# Initializing "List" with dynamic values through "with\_items" is not working .

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/initializing-list-with-dynamic-values-through-with-items-is-not-working/23387>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [January 5, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/initializing-list-with-dynamic-values-through-with-items-is-not-working/23387 "2017-01-05T12:34:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ritesh\_Sharma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Ritesh\_Sharma](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Ritesh_Sharma)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/initializing-list-with-dynamic-values-through-with-items-is-not-working/23387/1 "2017-01-05T12:34:28Z")

</div>

Hi Guys ,

i am attempting to initialise list (array) with set\_fact method with some dynamic values through with\_items ; but getting failure for same ; it seems like my list is acting as a normal variable and printing the last value assigned to it.

here’s the playbook for same .

```auto
---
- hosts: wallet
  tasks:
    - name: Verifying existence of stat directory
      file: path=/tmp/ansibleTest state=directory

    - name: Identify current logging directory 
      find: paths="/tmp/ansibleTest/perf_output" file_type="directory" age="-2m" recurse="yes" age_stamp="mtime"
      register: result

    - debug: var=result

    - set_fact: path="{{item.path}}"
      with_items: "{{result.files}}"   

```

```auto
   - debug: var=path 

```

```auto
path is acting as a normal variable and priniting last value assigned to it through - with_items: "{{result.files}}" ; I am expecting list of values contained by result.files[]

```

```auto
Kindly, reply what exactly i am doing incorrectly.

```

```auto

```

```auto
Kind Regards,

```

```auto
Ritesh .  

```

```auto

```

```auto
 

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Brian\_Coca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Brian\_Coca](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Brian_Coca)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/initializing-list-with-dynamic-values-through-with-items-is-not-working/23387/2 "2017-01-05T16:28:57Z")

</div>

In this case you are setting path to each item path on every loop, not appending as set\_fact is not capable of this.

What you want is a map:

set\_fact: path=“{{result.files|map(attribute=‘path’)|list)}”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ritesh\_Sharma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Ritesh\_Sharma](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Ritesh_Sharma)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/initializing-list-with-dynamic-values-through-with-items-is-not-working/23387/3 "2017-01-10T18:57:01Z")

</div>

Hey Brian ,

Thanks for help it worked like a charm ; now am trying to process these array elements with “dirname” filter in loop but unable to do so,

- set\_fact: path=“{{result.files|map(attribute=‘path’)|list)}”

- set\_fact: myvar=“{{ item | dirname }}”  
with\_item: “{{path}}”

- debug: var=myvar

“dirname” is working but only for the last element of array , kindly Help !!

P.S. : I am new to ansible , could you please share some links ,doc which can help me to get through such issues .

Kind Regards,

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Brian\_Coca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Brian\_Coca](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Brian_Coca)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/initializing-list-with-dynamic-values-through-with-items-is-not-working/23387/4 "2017-01-10T19:06:31Z")

</div>

Several issues, missing an S, also your indentation seems off.

with\_items: “{{path}}”

But also, set\_fact is overwriting myvar FOR each item, not creating a list, you want to use map again.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ritesh\_Sharma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Ritesh\_Sharma](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Ritesh_Sharma)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 7:17am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/initializing-list-with-dynamic-values-through-with-items-is-not-working/23387/5 "2017-01-12T07:17:09Z")

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Ok Thanks Brian .