# How to split string twice in ansible playbook hosts section. **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [December 27, 2022, 2:04pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-split-string-twice-in-ansible-playbook-hosts-section/37499 "2022-12-27T14:04:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Know\_Your\_Tech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@Know\_Your\_Tech](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Know_Your_Tech)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2022, 2:04pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-split-string-twice-in-ansible-playbook-hosts-section/37499/1 "2022-12-27T14:04:39Z")
Below is how i call my ansible-playbook and pass application names as parameters APP1 & APP2 ansible-playbook -i /web/aes/admin/playbooks/updated.hosts /web/aes/admin/playbooks/split.yml -e ENV=qa -e NODE=cluster -e instance\_name=APP1,APP2 Playbook: ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Megginson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/richard_megginson/32/4540_2.png) [@Richard\_Megginson](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Richard_Megginson)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2022, 4:47pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-split-string-twice-in-ansible-playbook-hosts-section/37499/2 "2022-12-27T16:47:57Z")
`split` is not an ansible filter - you cannot use it like `| split(something)` - you have to use as a string method which is why `instance_name.split(',')` works ---
**Author:** ![Know\_Your\_Tech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@Know\_Your\_Tech](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Know_Your_Tech)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2022, 4:49pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-split-string-twice-in-ansible-playbook-hosts-section/37499/3 "2022-12-27T16:49:45Z")
Thanks, Richard, but I was looking for a specific solution which seems to be tricky. ---
**Author:** ![vbotka](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/vbotka/32/359_2.png) [@vbotka](https://forum.ansible.com/u/vbotka)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2022, 6:24pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-split-string-twice-in-ansible-playbook-hosts-section/37499/4 "2022-12-27T18:24:59Z")
Wrong. The filter \*split\* is available since 2.11. See [https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbook\_guide/playbooks\_filters.html#manipulating-strings](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbook_guide/playbooks_filters.html#manipulating-strings) ---
**Author:** ![vbotka](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/vbotka/32/359_2.png) [@vbotka](https://forum.ansible.com/u/vbotka)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2022, 3:19am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-split-string-twice-in-ansible-playbook-hosts-section/37499/5 "2022-12-28T03:19:26Z")
> \> > \> ansible-playbook -i /web/aes/admin/playbooks/updated.hosts > \> /web/aes/admin/playbooks/split.yml -e ENV=qa -e NODE=cluster -e > \> instance\_name=APP1,APP2 > \> > \> Playbook: > \> > \> --- > \> - hosts: "{{ [ENV] | product(instance\_name.split(',')) | product([NODE]) | > \> product(['wladmin\_mmsplit'])|map('flatten')|map('join', '\_') }}" Put the logic into the inventory plugin \*constructed\*. See > ansible-doc -t inventory ansible.builtin.constructed In the example below, I'll use another inventory plugin \*generator\* which you don't need because you obviously have another source of the inventory. When you try the code below in your environment use this source instead of 02-generator.yml. See > ansible-doc -t inventory ansible.builtin.generator I've ignored the case of the parameters. 1) Create the inventory > tree inventory/ inventory/ ├── 01-hosts ├── 02-generator.yml └── 03-constructed.yml > cat inventory/01-hosts localhost > cat inventory/02-generator.yml plugin: ansible.builtin.generator hosts:   name: "{{ env }}\_{{ instance }}\_{{ node }}\_{{ ext }}" layers:   env:     - dev     - qa     - prod   instance:     - app1     - app2   node:     - cluster1     - cluster2   ext:     - wladmin\_mmsplit > cat inventory/03-constructed.yml plugin: ansible.builtin.constructed use\_extra\_vars: true compose:   layer\_env: ENV.split(',')   layer\_node: NODE.split(',')   layer\_instance: instance\_name.split(',') groups:   my\_group: inventory\_hostname.split('\_').0 in layer\_env and             inventory\_hostname.split('\_').1 in layer\_instance and             inventory\_hostname.split('\_').2 in layer\_node 2) Test inventory > ansible-inventory -i inventory --list --yaml all:   children:     ungrouped:       hosts:         dev\_app1\_cluster1\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         dev\_app1\_cluster2\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         dev\_app2\_cluster1\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         dev\_app2\_cluster2\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         localhost: {}         prod\_app1\_cluster1\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         prod\_app1\_cluster2\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         prod\_app2\_cluster1\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         prod\_app2\_cluster2\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         qa\_app1\_cluster1\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         qa\_app1\_cluster2\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         qa\_app2\_cluster1\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {}         qa\_app2\_cluster2\_wladmin\_mmsplit: {} 3) Test inventory group \*my\_group\* > ansible-inventory -i inventory --list --yaml -e ENV=qa -e NODE=cluster2 -e instance\_name=app1,app2 all:   children:     my\_group:       hosts:         qa\_app1\_cluster2\_wladmin\_mmsplit:           ENV: qa           NODE: cluster2           instance\_name: app1,app2           layer\_env:           - qa           layer\_instance:           - app1           - app2           layer\_node:           - cluster2         qa\_app2\_cluster2\_wladmin\_mmsplit:           ENV: qa           NODE: cluster2           instance\_name: app1,app2           layer\_env:           - qa           layer\_instance:           - app1           - app2           layer\_node:           - cluster2     ungrouped:       hosts:         dev\_app1\_cluster1\_wladmin\_mmsplit:     ... 4) Use \*my\_group\* in a playbook > cat pb.yml - hosts: my\_group   tasks:     - debug:         var: ansible\_play\_hosts\_all       run\_once: true > ansible-playbook -i inventory -e ENV=qa -e NODE=cluster2 -e instance\_name=app1,app2 pb.yml PLAY [my\_group]