# Variable set as null

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-set-as-null/27790>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [June 13, 2018, 10:29am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-set-as-null/27790 "2018-06-13T10:29:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chiku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chiku](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chiku)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 10:29am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-set-as-null/27790/1 "2018-06-13T10:29:52Z")

</div>

Hello,

I have this task:

- os\_security\_group\_rule:  
cloud: "{{ cloud }}"  
security\_group: "{{ item.name }}"  
protocol: "{{ item.protocol }}"  
port\_range\_min: "{{ item.port\_range\_min }}"  
port\_range\_max: "{{ item.port\_range\_max }}"  
remote\_ip\_prefix: "{{ item.remote\_ip\_prefix }}"  
with\_items: "{{ security\_groups }}"

The parameters port\_range\_min and port\_range\_max are optional  
If I set these variables as null, item displays as null but for invocation displays as empty string.  
How can I put these variables as null for invocation ?

failed: [localhost] (item={'protocol': 'icmp', 'port\_range\_min': None, 'port\_range\_max': None, 'name': 'icmp', 'remote\_ip\_prefix': '0.0.0.0/0'}) =\> {  
"changed": false,  
"invocation": {  
"module\_args": {  
"cloud": "toto",  
"direction": "ingress",  
"ethertype": "IPv4",  
"interface": "public",  
"port\_range\_max": "",  
"port\_range\_min": "",  
"protocol": "icmp",  
"remote\_ip\_prefix": "0.0.0.0/0",  
"security\_group": "icmp",  
"state": "present",  
"timeout": 180,  
"wait": true  
}  
},  
"item": {  
"name": "icmp",  
"port\_range\_max": null,  
"port\_range\_min": null,  
"protocol": "icmp",  
"remote\_ip\_prefix": "0.0.0.0/0"  
},  
"msg": "argument port\_range\_min is of type \<class 'str'\> and we were unable to convert to int: invalid literal for int() with base 10: ''"  
}

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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 13, 2018, 11:22am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/variable-set-as-null/27790/2 "2018-06-13T11:22:57Z")

</div>

[https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/user\_guide/playbooks\_filters.html#omitting-parameters](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/user_guide/playbooks_filters.html#omitting-parameters)