# emptying a file or replacing all its contents

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/emptying-a-file-or-replacing-all-its-contents/22828>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [October 19, 2016, 12:06pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/emptying-a-file-or-replacing-all-its-contents/22828 "2016-10-19T12:06:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Alix\_Ak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Alix\_Ak](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Alix_Ak)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 12:06pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/emptying-a-file-or-replacing-all-its-contents/22828/1 "2016-10-19T12:06:16Z")

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Hallo,

in bash i use echo command to empty a file all replace it’s contents. I couldn’t figure this out using file or lineinfile modules.  
Using shell command, i get another server state since ansible states change although i echo the same line.  
Does anybody has an Idea ?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Josh\_Smift1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@Josh\_Smift1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Josh_Smift1)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/emptying-a-file-or-replacing-all-its-contents/22828/2 "2016-10-19T13:32:34Z")

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> in bash i use echo command to empty a file all replace it's contents.  
> I couldn't figure this out using file or lineinfile modules. Using  
> shell command, i get another server state since ansible states change  
> although i echo the same line.

You just want to replace a file with an empty file? /dev/null is "an empty  
file" that you can copy:

&nbsp;&nbsp;- copy: src=/dev/null dest=/tmp/empty-file

That seems to work for me. (Reports 'changed' if the file wasn't already  
empty, 'ok' if the file was already empty.)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;-Josh (jbs@care.com)

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