win_shortcut - Manage shortcuts on Windows

New in version 2.3.

Synopsis

Parameters

Parameter Choices/Defaults Comments
args
Additional arguments for the executable defined in src.
description
Description for the shortcut.
This is usually shown when hoovering the icon.
dest
path

required
Destination file for the shortcuting file.
File name should have a .lnk or .url extension.
directory
path
Working directory for executable defined in src.
hotkey
Key combination for the shortcut.
This is a combination of one or more modifiers and a key.
Possible modifiers are Alt, Ctrl, Shift, Ext.
Possible keys are [A-Z] and [0-9].
icon
path
Icon used for the shortcut.
File name should have a .ico extension.
The file name is followed by a comma and the number in the library file (.dll) or use 0 for an image file.
src
Executable or URL the shortcut points to.
The executable needs to be in your PATH, or has to be an absolute path to the executable.
state
    Choices:
  • absent
  • present ←
When absent, removes the shortcut if it exists.
When present, creates or updates the shortcut.
windowstyle
    Choices:
  • maximized
  • minimized
  • normal
Influences how the application is displayed when it is launched.

Notes

Note

  • The following options can include Windows environment variables: dest, args, description, dest, directory, icon src
  • Windows has two types of shortcuts: Application and URL shortcuts. URL shortcuts only consists of dest and src

Examples

- name: Create an application shortcut on the desktop
  win_shortcut:
    src: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\Firefox.exe
    dest: C:\Users\Public\Desktop\Mozilla Firefox.lnk
    icon: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\Firefox.exe,0

- name: Create the same shortcut using environment variables
  win_shortcut:
    description: The Mozilla Firefox web browser
    src: '%ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Firefox\Firefox.exe'
    dest: '%Public%\Desktop\Mozilla Firefox.lnk'
    icon: '%ProgramFiles\Mozilla Firefox\Firefox.exe,0'
    directory: '%ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Firefox'
    hotkey: Ctrl+Alt+F

- name: Create an application shortcut for an executable in PATH to your desktop
  win_shortcut:
    src: cmd.exe
    dest: Desktop\Command prompt.lnk

- name: Create an application shortcut for the Ansible website
  win_shortcut:
    src: '%ProgramFiles%\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe'
    dest: '%UserProfile%\Desktop\Ansible website.lnk'
    args: --new-window https://ansible.com/
    directory: '%ProgramFiles%\Google\Chrome\Application'
    icon: '%ProgramFiles%\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe,0'
    hotkey: Ctrl+Alt+A

- name: Create a URL shortcut for the Ansible website
  win_shortcut:
    src: https://ansible.com/
    dest: '%Public%\Desktop\Ansible website.url'

Status

This module is flagged as preview which means that it is not guaranteed to have a backwards compatible interface.

Maintenance

This module is flagged as community which means that it is maintained by the Ansible Community. See Module Maintenance & Support for more info.

For a list of other modules that are also maintained by the Ansible Community, see here.

Author

  • Dag Wieers (@dagwieers)

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