Create an empty file - Ansible module file
How to create an empty ~/example.txt file or update the time of an already create file.
How to create an empty file with Ansible?
I'm going to show you a live Playbook and some simple Ansible code.
I'm Luca Berton and welcome to today's episode of Ansible Pilot
Ansible create an empty file
Today we're talking about the Ansible module file.
The full name is ansible.builtin.file, which means that is part of the collection of modules "builtin" with ansible and shipped with it.
It's a module pretty stable and out for years.
It works in a different variety of operating systems.
It manages files and file properties.
For Windows targets, use the ansible.windows.win_file module instead.
Main Parameters
- path string (dest, name) - file path
- state string - file/absent/directory/hard/link/touch
This module has some parameters to perform any tasks.
The only required is "path", where you specify the filesystem path of the file you're going to edit.
The state defines the type of object we are modifying, the default is "file" but for our use case, we need the "touch" option.
## Playbook
Let's jump into a real-life playbook on how to create an empty file with Ansible.
- file.yml
``yaml
---
- name: file module demo
hosts: all
vars:
myfile: "~/example.txt"
tasks:
- name: Creating an empty file
ansible.builtin.file:
path: "{{ myfile }}"
state: touch
``
[code with ❤️ in GitHub](https://github.com/lucab85/ansible-pilot/tree/master/create%20file)
Conclusion
Now you know how to create an empty file or update access time with Ansible.