# how to prompt user for hostname to deploy playbook to? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [November 27, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-prompt-user-for-hostname-to-deploy-playbook-to/29130 "2018-11-27T19:26:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuyen\_Nguyen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@Tuyen\_Nguyen](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Tuyen_Nguyen)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-prompt-user-for-hostname-to-deploy-playbook-to/29130/1 "2018-11-27T19:26:16Z")
Hi Can we run a playbook and have it prompt the user for the hostname to deploy the playbook tasks to? This is what I have tried in my playbook. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Harmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@John\_Harmon](https://forum.ansible.com/u/John_Harmon)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-prompt-user-for-hostname-to-deploy-playbook-to/29130/2 "2018-11-27T21:57:26Z")
I don’t know if this will help, but I never prompt for a host, and never define one in my playbooks with anything other than a variable: ie. ` ---
**Author:** ![John\_Harmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@John\_Harmon](https://forum.ansible.com/u/John_Harmon)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2018, 10:02pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-prompt-user-for-hostname-to-deploy-playbook-to/29130/3 "2018-11-27T22:02:57Z")
I believe your problem is that you are specifying hosts twice. The following works for me (gather facts is enabled for this example (to check ansible\_fqdn), but wouldn’t be necessary for this to work): ` ---
**Author:** ![Tuyen\_Nguyen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@Tuyen\_Nguyen](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Tuyen_Nguyen)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-prompt-user-for-hostname-to-deploy-playbook-to/29130/4 "2018-12-05T15:24:24Z")
Hi sorry for late response. Actually, I have found a way that works for me, and I hope can help others looking for the same thing. I found this solution elsewhere on the Internet as well. Basically, it seems hosts cannot take in a variable that is just defined, so the way around this is to have hosts reference a dynamic group, and then have the inputted hostname be added to the group via the add\_hosts task ---
**Author:** ![a.srini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/958977/32.png) [@a.srini](https://forum.ansible.com/u/a.srini)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:24am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-prompt-user-for-hostname-to-deploy-playbook-to/29130/5 "2018-12-06T05:24:44Z")
I am trying to pass 2 switch IP’s to get the available ports on both the switches. When I am trying to pass one switch IP, It is executing fine. When i am trying to pass 2 IP’s separating by split “SPACE” it is only executing on First switch IP.But not taking the second IP. Please see execution output and respective playbook ```auto --- - hosts: localhost gather_facts: False vars_prompt: - name: ip_addr prompt: Please enter the switch name private: no vars_files: - ../vars/password.yml tasks: - add_host: name : "{{ item }}" groups: dynamically_created_hosts with_items: "{{ip_addr.split(' ')}}" - name: display all available ports display_available_ports: switch_ip: "{{ip_addr}}" user: "{{user}}" password: "{{password}}" vfid: -1 register: result - debug: var=result [root@san1 working]# ansible-playbook port_available_test.yml Please enter the switch name: 17.16.15.16 PLAY [localhost] ******************************************************************************************************************************************** TASK [add_host] ********************************************************************************************************************************************* changed: [localhost] => (item=17.16.15.16) TASK [display all available ports] ************************************************************************************************************************** ok: [localhost] TASK [debug] ************************************************************************************************************************************************ ok: [localhost] => { "result": { "available_ports": [ { "name": "0/1", "port-type": "F_PORT" }, { "name": "0/2", "port-type": "F_PORT" } ], "changed": false, "failed": false } } PLAY RECAP ************************************************************************************************************************************************** localhost : ok=3 changed=1 unreachable=0 failed=0 [root@san1 working]# ansible-playbook port_available_test.yml Please enter the switch name: 17.16.15.16 17.16.15.17 PLAY [localhost] ******************************************************************************************************************************************** TASK [add_host] ********************************************************************************************************************************************* changed: [localhost] => (item=17.16.15.16) changed: [localhost] => (item=17.16.15.17) TASK [display all available ports] ************************************************************************************************************************** ok: [localhost] TASK [debug] ************************************************************************************************************************************************ ok: [localhost] => { "result": { "available_ports": [ { "name": "0/1", "port-type": "F_PORT" }, { "name": "0/2", "port-type": "F_PORT" } ], "changed": false, "failed": false } } PLAY RECAP ************************************************************************************************************************************************** localhost : ok=3 changed=1 unreachable=0 failed=0 ```