Inserting multiple lines in a file after specific line

Archives Ansible Project
1

Hey everyone,

so I want to insert multiple lines into a file after a specific line to create a blacklist. I use lineinfile module and it kinda works but it really doesn’t

This is a snippet of the file where I try to insert new lines:

// List of packages to not update
Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist {
// “vim”;
// “libc6”;
// “libc6-dev”;
// “libc6-i686”;
};

When I run this action, it works as I expect it:

  • lineinfile: dest=/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades regexp=‘postgresql’ insertafter=“Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist” line=’ postgresql-9.3’

it makes the snippet look like this:

// List of packages to not update
Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist {
postgresql-9.3

// “vim”;
// “libc6”;
// “libc6-dev”;
// “libc6-i686”;
};

However, when I have two lineinfile actions following each other, like so:

  • lineinfile: dest=/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades regexp=‘postgresql’ insertafter=“Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist” line=’ postgresql-9.3’

  • lineinfile: dest=/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades regexp=‘postgresql’ insertafter=“Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist” line=’ postgresql-9.2’

what happens is that the last action overwrites the same line over and over and the snippet thus looks like this:

// List of packages to not update
Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist {
postgresql-9.2

// “vim”;
// “libc6”;
// “libc6-dev”;
// “libc6-i686”;
};

I would expect to have

// List of packages to not update
Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist {
postgresql-9.2

postgresql-9.3

// “vim”;
// “libc6”;
// “libc6-dev”;
// “libc6-i686”;
};

I admit that I don’t get the logic behind lineinfile actions at all. It’s beyond me why regexp=‘’ has to always match line=‘’, and if they don’t actions fails.

So, I’d like to add multiple lines like that, any ideas how I can do this with lineinfile? I know I can have templates, but I’d rather just insert lines in this particular case.

2

Regexp must match the line because regexp is the thing that decides if the line needs to be inserted or not.

Suppose you wanted to do “insert x=2” if there is no line in the file that contains “x=” already, etc

3

Well, in

  • lineinfile: dest=/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades regexp=‘postgresql’ insertafter=“Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist” line=’ postgresql-9.3’

I match against regexp=‘postgresql’ and that line does NOT exist nowhere in the file. So, what does that mean in regards to regexp making decisions? That if a pattern doesn’t exist, the line=‘’ can be inserted? And when pattern does exist, then what? Do nothing?

4

yes

5

Thanks to asg on ansible@irc.freenode.net we’ve managed to come up with this

  • lineinfile: dest=/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades regexp=‘$item’ insertafter=“Unattended-Upgrade::Package-Blacklist” line=‘$item’
    with_items:
  • ’ postgresql-9.2’
  • ’ postgresql-9.3’

this inserts multiple lines as I expected.