How to move/rename a file using an Ansible task on

Question

How is it possible to move/rename a file/directory using an Ansible module on a remote system? I don't want to use the command/shell tasks and I don't want to copy the file from the local system to the remote system.

Answer 1

The file module doesn't copy files on the remote system. The src parameter is only used by the file module when creating a symlink to a file.

If you want to move/rename a file entirely on a remote system then your best bet is to use the command module to just invoke the appropriate command:

- name: Move foo to bar
  command: mv /path/to/foo /path/to/bar

If you want to get fancy then you could first use the stat module to check that foo actually exists:

- name: stat foo
  stat: path=/path/to/foo
  register: foo_stat

- name: Move foo to bar
  command: mv /path/to/foo /path/to/bar
  when: foo_stat.stat.exists

Answer 2

Bruce wasn't attempting to stat the destination to check whether or not to move the file if it was already there; he was making sure the file to be moved actually existed before attempting the mv.

If your interest, like Tom's, is to only move if the file doesn't already exist, I think we should still integrate Bruce's check into the mix:

- name: stat foo
  stat: path=/path/to/foo
  register: foo_stat

- name: Move foo to bar
  command: creates="path/to/bar" mv /path/to/foo /path/to/bar
  when: foo_stat.stat.exists