# Pull of List in a Variable File as Extra-Vars **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [August 3, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943 "2022-08-03T21:02:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Poseidon\_Olympian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@Poseidon\_Olympian](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Poseidon_Olympian)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/1 "2022-08-03T21:02:16Z")
Hello Team, Can I ask some help on how to pull items as Extra-Vars? So, here is the scenario. **dirname.yml** dir\_list: - hello - goodbye - take-care **patch\_file.yml** patch\_lib: - lib\_1 - lib\_2 **general\_var.yml** main\_dir: “{{ app\_name }}-{{ ansible\_hostname }}-{{ ver }}” **main\_playbook.yml** - name: Test Playbook Script for Debug hosts: all vars\_files: - general\_var.yml - dirname.yml - patch\_file.yml tasks: - name: Copy | All Mule v392 Patch to LIB-User Directory for “{{Application\_Runtime | upper}}” Runtime copy: src: “/user/lib/{{ item .0 }}” dest: “/home/{{ item.1 }}/lib/user/” mode: 0644 with\_nested: - “{{ patch\_lib }}” - “{{ main\_dir }}” And here’s my playbook script that doesn’t work. **ansible-playbook main\_playbook.yml --limit [awssandbox001.us.com](http://awssandbox001.us.com) -e “app\_name= dir\_list”** The idea, it should be able to copy the list of ' **patch\_lib**" into each “ **main\_dir** ”. dest: /home/hello-awssandbox001.us.com-123/lib/user /home/goodbye-awssandbox001.us.com-123/lib/user /home/take-care-awssandbox001.us.com-123/lib/user Look forward for anybody that can able to help. Thanks… WP ---
**Author:** ![Walter\_Rowe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/walter_rowe/32/4506_2.png) [@Walter\_Rowe](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Walter_Rowe)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 1:11pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/2 "2022-08-04T13:11:49Z")
Are you getting an error? Can we see it? ---
**Author:** ![Poseidon\_Olympian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@Poseidon\_Olympian](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Poseidon_Olympian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/3 "2022-08-04T14:09:44Z")
Yeah, I forgot to mention the result. Basically, there was no error but instead it creates a new directory from the value of ‘app\_name’ rather than the item list of the dir\_list. **Result:** /home/ **dir\_list** -awssandbox001.us.com-123/lib/user **Expected:** - /home/ **hello** -awssandbox001.us.com-123/lib/user - /home/ **goodbye** -awssandbox001.us.com-123/lib/user - /home/ **take-care** -awssandbox001.us.com-123/lib/user Appreciated. Thanks, WP ---
**Author:** ![Walter\_Rowe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/walter_rowe/32/4506_2.png) [@Walter\_Rowe](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Walter_Rowe)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/4 "2022-08-04T15:53:41Z")
See if this does what you want … - name: Test Playbook Script for Debug hosts: localhost vars\_files: - general\_var.yml - dirname.yml - patch\_file.yml tasks: - name: Copy | All Mule v392 Patch to LIB-User Directory for “{{Application\_Runtime | upper}}” Runtime copy: src: “/user/lib/{{ item .0 }}” **dest: “/home/{{ item.1 }}-{{ ansible\_hostname }}-{{ ver }}/lib/user/”** mode: 0644 with\_nested: - “{{ patch\_lib }}” **- “{{ dir\_list }}”** ---
**Author:** ![Poseidon\_Olympian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@Poseidon\_Olympian](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Poseidon_Olympian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 4:52pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/5 "2022-08-04T16:52:07Z")
Thank You, Walter. It does work as expected however, I do have couple of variables inside the dirname.yml and different directories inside of the home path. The idea, I don’t want to run the copy module (etc) in one execution but instead putting them in a group or set. Another purpose, I don’t want them to restart them at the same time wherein it will be on schedule on when it will happen. **dirname.yml** dir\_list: - hello - goodbye - take-care **another\_list:** - say - tell - make **exam\_list:** - etc - other **Home Directory** - /home/hello-awssandbox001.us.com-123 - /home/goodbye-awssandbox001.us.com-123 - /home/takecare-awssandbox001.us.com-123 - /home/say-awssandbox001.us.com-123 - /home/tell-awssandbox001.us.com-123 - /home/make-awssandbox001.us.com-123 - /home/etc-awssandbox001.us.com-123 - /home/other-awssandbox001.us.com-123 Appreciated and thanks… WP ---
