feythin · May 23, 2016 09:04 · Nov 28, 2013
diff --git a/ansible-lineinfile-examples.yml b/ansible-lineinfile-examples.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+## credit: http://fabian-affolter.ch/blog/the-lineinfile-module-of-ansible/
+--- 
+- hosts: alpine_install
+  user: root
+
+  tasks:
+#  - name: create a complete empty file
+#    command: /usr/bin/touch /test/test.conf
+
+  - name: create a new file with lineinfile
+    lineinfile: dest=/test/test.conf 
+                regexp='^' line=''
+                state=present
+                create=True
+
+  - name: add a string to the new file
+    lineinfile: dest=/test/test.conf
+                regexp='^'
+                line='Hello, World!'
+                state=present
+
+  - name: add a multiline string to the file and delete the string from before
+  # Be aware, with the given regex the string will be added everytime the playbook runs 
+    lineinfile: dest=/test/test.conf 
+                regexp='^'
+                line='#This is a comment\n#Another comment\n#Another comment, again\n#Again a comment\n#The last comment'
+                state=present
+
+  - name: add a single line, in this case the same as the comment but uncommented
+    lineinfile: dest=/test/test.conf 
+                regexp='^Another'
+                insertafter='^#Another'
+                line='Another comment, no longer a comment'
+                state=present
+
+  - name: remove the line '#Again a comment'
+    lineinfile: dest=/test/test.conf 
+                regexp='^#Again'
+                state=absent
+
+  - name: add a new string at the beginning of the file
+    lineinfile: dest=/test/test.conf
+                regexp='^This'
+                insertbefore=BOF
+                line='This is no longer a comment'
+
+  - name: add a new string before the match
+    lineinfile: dest=/test/test.conf 
+                regexp='^Another'
+                insertbefore='^#Another'
+                line='Another comment, no longer'
+
+  - name: add a new string at the end of the file
+    lineinfile: dest=/test/test.conf 
+                regexp=''
+                insertafter=EOF
+                line='The latest entry'