Create an empty file in Windows-like systems - Ansible module win_file

How to automate the creation of an empty “example.txt” in the Desktop of your users in Windows-like systems with Ansible Playbook.

January 27, 2022

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#ansible #file #module #filesystem #win_file #windows #windows-server

How to create an empty file in Windows-like systems with Ansible?

I’m going to show you a live demo and some simple Ansible code. I’m Luca Berton and welcome to today’s episode of Ansible Pilot.

Ansible creates an empty file

ansible.windows.win_file
Creates, touches, or removes files or directories

Today we’re talking about the Ansible module win_file. The full name is ansible.windows.win_file, which means that is part of the collection of modules to interact with windows machines. It’s a module pretty stable and out for years. It creates, touches, or removes files or directories. For Linux targets, use the ansible.builtin.file module) instead.

Parameters

path path - file path
state string - file/absent/directory/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.

demo

Create an empty file in Windows-like systems with Ansible playbook

code

---
- name: win_file module demo
  hosts: all
  become: false
  gather_facts: false
  vars:
    myfile: 'C:\Users\vagrant\Desktop\example.txt'
  tasks:
    - name: Creating an empty file
      ansible.windows.win_file:
        path: "{{ myfile }}"
        state: touch

execution

ansible-pilot $ ansible-playbook -i virtualmachines/win/inventory create\ file/file-windows.yml
PLAY [win_file module demo] ***********************************************************************
TASK [Creating an empty file] *********************************************************************
changed: [WindowsServer]
PLAY RECAP ****************************************************************************************
WindowsServer              : ok=1    changed=1    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0
ansible-pilot $

idempotency not valid

ansible-pilot $ ansible-playbook -i virtualmachines/win/inventory create\ file/file-windows.yml
PLAY [win_file module demo] ***********************************************************************
TASK [Creating an empty file] *********************************************************************
changed: [WindowsServer]
PLAY RECAP ****************************************************************************************
WindowsServer              : ok=1    changed=1    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0
ansible-pilot $

before execution

win_file before execution

after execution

win_file after execution

code with ❤️ in GitHub

Recap

Now you know how to create an empty file in Windows-like systems with Ansible. Subscribe to the YouTube channel, Medium, and Website, X (formerly Twitter) to not miss the next episode of the Ansible Pilot.