# need help in checking if a variable string is in an item string **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [June 13, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/need-help-in-checking-if-a-variable-string-is-in-an-item-string/21757 "2016-06-13T17:50:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jyanga](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jyanga/32/8108_2.png) [@jyanga](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jyanga)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/need-help-in-checking-if-a-variable-string-is-in-an-item-string/21757/1 "2016-06-13T17:50:10Z")
Here is what I have. vars/main.yml host\_entries: - { srv\_loc: ‘ca’, ip\_addr: ‘10.1.1.1’, host\_aliases: ‘[ca-srv-01.example.com](http://ca-srv-01.example.com) ca-srv-01’ } - { srv\_loc: ‘ny’, ip\_addr: ‘10.2.1.1’, host\_aliases: ‘[ny-srv-01.example.com](http://ny-srv-01.example.com) ny-srv-01’ } - { srv\_loc: ‘co’, ip\_addr: ‘10.3.1.1’, host\_aliases: ‘[co-srv-01.example.com](http://co-srv-01.example.com) co-srv-01’ } tasks/main.yml ---
**Author:** ![jyanga](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jyanga/32/8108_2.png) [@jyanga](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jyanga)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 2:26pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/need-help-in-checking-if-a-variable-string-is-in-an-item-string/21757/2 "2016-06-14T14:26:22Z")
I apologize for not providing the info below. version: 2.0.2.0 event: skipping: [ca-server1] =\> (item={u’host\_aliases’: u’[ca-srv-01.example.com](http://ca-srv-01.example.com/) ca-srv-01’, u’ip\_addr’: u’10.1.1.1’, u’srv\_loc’: u’ca’}) =\> {“changed”: false, “item”: {“host\_aliases”: “[ca-srv-01.example.com](http://ca-srv-01.example.com/) ca-srv-01”, “ip\_addr”: “10.1.1.1”, “srv\_loc”: “ca”}, “skip\_reason”: “Conditional check failed”, “skipped”: true} Regards, j ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/need-help-in-checking-if-a-variable-string-is-in-an-item-string/21757/3 "2016-06-14T15:44:55Z")
> vars/main.yml > host\_entries: Here you have host\_entries >   - { srv\_loc: 'ca', ip\_addr: '10.1.1.1', host\_aliases: >   'ca-srv-01.example.com ca-srv-01' } >   - { srv\_loc: 'ny', ip\_addr: '10.2.1.1', host\_aliases: >   'ny-srv-01.example.com ny-srv-01' } >   - { srv\_loc: 'co', ip\_addr: '10.3.1.1', host\_aliases: >   'co-srv-01.example.com co-srv-01' } > > tasks/main.yml > --- > >   - name: checking location of server >     raw: 'echo "{{ ansible\_hostname }}" | cut -f1 -d"-"' >     register: actual\_loc > >   - name: adding entries in the hosts file >     lineinfile: >        backup: yes >        create: yes >        dest: /etc/hosts >        group: root >        line: "{{item.ip\_addr}} {{item.host\_aliases}}" >        mode: 0644 >        owner: root >        state: present >     when: ( actual\_loc.stdout\_lines == item.srv\_loc ) >     with\_items: "{{ hosts\_entries }}" But here you have hosts\_entries, so one of them is a typo. You could lose the raw by doing so in the when when: ansible\_hostname.split('-')[0] == item.srv\_loc ---
**Author:** ![jyanga](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jyanga/32/8108_2.png) [@jyanga](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jyanga)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/need-help-in-checking-if-a-variable-string-is-in-an-item-string/21757/4 "2016-06-14T17:53:45Z")
Thanks, Kai. You hit the nail on the head. If there is a doc on how to do this string manipulation, please share with me the URL. Regards, j ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/need-help-in-checking-if-a-variable-string-is-in-an-item-string/21757/5 "2016-06-14T20:09:52Z")
I have just picked it up, but I guess it's a Python string method [https://docs.python.org/2.7/library/stdtypes.html?highlight=split#str.split](https://docs.python.org/2.7/library/stdtypes.html?highlight=split#str.split) Maybe all the Python string methods work, hopefully someone else can shed some light on that. ---
**Author:** ![jyanga](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/jyanga/32/8108_2.png) [@jyanga](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jyanga)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 10:12pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/need-help-in-checking-if-a-variable-string-is-in-an-item-string/21757/6 "2016-06-14T22:12:11Z")
Kai, Thanks. You have been very helpful. Regards, j