**Author:** ![Walter\_Rowe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/walter_rowe/32/4506_2.png) [@Walter\_Rowe](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Walter_Rowe)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/6 "2022-08-04T17:06:16Z")
You can group your inventory and provide the group name to the execution and it will only run on that group. $ ansible-playbook --inventory _my\_inventory\_file_ --limit _group\_name_ … rest of your command … The “ **hosts: all** ” in your playbook will be limited to the group from your inventory that you specify on the command line. Walter ---
**Author:** ![Poseidon\_Olympian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@Poseidon\_Olympian](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Poseidon_Olympian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 5:35pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/7 "2022-08-04T17:35:37Z")
Hello, I have tried something like this one… Btw, I’ve been using group\_vars already for my other variables. **dir tree:** - inventory - inv\_test\_01 (file) - group\_vars (dir) - awssbx (file) **inv\_test\_01 (file)** [awssbx] [awssandbox001.us.com](http://awssandbox001.us.com) [awsdev] awsdev001 awsdev002 **awssbx (file)** dir\_list: - hello - goodbye - take-care **Command:** _$ ansible-playbook --inventory **inv\_test\_01** --limit **awssbx** … rest of the command …_ **-e “app\_name= dir\_list”** or even without the -inventory also doesn’t work. It is still creating folder of the ‘ **dir\_list** ’. Thank you and appreciated… WP ---
**Author:** ![Walter\_Rowe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/walter_rowe/32/4506_2.png) [@Walter\_Rowe](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Walter_Rowe)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/8 "2022-08-04T18:11:35Z")
Are you thinking there is different “dir\_list” for each group? –limit awssxb would also need an awssbx vars file that has one list of values for dir\_list –limt awssbx2 would also need an awssbx2 vars file that has a different list of values for dir\_list? In your playbook you can reference vars file by variable names, so you could use the group name vars\_files: - general\_var.yml **- “{{ ansible\_limit }}.yml”** - patch\_file.yml ---
**Author:** ![Walter\_Rowe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/walter_rowe/32/4506_2.png) [@Walter\_Rowe](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Walter_Rowe)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/9 "2022-08-04T18:14:51Z")
[https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/reference\_appendices/special\_variables.html](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/reference_appendices/special_variables.html) Look for ansible\_limit … ---
**Author:** ![Poseidon\_Olympian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@Poseidon\_Olympian](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Poseidon_Olympian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 9:17pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/10 "2022-08-04T21:17:39Z")
Thank you Walter… Honestly, I have no idea and trying to understand and learning it now. I’ll get back once I have tried again. Thank you and appreciated… WP ---
**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:** [August 5, 2022, 12:35am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/11 "2022-08-05T00:35:13Z")
> \> \*general\_var.yml\* > \> main\_dir: "{{ app\_name }}-{{ ansible\_hostname }}-{{ ver }}" Use \*vars\* lookup plugin to indirectly reference the value of the variable stored in \*app\_name\*. Then use filter \*product\* to create the combinations. For example, given \* the extra variable '-e app\_name=dir\_list' \* the variable \*dir\_list\*   \> cat dirname.yml   dir\_list:     - hello     - goodbye     - take-care \* the inventory   \> cat hosts   host01 ansible\_hostname=01.us.com \* the variable 'ver=123' The variable \*main\_dir\*   \> cat general\_var.yml   main\_dir: "{{ lookup('vars', app\_name)|                 product([ansible\_hostname])|                 product([ver])|                 map('flatten')|                 map('join','-')|list }}" gives the list you want (simplified)   main\_dir:     - hello-01.us.com-123     - goodbye-01.us.com-123     - take-care-01.us.com-123 Test the iteration     - debug:         msg: "copy {{ item.0 }} to {{ item.1 }}"       with\_nested:         - "{{ patch\_lib }}"         - "{{ main\_dir }}" gives (abridged)   msg: copy lib\_1 to hello-01.us.com-123   msg: copy lib\_1 to goodbye-01.us.com-123   msg: copy lib\_1 to take-care-01.us.com-123   msg: copy lib\_2 to hello-01.us.com-123   msg: copy lib\_2 to goodbye-01.us.com-123   msg: copy lib\_2 to take-care-01.us.com-123 Fit the details to your needs. ---
**Author:** ![Poseidon\_Olympian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@Poseidon\_Olympian](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Poseidon_Olympian)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/pull-of-list-in-a-variable-file-as-extra-vars/36943/12 "2022-08-05T16:58:58Z")
Hello Vladimir, It does works successfully. Many thanks and highly appreciated. This thread is RESOLVED. Thanks… WP