template module when dest is a directory

[Josh Smift]

If you use the template module and the dest parameter specifies a
directory, the module creates a file in the directory with the same name
as the value of the src parameter. However, if you then change the source
contents, and run ansible-playbook with --check --diff, it says that
there's a change but doesn't show the diff.

https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/template_module.html doesn't say that you
can specify a directory as the value of the dest parameter. Should that work?

If it should work to specify a directory, should 'diff' work as well?

I can create a bug report, but I wasn't sure what the intended/expected
behavior was.

-Josh (j...@care.com)

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[Dag Wieers]

On Tue, 9 May 2017, Josh Smift wrote:

> If you use the template module and the dest parameter specifies a
> directory, the module creates a file in the directory with the same name
> as the value of the src parameter. However, if you then change the source
> contents, and run ansible-playbook with --check --diff, it says that
> there's a change but doesn't show the diff.
>
> https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/template_module.html doesn't say that you
> can specify a directory as the value of the dest parameter. Should that work?
>
> If it should work to specify a directory, should 'diff' work as well?
>
> I can create a bug report, but I wasn't sure what the intended/expected
> behavior was.

That seems to be a bug.

Can you open a bug report with a minimal reproducer and the required
context-information ? If it is a bug, we need to improve our integration
tests to catch this one (before fixing ;-)).

Thanks !
--
Dag

[Josh Smift]

JBS> https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/template_module.html doesn't say
JBS> that you can specify a directory as the value of the dest parameter.
JBS> Should that work?
JBS>
JBS> If it should work to specify a directory, should 'diff' work as well?
JBS>
JBS> I can create a bug report, but I wasn't sure what the
JBS> intended/expected behavior was.

DW> That seems to be a bug.

Just to double-check: You think you should be able to specify a file as
the src parameter and a directory as the dest parameter (even though the
module docs don't say this), and that therefore diff should work? That
seems sensible to me, I just wanted to confirm before opening a bug about
something that isn't supposed to work. :^)

[Dag Wieers]

On Tue, 9 May 2017, Josh Smift wrote:

> JBS> https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/template_module.html doesn't say
> JBS> that you can specify a directory as the value of the dest parameter.
> JBS> Should that work?
> JBS>
> JBS> If it should work to specify a directory, should 'diff' work as well?
> JBS>
> JBS> I can create a bug report, but I wasn't sure what the
> JBS> intended/expected behavior was.
>
> DW> That seems to be a bug.
>
> Just to double-check: You think you should be able to specify a file as
> the src parameter and a directory as the dest parameter (even though the
> module docs don't say this), and that therefore diff should work? That
> seems sensible to me, I just wanted to confirm before opening a bug about
> something that isn't supposed to work. :^)

Yes, that ought to work.

--
Dag

[Josh Smift]

https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/24413 -- thanks!