# having issues with lineinfile insert

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/having-issues-with-lineinfile-insert/36873>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Tags:** ansible-project\
**Created:** [July 19, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/having-issues-with-lineinfile-insert/36873 "2022-07-19T18:41:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dnmvisser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8e8cbc/32.png) [@dnmvisser](https://forum.ansible.com/u/dnmvisser)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/having-issues-with-lineinfile-insert/36873/1 "2022-07-19T18:41:10Z")

</div>

> I keep getting errors when running an insert line task
> 
> the task to insert is
> 
> - name: add line  
> lineinfile:  
> backup: no  
> backrefs: yes  
> state: present  
> path: “{{ file\_path }}”  
> regexp: ‘^(\s\*)[#]?{{ item.search }}(: )\*’  
> line: ‘\1{{ item.search }}\2\n\1{{ item.add }}’  
> with\_items:
> - { search: “{{ line.replace\_with }}”, add: “{{ line.line\_to\_add }}” }
> 
> * * *
> 
> but I keep getting this error
> 
> File “/home/twong/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1658251625.2565749-23940-115530077073029/AnsiballZ\_lineinfile.py”, line 102, in   
> \_ansiballz\_main()  
> File “/home/twong/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1658251625.2565749-23940-115530077073029/AnsiballZ\_lineinfile.py”, line 94, in _ansiballz\_main  
> invoke\_module(zipped\_mod, temp\_path, ANSIBALLZ\_PARAMS)  
> File “/home/twong/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1658251625.2565749-23940-115530077073029/AnsiballZ\_lineinfile.py”, line 40, in invoke\_module  
> runpy.run\_module(mod\_name=‘ansible.modules.lineinfile’, init\_globals=None, run\_name=‘ **main** ’, alter\_sys=True)  
> File “/usr/lib64/python2.7/runpy.py”, line 176, in run\_module  
> fname, loader, pkg\_name)  
> File “/usr/lib64/python2.7/runpy.py”, line 82, in run\_module\_code  
> mod\_name, mod\_fname, mod\_loader, pkg\_name)  
> File “/usr/lib64/python2.7/runpy.py”, line 72, in run\_code  
> exec code in run\_globals  
> File "/tmp/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload\_D2ShX/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload.zip/ansible/modules/lineinfile.py", line 577, in   
> File "/tmp/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload\_D2ShX/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload.zip/ansible/modules/lineinfile.py", line 568, in main  
> File "/tmp/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload\_D2ShX_/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload.zip/ansible/modules/lineinfile.py", line 342, in present  
> File “/usr/lib64/python2.7/re.py”, line 266, in \_expand  
> return sre\_parse.expand\_template(template, match)  
> File “/usr/lib64/python2.7/sre\_parse.py”, line 800, in expand\_template  
> raise error, “unmatched group”  
> sre\_constants.error: unmatched group  
> failed: [[prod-soi-util-01w.activenetwork.com](http://prod-soi-util-01w.activenetwork.com)] (item={‘search’: ‘#image: jenkins/jenkins:2.346.1’, ‘add’: ‘image: jenkins/jenkins:2.346.2’}) =\> {  
> “ansible\_loop\_var”: “item”,  
> “changed”: false,  
> “item”: {  
> “add”: “image: jenkins/jenkins:2.346.2”,  
> “search”: “#image: jenkins/jenkins:2.346.1”  
> },  
> “module\_stderr”: “OpenSSH\_8.1p1, LibreSSL 2.7.3\r\ndebug1: Reading configuration data /Users/twong/.ssh/config\r\ndebug1: /Users/twong/.ssh/config line 1: Applying options for [prod-soi-util-01w.activenetwork.com](http://prod-soi-util-01w.activenetwork.com)\r\ndebug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh/ssh\_config\r\ndebug1: /etc/ssh/ssh\_config line 47: Applying options for \*\r\ndebug1: auto-mux: Trying existing master\r\ndebug2: fd 3 setting O\_NONBLOCK\r\ndebug2: mux\_client\_hello\_exchange: master version 4\r\ndebug3: mux\_client\_forwards: request forwardings: 0 local, 0 remote\r\ndebug3: mux\_client\_request\_session: entering\r\ndebug3: mux\_client\_request\_alive: entering\r\ndebug3: mux\_client\_request\_alive: done pid = 23846\r\ndebug3: mux\_client\_request\_session: session request sent\r\ndebug3: mux\_client\_read\_packet: read header failed: Broken pipe\r\ndebug2: Received exit status from master 1\r\nShared connection to [prod-soi-util-01w.activenetwork.com](http://prod-soi-util-01w.activenetwork.com) closed.\r\n”,  
> “module\_stdout”: “Traceback (most recent call last):\r\n File "/home/twong/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1658251625.2565749-23940-115530077073029/AnsiballZ\_lineinfile.py", line 102, in \r\n \_ansiballz\_main()\r\n File "/home/twong/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1658251625.2565749-23940-115530077073029/AnsiballZ\_lineinfile.py", line 94, in _ansiballz\_main\r\n invoke\_module(zipped\_mod, temp\_path, ANSIBALLZ\_PARAMS)\r\n File "/home/twong/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1658251625.2565749-23940-115530077073029/AnsiballZ\_lineinfile.py", line 40, in invoke\_module\r\n runpy.run\_module(mod\_name=‘ansible.modules.lineinfile’, init\_globals=None, run\_name=‘ **main** ’, alter\_sys=True)\r\n File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/runpy.py", line 176, in run\_module\r\n fname, loader, pkg\_name)\r\n File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/runpy.py", line 82, in run\_module\_code\r\n mod\_name, mod\_fname, mod\_loader, pkg\_name)\r\n File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/runpy.py", line 72, in run\_code\r\n exec code in run\_globals\r\n File "/tmp/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload\_D2ShX/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload.zip/ansible/modules/lineinfile.py", line 577, in \r\n File "/tmp/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload\_D2ShX/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload.zip/ansible/modules/lineinfile.py", line 568, in main\r\n File "/tmp/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload\_D2ShX_/ansible\_lineinfile\_payload.zip/ansible/modules/lineinfile.py", line 342, in present\r\n File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/re.py", line 266, in \_expand\r\n return sre\_parse.expand\_template(template, match)\r\n File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/sre\_parse.py", line 800, in expand\_template\r\n raise error, "unmatched group"\r\nsre\_constants.error: unmatched group\r\n”,

^^^

You expect the groups in your regex to always match, but clearly that isn’t the case.