To check whether the destination file exists and then run tasks based on its status, we can use the Ansible’s stat module (or win_stat for Windows targets).
With this module we can identify not only whether the destination path exists or not but also if it is a regular file, a directory or a symbolic link.
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Check If File Exists
To check if the destination path actually exists or not, use the stat.exists:
tasks:
- name: "Check if path exists"
stat:
path: "/path/to/something"
register: result
- name: "Do something if path exists"
command: ...
when: result.stat.exists
- name: "Do something else if path doesn't exist"
command: ...
when: not result.stat.exists
To check if the destination path is a regular file, use the stat.isreg:
tasks:
- name: "Check if file exists"
stat:
path: "/path/to/something"
register: result
- name: "Do something if file exists"
command: ...
when: (result.stat.isreg is defined) and (result.stat.isreg)
- name: "Do something else if file doesn't exist"
command: ...
when: (result.stat.isreg is undefined) or (not result.stat.isreg)
To check if the directory file exists, use the stat.isdir:
tasks:
- name: "Check if directory exists"
stat:
path: "/path/to/something"
register: result
- name: "Do something if directory exists"
command: ...
when: (result.stat.isdir is defined) and (result.stat.isdir)
- name: "Do something else if directory doesn't exist"
command: ...
when: (result.stat.isdir is undefined) or (not result.stat.isdir)
To check if the symbolic link exists, use the stat.islnk:
tasks:
- name: "Check if symlink exists"
stat:
path: "/path/to/something"
register: result
- name: "Do something if symlink exists"
command: ...
when: (result.stat.islnk is defined) and (result.stat.islnk)
- name: "Do something else if symlink doesn't exist"
command: ...
when: (result.stat.islnk is undefined) or (not result.stat.islnk)