Lineinfile - replacing regex instead of placing text after insertafter

[Listing]

Hi guys,

I have some problems with the lineinfile module. I try to add 'inserted_text' after '#insertbelow' when 'this' has been found in /etc/ansible/lineinfile/lol. This is my task:

---

- hosts: localhost

  tasks:

  - name: lol

    lineinfile:

      path: /etc/ansible/lineinfile/lol

      regexp: '^this'

      insertafter: '^#insertbelow'

      line: 'inserted_text'

This is the content of the lol file:

adsfsadfasdf

this

asdfasdf

#insertbelow

adfasdf

adsfa

When running the playbook, this is the result:

adsfsadfasdf

inserted_text

asdfasdf

#insertbelow

adfasdf

adsfa

When running the playbook again, this is the result:

adsfsadfasdf

inserted_text

asdfasdf

#insertbelow

inserted_text

adfasdf

adsfa

(and after running it again, it keeps adding after #insertbelow).

What the heck? It just replaced the regex text instead of placing it after #insertbelow. Am I doing something wrong?

[Kai Stian Olstad]

On 28. mai 2017 11:53, Listing wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> I have some problems with the lineinfile module. I try to add
> 'inserted_text' after '#insertbelow' when 'this' has been found in
> /etc/ansible/lineinfile/lol. This is my task:

That is not how lineinfile work.
It searches for a string, and replace it or add the line.

To do this you would need to combine find module to search for "this"
and then run lineinfile on the file.

--
Kai Stian Olstad

[Listing]

Hi Kai,

Thank you for your reply. But what is the difference then between regexp and insertafter etc? Is regexp always being replaced? Or what is exactly the logic?

[Kai Stian Olstad]

On 29.05.2017 16:26, Listing wrote:
> Hi Kai,
>
> Thank you for your reply. But what is the difference then between
> regexp
> and insertafter etc? Is regexp always being replaced? Or what is
> exactly
> the logic?

regexp: and insertafter: is separate features in lineinfile.

When lineinfile find the regexp in regexp: it replaces this line with
the string in line:
If it can't find the regexp in regexp: the sting in line: is append to
end of file(EOF).

When lineinfile find the regexp in insertafter: it add the string in
line: after this line, if it's not already exist.
If it can't find the regexp in insertafter: the string in line: is
append to end of file(EOF).

These two feature is not meant to be combine in one task, but used in
separate tasks.

--
Kai Stian Olstad

[Listing]

Very clear, thank you!

[Listing]

Hi Kai,

When looking in ansible-doc lineinfile, it does combine both regexp and insertafter in one task:

- lineinfile:

    path: /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

    regexp: '^Listen '

    insertafter: '^#Listen '

    line: 'Listen 8080

Is this an error in the docs or are we (I?) missing something?

[Kai Stian Olstad]

On 15.07.2017 17:19, Listing wrote:
> Hi Kai,
>
> When looking in ansible-doc lineinfile, it does combine both regexp and
> insertafter in one task:
>
> - lineinfile:
> path: /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
> regexp: '^Listen '
> insertafter: '^#Listen '
> line: 'Listen 8080
>
> Is this an error in the docs or are we (I?) missing something?

If you remove the regexp line it will work exactly the same.

--
Kai Stian Olstad