# test host for group membership **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Tags:** ansible-project\ **Created:** [October 24, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/test-host-for-group-membership/12022 "2012-10-24T11:32:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/test-host-for-group-membership/12022/1 "2012-10-24T11:32:43Z")
Here's one way (assuming 0.8 syntax). Just have two short plays that talk to each group, and use the group-exclusion features. hosts: virt:!virt-managed tasks:     - template: ... hosts: virt-managed tasks:      - template: ... (Alternatively, create a group called virt-unmanaged, and make the group virt contain those other two groups as child groups) You can then, in other steps before or after, address the virt group as a whole. Playbooks can contain as many plays as you want so it's fine to use different hosts selectors. I think lots of people end up getting carried away with "only\_if" as a conditional check, and that's ok, but it's usually not neccessary. I'll leave it someone else to post the only\_if version 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 12:14pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/test-host-for-group-membership/12022/2 "2012-10-24T12:14:46Z")
Another method -- perhaps nicer, perhaps not, is to set a default variable for the "virt" group using a "group\_vars/virt" file in a location relative to the playbook. Set another variable in "group\_vars/virt\_managed". The more specific group will override the other. Let's say it was $filepath Then just do src=$filepath/foo.conf This allows for one playbook.