Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting. Open
elif [ $OS = "Linux" ]; then
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting.
Problematic code:
echo $1
for i in $*; do :; done # this done and the next one also applies to expanding arrays.
for i in $@; do :; done
Correct code:
echo "$1"
for i in "$@"; do :; done # or, 'for i; do'
Rationale
The first code looks like "print the first argument". It's actually "Split the first argument by IFS (spaces, tabs and line feeds). Expand each of them as if it was a glob. Join all the resulting strings and filenames with spaces. Print the result."
The second one looks like "iterate through all arguments". It's actually "join all the arguments by the first character of IFS (space), split them by IFS and expand each of them as globs, and iterate on the resulting list". The third one skips the joining part.
Quoting variables prevents word splitting and glob expansion, and prevents the script from breaking when input contains spaces, line feeds, glob characters and such.
Strictly speaking, only expansions themselves need to be quoted, but for stylistic reasons, entire arguments with multiple variable and literal parts are often quoted as one:
$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file # Unquoted (bad)
"$HOME"/"$dir"/dist/bin/"$file" # Minimal quoting (good)
"$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file" # Canonical quoting (good)
When quoting composite arguments, make sure to exclude globs and brace expansions, which lose their special meaning in double quotes: "$HOME/$dir/src/*.c"
will not expand, but "$HOME/$dir/src"/*.c
will.
Note that $( )
starts a new context, and variables in it have to be quoted independently:
echo "This $variable is quoted $(but this $variable is not)"
echo "This $variable is quoted $(and now this "$variable" is too)"
Exceptions
Sometimes you want to split on spaces, like when building a command line:
options="-j 5 -B"
make $options file
Just quoting this doesn't work. Instead, you should have used an array (bash, ksh, zsh):
options=(-j 5 -B) # ksh: set -A options -- -j 5 -B
make "${options[@]}" file
or a function (POSIX):
make_with_flags() { make -j 5 -B "$@"; }
make_with_flags file
To split on spaces but not perform glob expansion, Posix has a set -f
to disable globbing. You can disable word splitting by setting IFS=''
.
Similarly, you might want an optional argument:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="-x"
bash $debug script
Quoting this doesn't work, since in the default case, "$debug"
would expand to one empty argument while $debug
would expand into zero arguments. In this case, you can use an array with zero or one elements as outlined above, or you can use an unquoted expansion with an alternate value:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="yes"
bash ${debug:+"-x"} script
This is better than an unquoted value because the alternative value can be properly quoted, e.g. wget ${output:+ -o "$output"}
.
As always, this warning can be [[ignore]]d on a case-by-case basis.
this is especially relevant when BASH many not be available for the array work around. For example, use in eval or in command options where script has total control of the variables...
FLAGS="-av -e 'ssh -x' --delete --delete-excluded"
...
# shellcheck disable=SC2086
eval rsync $FLAGS ~/dir remote_host:dir
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting. Open
if [ $OS = "Darwin" ]; then
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting.
Problematic code:
echo $1
for i in $*; do :; done # this done and the next one also applies to expanding arrays.
for i in $@; do :; done
Correct code:
echo "$1"
for i in "$@"; do :; done # or, 'for i; do'
Rationale
The first code looks like "print the first argument". It's actually "Split the first argument by IFS (spaces, tabs and line feeds). Expand each of them as if it was a glob. Join all the resulting strings and filenames with spaces. Print the result."
The second one looks like "iterate through all arguments". It's actually "join all the arguments by the first character of IFS (space), split them by IFS and expand each of them as globs, and iterate on the resulting list". The third one skips the joining part.
Quoting variables prevents word splitting and glob expansion, and prevents the script from breaking when input contains spaces, line feeds, glob characters and such.
Strictly speaking, only expansions themselves need to be quoted, but for stylistic reasons, entire arguments with multiple variable and literal parts are often quoted as one:
$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file # Unquoted (bad)
"$HOME"/"$dir"/dist/bin/"$file" # Minimal quoting (good)
"$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file" # Canonical quoting (good)
When quoting composite arguments, make sure to exclude globs and brace expansions, which lose their special meaning in double quotes: "$HOME/$dir/src/*.c"
will not expand, but "$HOME/$dir/src"/*.c
will.
