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Doc interplay between host_vars and group_vars dirs and inventory dirs #2386

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Doc interplay between host_vars and group_vars dirs and inventory dirs #2386

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c0faff2
Document interplay between host_vars and group_vars dirs and inventor…
kpinc Jan 31, 2025
5b257a4
Adjust based on Brian Coca's review
kpinc Feb 15, 2025
c35800b
Link to INVENTORY_IGNORE_PATTERNS and INVENTORY_IGNORE_EXTS
kpinc Feb 15, 2025
f7b7221
Better text linking to config settings controlling ignored inventory
kpinc Feb 16, 2025
b713f93
Use paragraphs to provide structure
kpinc Feb 16, 2025
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13 changes: 13 additions & 0 deletions docs/docsite/rst/inventory_guide/intro_inventory.rst
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Expand Up @@ -262,6 +262,11 @@ You can target this inventory directory as follows:

You can also configure the inventory directory in your ``ansible.cfg`` file. See :ref:`intro_configuration` for more details.

Inventory files are also read from the sub-directories of a specified
inventory directory, but sub-directories are not searched for
``host_vars`` or ``group_vars`` :ref:`directories
<splitting_out_vars>`. Sub-directories with these names are ignored.

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@bcoca bcoca Feb 12, 2025 •
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This is partially incorrect and due to not distinguishing what inventory sources are from what vars plugins provide.

All vars plugins (host_group_vars vars plugin governs the inclusion of host_vars/group_vars dirs) use the 'inventory source' as a base, when that is a directory the multiple files/subdirs do not count as independent inventory sources, just the original directory does.

Those directories (and vars_plugins and others from configuration INVENTORY_IGNORE_PATTERNS and INVENTORY_IGNORE_EXTS) are ignored if present, if not they would not have the same function you seem to expect. They would be processed at as part of an inventory source and they are probed as containing inventory files, but not vars files, which would end up either with warnings, errors or worse, creating unexpected hosts and groups depending on enabled inventory plugins.

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Thank you for your review. I've pushed a patch in response.

The new docs do not include mention of INVENTORY_IGNORE_PATTERS, etc. That seems overkill here.

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I added links to the ignore config settings, just to be through. Hopefully this is not confusing.

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I found so many things that needed updating in this page that i ended up creating my own PR #2416

Managing inventory load order
-----------------------------

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -494,6 +499,14 @@ For example, if you group hosts in your inventory by datacenter, and each datace
ntp_server: acme.example.org
database_server: storage.example.org

When inventory is :ref:`assembled from a directory
<inventory_directory>`, variables declared in ``host_vars`` or
``group_vars`` directories are only seen when these directories are in
a specified inventory directory. Although sub-directories of
specified inventory directories are searched for inventory files,
having ``host_vars`` or ``group_vars`` directories in the same
directory as an inventory file is not sufficient.

You can also create *directories* named after your groups or hosts. Ansible will read all the files in these directories in lexicographical order. An example with the 'raleigh' group:

.. code-block:: bash
Expand Down