There are a few different ways to invoke one or more roles in a playbook.

• roles
• import_playbook (this article)
• import_role
• include_role
• include_tasks
• import_tasks

Let's say you have the following structure.

├── /usr/local
│   ├── main.yml
│   ├── roles
│   │   ├── foo
│   │   ├── ├── tasks
│   │   ├── ├── ├── main.yml
│   │   ├── bar
│   │   ├── ├── tasks
│   │   ├── ├── ├── main.yml

IMPORTANT - import_playbook cannot be used in the tasks plugin

For example, this would not work. If you want to include the tasks in a playbook during tasks execution, the include_role module or include_tasks module can be used instead.

---
- hosts: all
  tasks:
    import_playbook: foo.yml
...

Here is how you could import the foo.yml playbook, then run some tasks, and then import the bar.yml playbook.

---
- hosts: all

- name: import 'foo.yml'
  import_playbook: foo.yml

  tasks:
  - file:
      path: /tmp/foo.txt
      state: touch

- name: import 'bar.yml'
  import_playbook: bar.yml
...

IMPORTANT - The when parameter cannot be used with import_playbook.

Attempting to use the when parameter, like this, would return a fatal error. For this reason, the include_role module or include_tasks module can be used instead, as the when parameter can be used with these modules.

--- hosts: all
- import_playbook: foo.yml
  when: foo == bar
...