Note that $( )
starts a new context, and variables in it have to be quoted independently:
echo "This $variable is quoted $(but this $variable is not)"
echo "This $variable is quoted $(and now this "$variable" is too)"
Exceptions
Sometimes you want to split on spaces, like when building a command line:
options="-j 5 -B"
make $options file
Just quoting this doesn't work. Instead, you should have used an array (bash, ksh, zsh):
options=(-j 5 -B) # ksh: set -A options -- -j 5 -B
make "${options[@]}" file
or a function (POSIX):
make_with_flags() { make -j 5 -B "$@"; }
make_with_flags file
To split on spaces but not perform glob expansion, Posix has a set -f
to disable globbing. You can disable word splitting by setting IFS=''
.
Similarly, you might want an optional argument:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="-x"
bash $debug script
Quoting this doesn't work, since in the default case, "$debug"
would expand to one empty argument while $debug
would expand into zero arguments. In this case, you can use an array with zero or one elements as outlined above, or you can use an unquoted expansion with an alternate value:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="yes"
bash ${debug:+"-x"} script
This is better than an unquoted value because the alternative value can be properly quoted, e.g. wget ${output:+ -o "$output"}
.
As always, this warning can be [[ignore]]d on a case-by-case basis.
this is especially relevant when BASH many not be available for the array work around. For example, use in eval or in command options where script has total control of the variables...
FLAGS="-av -e 'ssh -x' --delete --delete-excluded"
...
# shellcheck disable=SC2086
eval rsync $FLAGS ~/dir remote_host:dir
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting. Open
elif [ $OS = "Linux" ]; then
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting.
Problematic code:
echo $1
for i in $*; do :; done # this done and the next one also applies to expanding arrays.
for i in $@; do :; done
Correct code:
echo "$1"
for i in "$@"; do :; done # or, 'for i; do'
Rationale
The first code looks like "print the first argument". It's actually "Split the first argument by IFS (spaces, tabs and line feeds). Expand each of them as if it was a glob. Join all the resulting strings and filenames with spaces. Print the result."
The second one looks like "iterate through all arguments". It's actually "join all the arguments by the first character of IFS (space), split them by IFS and expand each of them as globs, and iterate on the resulting list". The third one skips the joining part.
Quoting variables prevents word splitting and glob expansion, and prevents the script from breaking when input contains spaces, line feeds, glob characters and such.
Strictly speaking, only expansions themselves need to be quoted, but for stylistic reasons, entire arguments with multiple variable and literal parts are often quoted as one:
$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file # Unquoted (bad)
"$HOME"/"$dir"/dist/bin/"$file" # Minimal quoting (good)
"$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file" # Canonical quoting (good)
When quoting composite arguments, make sure to exclude globs and brace expansions, which lose their special meaning in double quotes: "$HOME/$dir/src/*.c"
will not expand, but "$HOME/$dir/src"/*.c
will.
Note that $( )
starts a new context, and variables in it have to be quoted independently:
echo "This $variable is quoted $(but this $variable is not)"
echo "This $variable is quoted $(and now this "$variable" is too)"
Exceptions
Sometimes you want to split on spaces, like when building a command line:
options="-j 5 -B"
make $options file
Just quoting this doesn't work. Instead, you should have used an array (bash, ksh, zsh):
options=(-j 5 -B) # ksh: set -A options -- -j 5 -B
make "${options[@]}" file
or a function (POSIX):
make_with_flags() { make -j 5 -B "$@"; }
make_with_flags file
To split on spaces but not perform glob expansion, Posix has a set -f
to disable globbing. You can disable word splitting by setting IFS=''
.
Similarly, you might want an optional argument:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="-x"
bash $debug script
Quoting this doesn't work, since in the default case, "$debug"
would expand to one empty argument while $debug
would expand into zero arguments. In this case, you can use an array with zero or one elements as outlined above, or you can use an unquoted expansion with an alternate value:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="yes"
bash ${debug:+"-x"} script
This is better than an unquoted value because the alternative value can be properly quoted, e.g. wget ${output:+ -o "$output"}
.
As always, this warning can be [[ignore]]d on a case-by-case basis.
this is especially relevant when BASH many not be available for the array work around. For example, use in eval or in command options where script has total control of the variables...
FLAGS="-av -e 'ssh -x' --delete --delete-excluded"
...
# shellcheck disable=SC2086
eval rsync $FLAGS ~/dir remote_host:dir
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting. Open
if [ $OS = "Darwin" ]; then
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting.
