# Is it possible to use jinja withing Ansible playbook yml file

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/is-it-possible-to-use-jinja-withing-ansible-playbook-yml-file/32988>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [May 20, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/is-it-possible-to-use-jinja-withing-ansible-playbook-yml-file/32988 "2020-05-20T18:42:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Aidan\_Wong](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/aidan_wong/32/3345_2.png) [@Aidan\_Wong](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Aidan_Wong)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/is-it-possible-to-use-jinja-withing-ansible-playbook-yml-file/32988/1 "2020-05-20T18:42:20Z")

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Hi

Is it possible to write jinja “if” conditionals within a playbook like so? If not can someone suggest an alternative?

`

- name: Deploy the VMs without an anti-affinity group.  
cs\_instance:  
zone: “{{ cs\_zone }}”  
api\_region: “{{ cs\_api\_region | upper }}”  
display\_name: “{{ item.instance }}”  
name: “{{ item.instance | regex\_replace(‘\.’,‘-’) }}”  
project: “{{ cs\_network }}”  
networks: [“{{ cs\_network }}”]  
template: “{{ cs\_template }}”  
{% if item.cs\_instance is null %}  
service\_offering: “{{ cs\_template }}”  
{% else %}  
service\_offering: “{{ item.cs\_instance }}”  
{% endif %}  
state: "{{ cs\_state }}  
poll\_async: “yes”  
tags: “{{ final\_tags }}”  
user\_data: “{{ user\_data | string }}”  
delegate\_to: localhost  
loop: “{{ myvmsfqdn }}”  
when: cs\_anti\_affinity\_group is not defined and cs\_state == “started”

`

Thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sivel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/sivel/32/1198_2.png) [@sivel](https://forum.ansible.com/u/sivel)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/is-it-possible-to-use-jinja-withing-ansible-playbook-yml-file/32988/2 "2020-05-20T18:46:47Z")

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Not in that manner, you need to use a jinja within `service_offering` instead:

service\_offering: ‘{{ item.cs\_instance|default(cs\_template, true) }}’

That will use cs\_template if cs\_instance is undefined or falsy