# groups\_vars not working \[inventory\]

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/groups-vars-not-working-inventory/29284>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [December 18, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/groups-vars-not-working-inventory/29284 "2018-12-18T14:53:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aidewuado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@aidewuado](https://forum.ansible.com/u/aidewuado)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/groups-vars-not-working-inventory/29284/1 "2018-12-18T14:53:16Z")

</div>

Hello,  
im trying to using a groups vars out side of inventory, but not working

my file struct:

 ![Capture.PNG](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/original/2X/e/e35f236772b7a3eb6a5f25c49c7dda42bda5dc72.png)

work this form:

eco-sql-dev.ini

`

[win-mssql]  
lab-sql1.DOMAIN.cl

[win-mssql:vars]

ansible\_user=svc-ansible-dev@DOMAIN.CL  
ansible\_password=PASS  
ansible\_port=5986  
ansible\_connection=winrm  
ansible\_winrm\_server\_cert\_validation=ignore  
ansible\_winrm\_transport=kerberos  
ansible\_winrm\_service=HOST

`

not work this form

eco-sql-dev.ini

`

[win-mssql]  
lab-sql1.DOMAIN.cl

`

groups\_vars/win-mssql.ini

`

ansible\_user=svc-ansible-dev@DOMAIN.CL  
ansible\_password=PASS  
ansible\_port=5986  
ansible\_connection=winrm  
ansible\_winrm\_server\_cert\_validation=ignore  
ansible\_winrm\_transport=kerberos  
ansible\_winrm\_service=HOST

`

command to test

`  
ansible all -i /etc/ansible/\_inventories/staging/eco-SQL-dev.ini -m win\_ping -vvvv

`

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aidewuado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@aidewuado](https://forum.ansible.com/u/aidewuado)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 2:55pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/groups-vars-not-working-inventory/29284/2 "2018-12-18T14:55:41Z")

</div>

my ansible version is 2.4.2 [CEntos 7]

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/original/1X/1882d9a01da5d8996a862359b0913cc568a39b84.svg) [@system](https://forum.ansible.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/groups-vars-not-working-inventory/29284/3 "2018-12-18T17:27:34Z")

</div>

group\_vars are only supported using YAML or JSON files, not ini.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aidewuado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@aidewuado](https://forum.ansible.com/u/aidewuado)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 5:41pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/groups-vars-not-working-inventory/29284/4 "2018-12-18T17:41:48Z")

</div>

ok,  
im change vars to yaml and not work, that’s error:

ERROR! failed to combine variables, expected dicts but got a ‘dict’ and a ‘AnsibleUnicode’:  
{}

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aidewuado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@aidewuado](https://forum.ansible.com/u/aidewuado)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/groups-vars-not-working-inventory/29284/5 "2018-12-18T17:43:54Z")

</div>

also change “=” for “:” in a groups vars

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/original/1X/1882d9a01da5d8996a862359b0913cc568a39b84.svg) [@system](https://forum.ansible.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/groups-vars-not-working-inventory/29284/6 "2018-12-18T19:36:06Z")

</div>

So that message indicates you are trying to merge a string "iamstring"  
with a dictionary {key: value}, which means you are using  
hash\_behaviour=merge and conflicting types for the same variable

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aidewuado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@aidewuado](https://forum.ansible.com/u/aidewuado)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2018, 12:16pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/groups-vars-not-working-inventory/29284/7 "2018-12-19T12:16:35Z")

</div>

ok,  
im confused, but the vars defined in groups\_vars not defined in inventary.  
also chanche hash\_behaviour=replace and tru the same error.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aidewuado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@aidewuado](https://forum.ansible.com/u/aidewuado)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/groups-vars-not-working-inventory/29284/8 "2019-02-11T13:22:13Z")

</div>

The problem is solved.  
The problem is in my ansible y have upgrade version and work!!!