Problematic code:
echo $1
for i in $*; do :; done # this done and the next one also applies to expanding arrays.
for i in $@; do :; done
Correct code:
echo "$1"
for i in "$@"; do :; done # or, 'for i; do'
Rationale
The first code looks like "print the first argument". It's actually "Split the first argument by IFS (spaces, tabs and line feeds). Expand each of them as if it was a glob. Join all the resulting strings and filenames with spaces. Print the result."
The second one looks like "iterate through all arguments". It's actually "join all the arguments by the first character of IFS (space), split them by IFS and expand each of them as globs, and iterate on the resulting list". The third one skips the joining part.
Quoting variables prevents word splitting and glob expansion, and prevents the script from breaking when input contains spaces, line feeds, glob characters and such.
Strictly speaking, only expansions themselves need to be quoted, but for stylistic reasons, entire arguments with multiple variable and literal parts are often quoted as one:
$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file # Unquoted (bad)
"$HOME"/"$dir"/dist/bin/"$file" # Minimal quoting (good)
"$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file" # Canonical quoting (good)
When quoting composite arguments, make sure to exclude globs and brace expansions, which lose their special meaning in double quotes: "$HOME/$dir/src/*.c"
will not expand, but "$HOME/$dir/src"/*.c
will.
Note that $( )
starts a new context, and variables in it have to be quoted independently:
echo "This $variable is quoted $(but this $variable is not)"
echo "This $variable is quoted $(and now this "$variable" is too)"
Exceptions
Sometimes you want to split on spaces, like when building a command line:
options="-j 5 -B"
make $options file
Just quoting this doesn't work. Instead, you should have used an array (bash, ksh, zsh):
options=(-j 5 -B) # ksh: set -A options -- -j 5 -B
make "${options[@]}" file
or a function (POSIX):
make_with_flags() { make -j 5 -B "$@"; }
make_with_flags file
To split on spaces but not perform glob expansion, Posix has a set -f
to disable globbing. You can disable word splitting by setting IFS=''
.
Similarly, you might want an optional argument:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="-x"
bash $debug script
Quoting this doesn't work, since in the default case, "$debug"
would expand to one empty argument while $debug
would expand into zero arguments. In this case, you can use an array with zero or one elements as outlined above, or you can use an unquoted expansion with an alternate value:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="yes"
bash ${debug:+"-x"} script
This is better than an unquoted value because the alternative value can be properly quoted, e.g. wget ${output:+ -o "$output"}
.
As always, this warning can be [[ignore]]d on a case-by-case basis.
this is especially relevant when BASH many not be available for the array work around. For example, use in eval or in command options where script has total control of the variables...
FLAGS="-av -e 'ssh -x' --delete --delete-excluded"
...
# shellcheck disable=SC2086
eval rsync $FLAGS ~/dir remote_host:dir
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting. Open
if [ $OS = "Darwin" ]; then
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting.
Problematic code:
echo $1
for i in $*; do :; done # this done and the next one also applies to expanding arrays.
for i in $@; do :; done
Correct code:
echo "$1"
for i in "$@"; do :; done # or, 'for i; do'
Rationale
The first code looks like "print the first argument". It's actually "Split the first argument by IFS (spaces, tabs and line feeds). Expand each of them as if it was a glob. Join all the resulting strings and filenames with spaces. Print the result."
The second one looks like "iterate through all arguments". It's actually "join all the arguments by the first character of IFS (space), split them by IFS and expand each of them as globs, and iterate on the resulting list". The third one skips the joining part.
Quoting variables prevents word splitting and glob expansion, and prevents the script from breaking when input contains spaces, line feeds, glob characters and such.
Strictly speaking, only expansions themselves need to be quoted, but for stylistic reasons, entire arguments with multiple variable and literal parts are often quoted as one:
$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file # Unquoted (bad)
"$HOME"/"$dir"/dist/bin/"$file" # Minimal quoting (good)
"$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file" # Canonical quoting (good)
When quoting composite arguments, make sure to exclude globs and brace expansions, which lose their special meaning in double quotes: "$HOME/$dir/src/*.c"
will not expand, but "$HOME/$dir/src"/*.c
will.
