Hello list,
I need to understand following variable precedence problem.
I have an inventory file with following group hierarchy:
`
inventory file
host1
host2
[group1]
host1
host2
[group11:children]
group1
[group12:children]
group1
`
In the group_var files of group group11 and group12, a variable var is defined with different value:
`
content of group_vars/group11
var: “group11”
`
`
`
content of group_vars/group12
var: “group12”
`
`
Furthermore, I have two playbooks that evaluate the variable var . One playbook is for the host group group11 and the second playbook is for group12
`
`
#content of playbook site-group11.yml
`
- hosts: group11
tasks:
- debug: var=var
`
#content of playbook site-group12.yml
`
- hosts: group12
tasks:
- debug: var=var
`
When I run both playbooks, I get the following output from both:
`
< TASK: debug var=var >
yes, it's a feature, not a bug 
Io just answered the same question on
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/10755, so copy pasting my answer:
This is a feature and not a bug, and has been asked several times yet here
and on the list. You are trying to use a way to define things that just
isn't the way ansible dpes things.
Ansible only uses variables on the host level. The inventory only returns
variables after they are calculated/inherited down top that host level.
When you target a play to a particular group, that gets calculated down to
a list of hosts. Whether you call groupA or groupB here, it results in the
same host. And that hosts only has one particular value for myvar, which
happens to be groupB because thats the last one bing parsed.
To quote the docs:
Remember: Child groups override parent groups, and hosts always override
their groups.
Serge
Serge, thanks for the fast clarification.