# How to use with\_items loop with vmware\_guest module **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [January 30, 2017, 10:48am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-use-with-items-loop-with-vmware-guest-module/23592 "2017-01-30T10:48:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Matti\_Rantakomi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Matti\_Rantakomi](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Matti_Rantakomi)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 10:48am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-use-with-items-loop-with-vmware-guest-module/23592/1 "2017-01-30T10:48:51Z")
Hello, I’m trying to create new VM using vmware\_guest module with multiple disks which details are defined in host\_vars file. Unfortunately I can’t get it working. Is it even possible to use with\_items with vmware\_guest module? I have tried the following: Disk definition in host\_vars: `vmware_guest_disks: disk1: size_gb: 20 datastore: datastore1 disk2: size_gb: 1 datastore: datastore1 disk3: size_gb: 2 datastore: datastore1` Task used to try to create new VM: ` - name: Create new VM vmware\_guest: hostname: 192.168.1.2 username: administrator@vsphere.local password: password datacenter: datacenter cluster: cluster name: guestname guest\_id: centos64guest template: templatename validate\_certs: no hardware: memory\_mb: 1024 num\_cpus: 1 customization: dns\_servers: - 8.8.8.8 - 8.8.4.4 hostname: guesthostname domain: guestdomain password: password networks: - vlan: 1 ip: 192.168.1.100 netmask: 255.255.255.0 gateway: 192.186.1.1 disk: - size\_gb: “{{ item.value.size\_gb }}” - datastore: “{{ item.value.datastore }}” with\_items: “{{ vmware\_guest\_disks | default({}) }}” register: deploy ` Tasks fails but if it had succeeded as I though it should have created new VM with disks which details have been taken from host\_vars (disks with sizes 20, 1 and 2 GB placed on datastore1). ---
**Author:** ![Stankovic\_Marko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Stankovic\_Marko](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Stankovic_Marko)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-use-with-items-loop-with-vmware-guest-module/23592/2 "2017-01-31T14:06:24Z")
Hi Matti, You've created a dictionary instead of a list. Check this document: [http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/YAMLSyntax.html](http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/YAMLSyntax.html) The proper use of "with\_items" needs a list like this: vmware\_guest\_disks:   - size\_gb: 20     datastore: datastore1   - size\_gb: 1     datastore: datastore1   - size\_gb: 2     datastore: datastore1 Note the dash and space per item. The indentation is important, too. Then you should access the items this way: {{ item.size\_gb }} and {{ item.datastore }}. No "value" part. Cheers, Marko ---
**Author:** ![Stankovic\_Marko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Stankovic\_Marko](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Stankovic_Marko)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 2:45pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-use-with-items-loop-with-vmware-guest-module/23592/3 "2017-01-31T14:45:40Z")
Now I realized that you probably wanted to use with\_dict instead of with\_items. In that case, you would need the "value" part: [http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/playbooks\_loops.html#looping-over-hashes](http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/playbooks_loops.html#looping-over-hashes) Cheers, Marko ---
**Author:** ![bstarandeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a4c791/32.png) [@bstarandeep](https://forum.ansible.com/u/bstarandeep)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-use-with-items-loop-with-vmware-guest-module/23592/4 "2018-06-02T18:34:33Z")
Hello Team, I am getting below error. I try to achieve the looping of VM name which is mentioned in the separate list. TASK [Clone a VM from Template and customize] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* fatal: [localhost → localhost]: FAILED! =\> {“changed”: false, “msg”: “Unsupported parameters for (vmware\_guest) module: with\_items Supported parameters include: annotation, cdrom, cluster, customization, customvalues, datacenter, disk, esxi\_hostname, folder, force, guest\_id, hardware, hostname, is\_template, linked\_clone, name, name\_match, networks, password, port, resource\_pool, snapshot\_src, state, template, username, uuid, validate\_certs, wait\_for\_ip\_address”} to retry, use: --limit @/etc/ansible/clone\_vm\_from\_template.retry My playbook details. - hosts: localhost connection: local become: true vars: # ansible\_python\_interpreter: /usr/local/bin/python2.7 ansible\_python\_interpreter: /usr/bin/python vmname\_list: /etc/ansible/vmlist tasks: - name: Clone a VM from Template and customize vmware\_guest: annotation: This is a test VM deployment from Ansible hostname: “abcl” username: password: validate\_certs: no folder: /vm datacenter: “” # cluster: “” esxi\_hostname: “” template: CentOS68-tmplt-01 state: poweredon name: “{{ vmname\_list }}” with\_items : “{{vmname\_list}}” disk: - size\_gb: 40 type: thin datastore: torsav\_esx\_ds209 hardware: memory\_mb: 4096 num\_cpus: 2 scsi: paravirtual networks: - name: app ip: 10.81.2.172 netmask: 255.255.255.0 gateway: 10.177.91.1 customization: #autologon: yes ---
**Author:** ![Alexsey\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Alexsey\_S](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Alexsey_S)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-use-with-items-loop-with-vmware-guest-module/23592/5 "2018-06-02T18:59:05Z")
In my experience you do not need with\_items here just create inventory file with multiple names and vms get created i.e.: name: “{{ inventory\_hostname }}” ---
**Author:** ![bstarandeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a4c791/32.png) [@bstarandeep](https://forum.ansible.com/u/bstarandeep)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-use-with-items-loop-with-vmware-guest-module/23592/6 "2018-06-02T19:37:56Z")
I used but still getting an error. state: poweredon name: “{{ inventory\_hostname }}” with\_items : “{{ inventory\_hostname }}” disk: - size\_gb: 40 type: thin datastore: torsav\_esx\_ds209 hardware: memory\_mb: 4096 num\_cpus: 2 scsi: paravirtual networks: - name: app TASK [Clone a VM from Template and customize] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* fatal: [localhost → localhost]: FAILED! =\> {“changed”: false, “msg”: “Unsupported parameters for (vmware\_guest) module: with\_items Supported parameters include: annotation, cdrom, cluster, customization, customvalues, datacenter, disk, esxi\_hostname, folder, force, guest\_id, hardware, hostname, is\_template, linked\_clone, name, name\_match, networks, password, port, resource\_pool, snapshot\_src, state, template, username, uuid, validate\_certs, wait\_for\_ip\_address”} to retry, use: --limit @/etc/ansible/clone\_vm\_from\_template.retry PLAY RECAP \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* localhost : ok=1 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=1 ---
**Author:** ![Alexsey\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Alexsey\_S](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Alexsey_S)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 9:19pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-use-with-items-loop-with-vmware-guest-module/23592/7 "2018-06-02T21:19:25Z")
remove with\_items line all together