From 4fe960653068895c7bbfab1ccf3a9c38ecbac1e5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Matt Clay <matt@mystile.com>
Date: Thu, 8 May 2025 15:45:53 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] template module - render `None` as empty string (#85121)

* template module - render `None` as empty string

* Update changelogs/fragments/template-none.yml

Co-authored-by: Matt Davis <6775756+nitzmahone@users.noreply.github.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Matt Davis <6775756+nitzmahone@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 changelogs/fragments/template-none.yml                   | 2 ++
 lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py                   | 3 +++
 test/integration/targets/lookup_template/tasks/main.yml  | 4 ++++
 .../targets/lookup_template/templates/none.j2            | 1 +
 test/integration/targets/template/tasks/main.yml         | 9 +++++++++
 test/integration/targets/template/templates/none.j2      | 1 +
 6 files changed, 20 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 changelogs/fragments/template-none.yml
 create mode 100644 test/integration/targets/lookup_template/templates/none.j2
 create mode 100644 test/integration/targets/template/templates/none.j2

diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/template-none.yml b/changelogs/fragments/template-none.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bbe61d6ec73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/template-none.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - template action - Template files where the entire file's output renders as ``None`` are no longer emitted as the string "None", but instead render to an empty file as in previous releases.
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py
index 8a306d235c4..2f339229b54 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py
@@ -132,6 +132,9 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             data_templar = self._templar.copy_with_new_env(searchpath=searchpath, available_variables=temp_vars)
             resultant = data_templar.template(template_data, escape_backslashes=False, overrides=overrides)
 
+            if resultant is None:
+                resultant = ''
+
             new_task = self._task.copy()
             # mode is either the mode from task.args or the mode of the source file if the task.args
             # mode == 'preserve'
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/lookup_template/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/lookup_template/tasks/main.yml
index a248c1068f5..48838f64079 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/lookup_template/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/lookup_template/tasks/main.yml
@@ -32,3 +32,7 @@
       - lookup('template', 'dict.j2') is not mapping
 
 - include_tasks: trim_blocks.yml
+
+- name: Verify templates with no rendered content return `None`
+  assert:
+    that: "{{ lookup('template', 'none.j2') is none }}"
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/lookup_template/templates/none.j2 b/test/integration/targets/lookup_template/templates/none.j2
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b5c3460d5f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/lookup_template/templates/none.j2
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{# a template with no content will render as `None` #}
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/template/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/template/tasks/main.yml
index 83ddca3b0c3..d0c59569e57 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/template/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/template/tasks/main.yml
@@ -19,6 +19,15 @@
 - set_fact:
     output_dir: "{{ lookup('env', 'OUTPUT_DIR') }}"
 
+- name: render a template which has no content
+  template:
+    src: none.j2
+    dest: '{{ output_dir }}/none.templated'
+
+- name: verify a template with no content renders as an empty string
+  assert:
+    that: "{{ lookup('file', output_dir ~ '/none.templated') == '' }}"
+
 - name: get default group
   shell: id -gn
   register: group
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/template/templates/none.j2 b/test/integration/targets/template/templates/none.j2
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b5c3460d5f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/template/templates/none.j2
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{# a template with no content will render as `None` #}