:  
src: template.j2  
dest: “{{ folder }}/{{ item.username }}”  
with\_items: “{{ user }}”

But now comes the twist, Single user can have multi files (see user1) and , I need to create for this user 2 files

File 1 – filename user1-1 , where file = to 1.txt

File 2 – filename user1-2 , where file = to new.file

**Advance input:**

user:

- { username: user1, action: get , file: [1.txt ,new.file] }
- { username: user2, action: get , file: 2.txt }

Any ideas ?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Will\_McDonald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f475e1/32.png) [@Will\_McDonald](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Will_McDonald)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 12:23pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/generate-temaplate-file-when-having-with-items-and-array/38630/2 "2023-12-16T12:23:04Z")

</div>

A [loop with subelements](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbook_guide/playbooks_loops.html#with-subelements) should give you the control you need to template out what you need based on the number of files in the data structure:

> - name: test jinja rendering  
> hosts: localhost  
> gather\_facts: no
> 
> vars:  
> users:
> 
> - username: user1  
> action: GET  
> files:
> - file1
> - username: user2  
> action: GET  
> files:
> - file1
> - file2
> 
> tasks:
> 
> - name: debug the data structure  
> ansible.builtin.debug:  
> msg:
> - Item 0 is ‘{{ item.0 }}’
> - Item 1 is ‘{{ item.1 }}’  
> loop: ‘{{ users | subelements(“files”) }}’

Sample debug output:

TASK [debug the data structure] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*  
ok: [localhost] =\> (item=[{‘username’: ‘user1’, ‘action’: ‘GET’, ‘files’: [‘file1’]}, ‘file1’]) =\> {  
“msg”: [  
“Item 0 is ‘{‘username’: ‘user1’, ‘action’: ‘GET’, ‘files’: [‘file1’]}’”,  
“Item 1 is ‘file1’”  
]  
}  
ok: [localhost] =\> (item=[{‘username’: ‘user2’, ‘action’: ‘GET’, ‘files’: [‘file1’, ‘file2’]}, ‘file1’]) =\> {  
“msg”: [  
“Item 0 is ‘{‘username’: ‘user2’, ‘action’: ‘GET’, ‘files’: [‘file1’, ‘file2’]}’”,  
“Item 1 is ‘file1’”  
]  
}  
ok: [localhost] =\> (item=[{‘username’: ‘user2’, ‘action’: ‘GET’, ‘files’: [‘file1’, ‘file2’]}, ‘file2’]) =\> {  
“msg”: [  
“Item 0 is ‘{‘username’: ‘user2’, ‘action’: ‘GET’, ‘files’: [‘file1’, ‘file2’]}’”,  
“Item 1 is ‘file2’”  
]  
}