lineinfile with backrefs and create: yes is failing with path does not exist

[Joanna Delaporte]

Is this expected behaviour? I am trying to change a line in a file if it is already present, or create the file if it isn't:

- name: set ypserver to localhost
  lineinfile:
    dest: /etc/yp.conf
    create: yes
    state: present
    backup: yes
    backrefs: yes
    regexp: "^ypserver .*"
    line: "ypserver 127.0.0.1"
  notify: restart ypservices

 

But I keep getting this error:

TASK [nismaster : set ypserver to localhost] ***********************************
fatal: [octans]: FAILED! => {"changed": false, "failed": true, "msg": "path /etc/yp.conf does not exist", "path": "/etc/yp.conf", "state": "absent"}

[Kai Stian Olstad]

I guess it because of backrefs=yes.
The documentation says this about backrefs,
"... and if the `regexp' doesn't match anywhere in the file, the file
will be left unchanged."

So if the file doesn't exist regexp will not match and it will not do
anything.

Since you are not using backrefs just remove the line since the default
is no.

--
Kai Stian Olstad