# How to import/load env/ini file that is located in file on the Remote/Target server? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [January 10, 2019, 5:00pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-import-load-env-ini-file-that-is-located-in-file-on-the-remote-target-server/29416 "2019-01-10T17:00:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chaz\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Chaz\_E](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chaz_E)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 5:00pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-import-load-env-ini-file-that-is-located-in-file-on-the-remote-target-server/29416/1 "2019-01-10T17:00:25Z")
QUESTION: How can we load or import an env/ini file that is located in a file on the Remote/Target server? GOAL: We have an env/ini file on the remote/target server. We want to read in that file and use the values as variables for the tasks on that machine. ( FYI: Our process does not allow for saving these variables in the Inventory - even though that would be nice. ) Here is an example of what our ini/env file looks like: Path: /devops/properties/Admin.properties username = FooAdmin password = bar123XYZ activate = no (Basically property format or ini format without any sections) ANSIBLE ENVIRONMENT: We are running playbook jobs from Ansible Tower 2.5.10 Remote / target machines have Ansible 2.4.2.0 & Python 2.7.5 ( FYI: We are probably 6months to 1 year away from updating to newer versions - even though that’d be nice too. ) Thanks in advance for any help. -Chaz ---
**Author:** ![Chaz\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Chaz\_E](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chaz_E)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-import-load-env-ini-file-that-is-located-in-file-on-the-remote-target-server/29416/2 "2019-01-10T19:10:30Z")
FYI: I have tried with\_ini – but it seems that maybe limited to the controlling/initiating server, and/or maybe the with\_ini loop feature is not available in Ansible 2.4 ---
**Author:** ![hugonz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/hugonz/32/503_2.png) [@hugonz](https://forum.ansible.com/u/hugonz)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 8:56pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-import-load-env-ini-file-that-is-located-in-file-on-the-remote-target-server/29416/3 "2019-01-10T20:56:20Z")
Hello Chaz, ---
**Author:** ![goforawalktwice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@goforawalktwice](https://forum.ansible.com/u/goforawalktwice)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 9:26pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-import-load-env-ini-file-that-is-located-in-file-on-the-remote-target-server/29416/4 "2019-01-10T21:26:28Z")
you could use fetch module first to get from remote to local, then use with\_ini But on the face of it it does look like a file that should be source controlled/with the ansible playbooks/roles etc ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/original/1X/1882d9a01da5d8996a862359b0913cc568a39b84.svg) [@system](https://forum.ansible.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-import-load-env-ini-file-that-is-located-in-file-on-the-remote-target-server/29416/5 "2019-01-11T21:52:07Z")
you can use fetch and make it a ‘local file’ or the slurp module, use a registered variable and a |base64decode filter on the content and then use another filter to parse the data into a usable structure ---
**Author:** ![Chaz\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Chaz\_E](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chaz_E)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-import-load-env-ini-file-that-is-located-in-file-on-the-remote-target-server/29416/6 "2019-01-14T17:02:20Z")
I like the idea of this suggestion. Is [local-facts-facts-d](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/user_guide/playbooks_variables.html#local-facts-facts-d) usable as Non-Root? Can facts be loaded from the user’s $HOME/.ansible/ , like $HOME/.ansible/facts.d or something like that? I see for windows there is fact\_path does that work for Linux? Regards, -Chaz ---
**Author:** ![hugonz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/hugonz/32/503_2.png) [@hugonz](https://forum.ansible.com/u/hugonz)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-import-load-env-ini-file-that-is-located-in-file-on-the-remote-target-server/29416/7 "2019-01-14T19:01:21Z")
Hi Chaz, ---
**Author:** ![Chaz\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Chaz\_E](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chaz_E)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 12:29am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-import-load-env-ini-file-that-is-located-in-file-on-the-remote-target-server/29416/8 "2019-02-02T00:29:49Z")
Hi Hugo, I like your suggestion – is so close – and pretty elegant. However - **/etc/ansible/facts.d** is owned by root. Even though the INI/Property file you loaded was not owned by root, Only root could have added \*\*/etc/ansible/facts.d/\*\ ***factfile.fact** Thanks for trying! Let me know if you find out something similar that a non-root user can setup and use. For now - I am brute forcing it. I have found that the fewest strokes to get it done is like this: shell: “cat myfile” register: capture\_myfile Then parse the capture and set\_facts. I tried slurp and fetch but they all ended up really ugly, and un-readable for the next guy. I am actually shocked that this is not a mainstream feature. Like sourcing in an ENV file in a script.