# What does the output from the dynamic inventory software look like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Tags:** aws\ **Created:** [June 9, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/what-does-the-output-from-the-dynamic-inventory-software-look-like/33130 "2020-06-09T20:20:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Martin\_Ward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@Martin\_Ward](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Martin_Ward)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/what-does-the-output-from-the-dynamic-inventory-software-look-like/33130/1 "2020-06-09T20:20:19Z")
Hi, I am running Ansible 2.9.7 and am looking at the dynamic inventory scripts. I don’t have any of the various software listed (AWS, OpenStack etc) in the examples section and I need something where I can automatically set the remote IP address at the time that the playbook is executed, ideally after prompting the user for this information. I have managed to craft together a simple Python script with hard-coded data (for test purposes) but I cannot fathom the output, other than it should be in JSON format. Nor can I find this documented anywhere. Does anyone have any ideas, suggestions or pointers? Failing that, can you suggest a way to do what I want, ask the user for the IP address of the remote server and also the software they want to install? (Yeah I know, two questions instead of one:-) ) ---
**Author:** ![sivel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/sivel/32/1198_2.png) [@sivel](https://forum.ansible.com/u/sivel)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/what-does-the-output-from-the-dynamic-inventory-software-look-like/33130/2 "2020-06-09T20:24:30Z")
This is largely documented at [https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/dev\_guide/developing\_inventory.html#developing-inventory-scripts](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/dev_guide/developing_inventory.html#developing-inventory-scripts) Additionally there is a JSON schema file describing the JSON data structure for inventory scripts located at [https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/devel/examples/inventory\_script\_schema.json](https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/devel/examples/inventory_script_schema.json) ---
**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:** [June 9, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/what-does-the-output-from-the-dynamic-inventory-software-look-like/33130/3 "2020-06-09T20:53:19Z")
> ... ideally after prompting the user for this information. > ... ask the user for the IP address of the remote server and also the > software they want to install? This is an example of the playbook you might be looking for, I think   - hosts: localhost     gather\_facts: false       vars\_prompt:       - name: "remote\_host"         prompt: "Enter FQDN or OP of the remote host"         private: no       - name: "pkg"         prompt: "Enter name of the package"         private: no     tasks:       - add\_host:           hostname: "{{ remote\_host }}"           groups: my\_group\_01           sw: "{{ pkg }}"   - hosts: my\_group\_01     tasks:       - debug:           msg: Install {{ sw }} on {{ inventory\_hostname }} gives   \> ansible-playbook pb.yml   Enter FQDN or OP of the remote host: test\_01   Enter name of the package: apache   PLAY [localhost] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   TASK [add\_host] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   changed: [localhost]   PLAY [my\_group\_01] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   TASK [Gathering Facts] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   ok: [test\_01]   TASK [debug] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   ok: [test\_01] =\> {       "msg": "Install apache on test\_01"   }   PLAY RECAP \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*   localhost: ok=1 changed=1 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0   ignored=0   test\_01 : ok=2 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0   ignored=0 ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Ward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@Martin\_Ward](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Martin_Ward)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 10:21am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/what-does-the-output-from-the-dynamic-inventory-software-look-like/33130/4 "2020-06-10T10:21:05Z")
Thanks Matt, that looks exactly like what I need. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Ward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@Martin\_Ward](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Martin_Ward)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2020, 10:48am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/what-does-the-output-from-the-dynamic-inventory-software-look-like/33130/5 "2020-06-10T10:48:16Z")
Thanks for the response Vladimir. I had actually found and tried using that code, it works fine for a single prompt but not for two, or at least not where there second input variable is used in a role name. I was after: ---
**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:** [June 10, 2020, 12:16pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/what-does-the-output-from-the-dynamic-inventory-software-look-like/33130/6 "2020-06-10T12:16:36Z")
> \> - hosts: localhost > \> tasks: > \> - add\_host: > \> hostname: "{{ remote\_host }}" > \> groups: my\_group\_01 > \> sw: "{{ pkg }}" > \> > \> - hosts: my\_group\_01 > \> tasks: > \> - debug: > \> msg: Install {{ sw }} on {{ inventory\_hostname }} > - hosts: localhost >   ... >   tasks: >     - name: Add remote host to new server list >       add\_host: >         name: "{{ remote\_host }}" >         groups: server\_list >             > - hosts: server\_list >   become: True >   roles: >   - role: common >   - role: "{{ pkg }}" > > but it fails with "ERROR! 'pkg' is undefined" In my example the variable "sw" in the "debug" task works because it was declared in the first play's task "add\_host". In your code the variable "pkg" is in the "hostvars" of localhost only. See "hostvars" [https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/user\_guide/playbooks\_variables.html#caching-facts](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/user_guide/playbooks_variables.html#caching-facts)