# List in inventory file variables ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [February 26, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/list-in-inventory-file-variables/17627 "2015-02-26T12:08:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Florent\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Florent\_B](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Florent_B)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/list-in-inventory-file-variables/17627/1 "2015-02-26T12:08:53Z")
Hi, I would like to write a complex variable (list) for each host in my inventory file. I know it’s not a best practice, but I cannot write a vars file per host (constrained by project). So I tried something like this : [my-hosts] 192.168.0.161 pub=[{ip:‘192.168.0.162’,proto:‘tcp’},{ip:‘192.168.0.163’,proto:‘tcp’}] But it does not seem to work, I cannot use it in with\_indexed\_items for example. Variable seems to be treated as a string. It returns “with\_indexed\_items expects a list”. How can I do ? I use Ansible 1.8.4 Thank you a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Serge\_van\_Ginderacht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@Serge\_van\_Ginderacht](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Serge_van_Ginderacht)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 12:14pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/list-in-inventory-file-variables/17627/2 "2015-02-26T12:14:58Z")
​Don't define complex vars in the ini hosts file, use group/host\_vars file​ or playbook vars for that. ---
**Author:** ![Tomasz\_Kontusz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tomasz\_Kontusz](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Tomasz_Kontusz)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 8:20am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/list-in-inventory-file-variables/17627/3 "2015-02-27T08:20:01Z")
If you have to generate exactly one file, you can try creating a dynamic inventory Florent B [florent@coppint.com](mailto:florent@coppint.com) napisał: