# blockinfile and lineinfile behaviour **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [March 9, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/blockinfile-and-lineinfile-behaviour/34755 "2021-03-09T21:44:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stu\_Lipshires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Stu\_Lipshires](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Stu_Lipshires)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/blockinfile-and-lineinfile-behaviour/34755/1 "2021-03-09T21:44:35Z")
I have a Host VM that I am using to launch the creation of multiple OpenShift Clusters. Every time I create a new cluster, I need to update the /etc/hosts and dnsmasq.conf files of this Host VM with the new cluster endpoints. I am using the following code block: - name: update hosts blockinfile: path: /etc/hosts block: | ${var.network\_lb\_ip\_address} api.${var.cluster\_id}.${var.base\_domain} ${var.network\_lb\_ip\_address} api-int.${var.cluster\_id}.${var.base\_domain} state: present - name: update dnsmasq lineinfile: path: /etc/dnsmasq.conf line: address=/.apps.${var.cluster\_id}.${var.base\_domain}/${var.network\_lb\_ip\_address} state: present What it is doing is instead of adding a new block when I create a new cluster with new ip’s and ranges, it simply replaces the existing block with the new info so I only ever have 1 cluster’s info. When the file started out there was no managed block. The first time I ran the script, it added the block . What I currently get after the 2nd run is # BEGIN ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK 172.16.0.20 [api.ocp2.cdastu.com](http://api.ocp2.cdastu.com) 172.16.0.20 [api-int.ocp2.cdastu.com](http://api-int.ocp2.cdastu.com) # END ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK What I would like after the 2nd run is : # BEGIN ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK 172.16.0.19 [api.ocp1.cdastu.com](http://api.ocp1.cdastu.com) 172.16.0.19 [api-int.ocp1.cdastu.com](http://api-int.ocp1.cdastu.com) 172.16.0.20 [api.ocp2.cdastu.com](http://api.ocp2.cdastu.com) 172.16.0.20 [api-int.ocp2.cdastu.com](http://api-int.ocp2.cdastu.com) # END ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK I also had the ever so slight idea that Ansible could delete the entries that it created when I delete the cluster. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![racke](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/racke/32/4767_2.png) [@racke](https://forum.ansible.com/u/racke)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:42am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/blockinfile-and-lineinfile-behaviour/34755/2 "2021-03-10T09:42:07Z")
> I have a Host VM that I am using to launch the creation of multiple OpenShift Clusters. Every time I create a new > cluster, I need to update the /etc/hosts and dnsmasq.conf files of this Host VM with the new cluster endpoints. > I am using the following code block: > - name: update hosts > blockinfile: > path: /etc/hosts > block: | > ${var.network\_lb\_ip\_address} api.${var.cluster\_id}.${var.base\_domain} > ${var.network\_lb\_ip\_address} api-int.${var.cluster\_id}.${var.base\_domain} > state: present > - name: update dnsmasq > lineinfile: > path: /etc/dnsmasq.conf > line: address=/.apps.${var.cluster\_id}.${var.base\_domain}/${var.network\_lb\_ip\_address} > state: present > > What it is doing is instead of adding a new block when I create a new cluster with new ip's and ranges, it simply > replaces the existing block with the new info so I only ever have 1 cluster's info. When the file started out there was > no managed block. The first time I ran the script, it added the block . What I currently get after the 2nd run is > > # BEGIN ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK > 172.16.0.20 api.ocp2.cdastu.com > 172.16.0.20 api-int.ocp2.cdastu.com > # END ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK > > What I would like after the 2nd run is : > # BEGIN ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK > 172.16.0.19 api.ocp1.cdastu.com > 172.16.0.19 api-int.ocp1.cdastu.com > 172.16.0.20 api.ocp2.cdastu.com > 172.16.0.20 api-int.ocp2.cdastu.com > # END ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK > > I also had the ever so slight idea that Ansible could delete the entries that it created when I delete the cluster. Thanks! Hello, do make this work in a proper fashion, you need to have \*all\* clusters in your inventory and not the current one on its own. Regards         Racke ---
**Author:** ![Stu\_Lipshires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Stu\_Lipshires](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Stu_Lipshires)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/blockinfile-and-lineinfile-behaviour/34755/3 "2021-03-11T16:01:27Z")
Sorry, a little new to this. So I don’t know all the cluster names up front. I might create 1 cluster today and then tomorrow somebody will ask for a new cluster. My inventory file currently has the ip address of the VM Host that the ansible is running on. Is there something different that I should be doing? Do I have to read the existing host file and then add the new values? Can you point to a snippet that would do that? Thanks!