# Loop over facts in playbook **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Tags:** vmware\ **Created:** [March 24, 2015, 10:23am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/loop-over-facts-in-playbook/17826 "2015-03-24T10:23:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Edgars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Edgars](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Edgars)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:23am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/loop-over-facts-in-playbook/17826/1 "2015-03-24T10:23:41Z")
Hi I have some troubles to understand how to loop over facts in playbook. Suppose I have the following: `ansible node01 -m setup -a 'filter=ansible_devices' SSH password: SU password[defaults to SSH password]: node01 | success >> { "ansible_facts": { "ansible_devices": { "sda": { "holders": [], "host": "Serial Attached SCSI controller: VMware PVSCSI SCSI Controller (rev 02)", "model": "Virtual disk", "partitions": { "sda1": { "sectors": "204800", "sectorsize": 512, "size": "100.00 MB", "start": "2048" }, "sda2": { "sectors": "104650752", "sectorsize": 512, "size": "49.90 GB", "start": "206848" } }, "removable": "0", "rotational": "1", "scheduler_mode": "noop", "sectors": "104857600", "sectorsize": "512", "size": "50.00 GB", "support_discard": "0", "vendor": "VMware" }, "sdb": { "holders": [], "host": "Serial Attached SCSI controller: VMware PVSCSI SCSI Controller (rev 02)", "model": "Virtual disk", "partitions": { "sdb1": { "sectors": "10469376", "sectorsize": 512, "size": "4.99 GB", "start": "16384" } }, "removable": "0", "rotational": "1", "scheduler_mode": "noop", "sectors": "10485760", "sectorsize": "512", "size": "5.00 GB", "support_discard": "0", "vendor": "VMware" }, "sdc": { "holders": [], "host": "Serial Attached SCSI controller: VMware PVSCSI SCSI Controller (rev 02)", "model": "Virtual disk", "partitions": {}, "removable": "0", "rotational": "1", "scheduler_mode": "noop", "sectors": "14680064", "sectorsize": "512", "size": "7.00 GB", "support_discard": "0", "vendor": "VMware" } } }, "changed": false }` So there are 3 disks: sda, sdb and sdc. Two of them has partitions, one does not. So I want to loop over all disks and check which disk have partitions and which does not have and then do something about it. I know I can do something like this: `{{ ansible_devices['sda']['partitions'] }}` But when I will run this playbook I will not know neither disk labels nor number of disks. Any ideas? Thanks Edgars ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Davila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jonathan\_Davila](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jonathan_Davila)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/loop-over-facts-in-playbook/17826/2 "2015-03-24T13:37:34Z")
Hi Edgars, You want to use ansible’s with\_dict method of looping. Here is an example of looping through that dict and then a sample conditional for it as well ` # This is the sample with\_dict loop - debug: msg=“The device {{ item.key }} with these partitions {{ item.value.partitions }}” with\_dict: ansible\_devices # This msg will only be printed on the condition that a device has no partitions - debug: msg=“The device {{ item.key }} has no partitions” with\_dict: ansible\_devices when: not item.value.partitions ` Hopefully that helps you out. ---
**Author:** ![Edgars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Edgars](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Edgars)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/loop-over-facts-in-playbook/17826/3 "2015-03-24T15:23:31Z")
Great!! Thanks a lot! Edgars otrdiena, 2015. gada 24. marts 14:37:34 UTC+1, Jonathan Davila rakstīja: ---
**Author:** ![DS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71e660/32.png) [@DS1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/DS1)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/loop-over-facts-in-playbook/17826/4 "2015-11-14T22:30:17Z")
Hey Guys, I have the exact same issue where I need to find the drive that does not have any partitions on it. so I have the exact same output from ansible\_devices but I can’t figure out how I load the output into ansible so I can run the filter on it basically i need an output like /dev/sdb or /dev/sdb or whatever the actual device name is that does not have partitions on it so I can then use that value in a subsequent - command: /usr/sbin//fdisk -l for example - command: /usr/sbin/fdisk -l /dev/sdb any help will be much appreciated Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Davila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jonathan\_Davila](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jonathan_Davila)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/loop-over-facts-in-playbook/17826/5 "2015-11-16T15:34:32Z")
DS, Try this. This simple example will print the device name whenever the device has no partitions ` - name: Loop facts hosts: localhost connection: local tasks: - name: looping debug: msg: “{{ item.key }}” when: “not {{ item.value.partitions }}” with\_dict: ansible\_devices ` ---
**Author:** ![DS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71e660/32.png) [@DS1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/DS1)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 4:40pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/loop-over-facts-in-playbook/17826/6 "2015-11-16T16:40:29Z")
Hey Jonathan, Thanks for this. I’ve figured it out using the previous examples and some more googleing 🙂 I got it to execute a shell command which i what I needed it to do: - shell: pvcreate /dev/“{{ item.key }}” with\_dict: ansible\_devices when: not item.value.partitions and item.key != “sr0” and item.key != “fd0” Thanks again