Fix file touch check mode result (#79360) (#79422)

Fixes #79360

3 files changed, 110 insertions, 27 deletions

diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/79422-fix-file-touch-check-mode-status.yaml b/changelogs/fragments/79422-fix-file-touch-check-mode-status.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..757cf33e24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/79422-fix-file-touch-check-mode-status.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - file - touch action in check mode was always returning ok. Fix now evaluates the different conditions and 
+    returns the appropriate changed status. (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/79360)
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/file.py b/lib/ansible/modules/file.py
index b691d3d976..72b510c3ca 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/file.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/file.py
@@ -553,34 +553,38 @@ def execute_touch(path, follow, timestamps):
     mtime = get_timestamp_for_time(timestamps['modification_time'], timestamps['modification_time_format'])
     atime = get_timestamp_for_time(timestamps['access_time'], timestamps['access_time_format'])
 
-    if not module.check_mode:
-        if prev_state == 'absent':
-            # Create an empty file if the filename did not already exist
-            try:
-                open(b_path, 'wb').close()
-                changed = True
-            except (OSError, IOError) as e:
-                raise AnsibleModuleError(results={'msg': 'Error, could not touch target: %s'
-                                                         % to_native(e, nonstring='simplerepr'),
-                                                  'path': path})
-
-        # Update the attributes on the file
-        diff = initial_diff(path, 'touch', prev_state)
-        file_args = module.load_file_common_arguments(module.params)
+    # If the file did not already exist
+    if prev_state == 'absent':
+        # if we are in check mode and the file is absent
+        # we can set the changed status to True and return
+        if module.check_mode:
+            result['changed'] = True
+            return result
+        # Create an empty file
         try:
-            changed = module.set_fs_attributes_if_different(file_args, changed, diff, expand=False)
-            changed |= update_timestamp_for_file(file_args['path'], mtime, atime, diff)
-        except SystemExit as e:
-            if e.code:  # this is the exit code passed to sys.exit, not a constant -- pylint: disable=using-constant-test
-                # We take this to mean that fail_json() was called from
-                # somewhere in basic.py
-                if prev_state == 'absent':
-                    # If we just created the file we can safely remove it
-                    os.remove(b_path)
-            raise
-
-        result['changed'] = changed
-        result['diff'] = diff
+            open(b_path, 'wb').close()
+            changed = True
+        except (OSError, IOError) as e:
+            raise AnsibleModuleError(results={'msg': 'Error, could not touch target: %s'
+                                              % to_native(e, nonstring='simplerepr'),
+                                              'path': path})
+    # Update the attributes on the file
+    diff = initial_diff(path, 'touch', prev_state)
+    file_args = module.load_file_common_arguments(module.params)
+    try:
+        changed = module.set_fs_attributes_if_different(file_args, changed, diff, expand=False)
+        changed |= update_timestamp_for_file(file_args['path'], mtime, atime, diff)
+    except SystemExit as e:
+        if e.code:  # this is the exit code passed to sys.exit, not a constant -- pylint: disable=using-constant-test
+            # We take this to mean that fail_json() was called from
+            # somewhere in basic.py
+            if prev_state == 'absent':
+                # If we just created the file we can safely remove it
+                os.remove(b_path)
+        raise
+
+    result['changed'] = changed
+    result['diff'] = diff
     return result
 
 
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/file/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/file/tasks/main.yml
index 3aed491762..17b0fae68a 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/file/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/file/tasks/main.yml
@@ -711,6 +711,82 @@
     - group_exists.warnings is not defined
     - group_gid_exists.warnings is not defined
 
+# ensures touching a file returns changed when needed
+# issue: https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/79360
+- name: touch a file returns changed in check mode if file does not exist
+  file:
+    path: '/tmp/touch_check_mode_test'
+    state: touch
+  check_mode: yes
+  register: touch_result_in_check_mode_not_existing
+
+- name: touch the file
+  file:
+    path: '/tmp/touch_check_mode_test'
+    mode: "0660"
+    state: touch
+
+- name: touch an existing file returns changed in check mode
+  file:
+    path: '/tmp/touch_check_mode_test'
+    state: touch
+  check_mode: yes
+  register: touch_result_in_check_mode_change_all_attr
+
+- name: touch an existing file returns changed in check mode when preserving access time
+  file:
+    path: '/tmp/touch_check_mode_test'
+    state: touch
+    access_time: "preserve"
+  check_mode: yes
+  register: touch_result_in_check_mode_preserve_access_time
+
+- name: touch an existing file returns changed in check mode when only mode changes
+  file:
+    path: '/tmp/touch_check_mode_test'
+    state: touch
+    access_time: "preserve"
+    modification_time: "preserve"
+    mode: "0640"
+  check_mode: yes
+  register: touch_result_in_check_mode_change_only_mode
+
+- name: touch an existing file returns ok if all attributes are preserved
+  file:
+    path: '/tmp/touch_check_mode_test'
+    state: touch
+    access_time: "preserve"
+    modification_time: "preserve"
+  check_mode: yes
+  register: touch_result_in_check_mode_all_attrs_preserved
+
+- name: touch an existing file fails in check mode when user does not exist
+  file:
+    path: '/tmp/touch_check_mode_test'
+    state: touch
+    owner: not-existing-user
+  check_mode: yes
+  ignore_errors: true
+  register: touch_result_in_check_mode_fails_not_existing_user
+
+- name: touch an existing file fails in check mode when group does not exist
+  file:
+    path: '/tmp/touch_check_mode_test'
+    state: touch
+    group: not-existing-group
+  check_mode: yes
+  ignore_errors: true
+  register: touch_result_in_check_mode_fails_not_existing_group
+
+- assert:
+    that: 
+    - touch_result_in_check_mode_not_existing.changed
+    - touch_result_in_check_mode_preserve_access_time.changed
+    - touch_result_in_check_mode_change_only_mode.changed
+    - not touch_result_in_check_mode_all_attrs_preserved.changed
+    - touch_result_in_check_mode_fails_not_existing_user.warnings[0] is search('failed to look up user')
+    - touch_result_in_check_mode_fails_not_existing_group.warnings[0] is search('failed to look up group')
+
 # https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/50943
 # Need to use /tmp as nobody can't access remote_tmp_dir_test at all
 - name: create file as root with all write permissions