# Issues generating dynamic host in Ansible loop. **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [September 24, 2019, 6:44am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/issues-generating-dynamic-host-in-ansible-loop/31345 "2019-09-24T06:44:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Easy\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Easy\_King](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Easy_King)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 6:44am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/issues-generating-dynamic-host-in-ansible-loop/31345/1 "2019-09-24T06:44:58Z")
I have an ansible play that fetches multiline data from the database and registers it a variable “command\_result” command\_result variable has has data like below. ` host6,host5\targ3 host4,host3\targ1 host1,host2,host5\targ2 … … ` I need to loop through each line of command\_result. Pick the host list for example host6,host5 and execute shell script using shell module by passing respective argument string i.e arg3. Likewise, the second shell script should run on host4 & host3 and pass arg1 to the shell script. The final shell script hould run on host1, host2 & host5 and pass arg2 to the shell script. ` - name: Add hosts add\_host: name: “{{ item.split(‘\t’)[0] }}” file\_dets: “{{ item.split(‘\t’)[1] }}” ansible\_host: localhost ansible\_connection: local groups: dest\_nodes with\_items: “{{ command\_result.stdout\_lines }}” - hosts: dest\_nodes gather\_facts: false tasks: - debug: msg: Run the shell script with the arguments `{{ file_dets }}` here" ` This works fine when there is a single host in item.split(‘\t’)[0] However, I do not know the approach when there are multiple hosts like host6,host5 for {{ item.split(‘\t’)[0] }} ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Visser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@Dick\_Visser](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Dick_Visser)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 6:58am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/issues-generating-dynamic-host-in-ansible-loop/31345/2 "2019-09-24T06:58:56Z")
Instead of using add\_host, use include\_tasks to include a second task file. In there, iterate over a “split by comma” list and adds hosts. This gives you the second level of iteration. Dick ---
**Author:** ![Easy\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Easy\_King](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Easy_King)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 8:20am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/issues-generating-dynamic-host-in-ansible-loop/31345/3 "2019-09-24T08:20:42Z")
@Dick; I need more help please. This is what I did but it is still failing. `- name: Add hosts` `include_tasks: "{{ playbook_dir }}/gethosts.yml"` `dest_ip: "{{ item.split('\t')[0] }}"` `groups: dest_nodes` `file_dets: "{{ item.split('\t')[1] }}"` `ansible_host: localhost` `ansible_connection: local` `with_items: "{{ command_result.stdout_lines }}"` And below is my get\_hosts.yml file `add_host:` `name: {{ item }}` `with_items: "{{ dest_ip.split(',') }}"` ---
**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:** [September 24, 2019, 8:31am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/issues-generating-dynamic-host-in-ansible-loop/31345/4 "2019-09-24T08:31:05Z")
Given the input is a list 'db\_lines' normalise the data first. For example the loop below   vars:     separator: '\t'     db\_lines:       - 'host6,host5\targ3'       - 'host4,host3\targ1'       - 'host1,host2,host5\targ2'   tasks:     - set\_fact:         my\_data: "{{ my\_data|default() +                      [{'host': item.split(separator)[0].split(','),                        'arg': item.split(separator)[1].split(',')}] }}"       loop: "{{ db\_lines }}" gives   my\_data:   - arg:     - arg3     host:     - host6     - host5   - arg:     - arg1     host:     - host4     - host3   - arg:     - arg2     host:     - host1     - host2     - host5 It should be trivial to use it in the loops. Cheers,   -vlado ---
**Author:** ![Easy\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Easy\_King](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Easy_King)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 9:21am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/issues-generating-dynamic-host-in-ansible-loop/31345/5 "2019-09-24T09:21:40Z")
The input data is not a fixed list but can be any number of lines returned by the database and registered by variable “command\_result” as below": ` - name: “Play 1” hosts: localhost tasks: - name: “Search DB” command: \> mysql --user=root --password=p@ssword deployment –host=localhost -Ns -e “SELECT dest\_ip,file\_dets FROM deploy\_dets WHERE num LIKE ‘{{ CR\_Number }}’” register: command\_result ` Kindly suggest. ---
**Author:** ![Easy\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Easy\_King](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Easy_King)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:02am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/issues-generating-dynamic-host-in-ansible-loop/31345/6 "2019-09-24T10:02:14Z")
Can you suggest what is the issue with this code ? `- name: Add hosts` `include_tasks: "{{ playbook_dir }}/gethosts.yml"` `dest_ip: "{{ item.split('\t')[0] }}"` `groups: dest_nodes` `file_dets: "{{ item.split('\t')[1] }}"` `ansible_host: localhost` `ansible_connection: local` `with_items: "{{ command_result.stdout_lines }}"` And below is my get\_hosts.yml file `add_host:` `name: "{{ item }}"` `with_items: "{{ dest_ip.split(',') }}"`