Note that $( )
starts a new context, and variables in it have to be quoted independently:
echo "This $variable is quoted $(but this $variable is not)"
echo "This $variable is quoted $(and now this "$variable" is too)"
Exceptions
Sometimes you want to split on spaces, like when building a command line:
options="-j 5 -B"
make $options file
Just quoting this doesn't work. Instead, you should have used an array (bash, ksh, zsh):
options=(-j 5 -B) # ksh: set -A options -- -j 5 -B
make "${options[@]}" file
or a function (POSIX):
make_with_flags() { make -j 5 -B "$@"; }
make_with_flags file
To split on spaces but not perform glob expansion, Posix has a set -f
to disable globbing. You can disable word splitting by setting IFS=''
.
Similarly, you might want an optional argument:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="-x"
bash $debug script
Quoting this doesn't work, since in the default case, "$debug"
would expand to one empty argument while $debug
would expand into zero arguments. In this case, you can use an array with zero or one elements as outlined above, or you can use an unquoted expansion with an alternate value:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="yes"
bash ${debug:+"-x"} script
This is better than an unquoted value because the alternative value can be properly quoted, e.g. wget ${output:+ -o "$output"}
.
As always, this warning can be [[ignore]]d on a case-by-case basis.
this is especially relevant when BASH many not be available for the array work around. For example, use in eval or in command options where script has total control of the variables...
FLAGS="-av -e 'ssh -x' --delete --delete-excluded"
...
# shellcheck disable=SC2086
eval rsync $FLAGS ~/dir remote_host:dir
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting. Open
elif [ $OS = "Linux" ]; then
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting.
Problematic code:
echo $1
for i in $*; do :; done # this done and the next one also applies to expanding arrays.
for i in $@; do :; done
Correct code:
echo "$1"
for i in "$@"; do :; done # or, 'for i; do'
Rationale
The first code looks like "print the first argument". It's actually "Split the first argument by IFS (spaces, tabs and line feeds). Expand each of them as if it was a glob. Join all the resulting strings and filenames with spaces. Print the result."
The second one looks like "iterate through all arguments". It's actually "join all the arguments by the first character of IFS (space), split them by IFS and expand each of them as globs, and iterate on the resulting list". The third one skips the joining part.
Quoting variables prevents word splitting and glob expansion, and prevents the script from breaking when input contains spaces, line feeds, glob characters and such.
Strictly speaking, only expansions themselves need to be quoted, but for stylistic reasons, entire arguments with multiple variable and literal parts are often quoted as one:
$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file # Unquoted (bad)
"$HOME"/"$dir"/dist/bin/"$file" # Minimal quoting (good)
"$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file" # Canonical quoting (good)
When quoting composite arguments, make sure to exclude globs and brace expansions, which lose their special meaning in double quotes: "$HOME/$dir/src/*.c"
will not expand, but "$HOME/$dir/src"/*.c
will.
Note that $( )
starts a new context, and variables in it have to be quoted independently:
echo "This $variable is quoted $(but this $variable is not)"
echo "This $variable is quoted $(and now this "$variable" is too)"
Exceptions
Sometimes you want to split on spaces, like when building a command line:
options="-j 5 -B"
make $options file
Just quoting this doesn't work. Instead, you should have used an array (bash, ksh, zsh):
options=(-j 5 -B) # ksh: set -A options -- -j 5 -B
make "${options[@]}" file
or a function (POSIX):
make_with_flags() { make -j 5 -B "$@"; }
make_with_flags file
To split on spaces but not perform glob expansion, Posix has a set -f
to disable globbing. You can disable word splitting by setting IFS=''
.
Similarly, you might want an optional argument:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="-x"
bash $debug script
Quoting this doesn't work, since in the default case, "$debug"
would expand to one empty argument while $debug
would expand into zero arguments. In this case, you can use an array with zero or one elements as outlined above, or you can use an unquoted expansion with an alternate value:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="yes"
bash ${debug:+"-x"} script
This is better than an unquoted value because the alternative value can be properly quoted, e.g. wget ${output:+ -o "$output"}
.
As always, this warning can be [[ignore]]d on a case-by-case basis.
this is especially relevant when BASH many not be available for the array work around. For example, use in eval or in command options where script has total control of the variables...
FLAGS="-av -e 'ssh -x' --delete --delete-excluded"
...
# shellcheck disable=SC2086
eval rsync $FLAGS ~/dir remote_host:dir
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting. Open
if [ $OS = "Darwin" ]; then
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting.
Problematic code:
echo $1
for i in $*; do :; done # this done and the next one also applies to expanding arrays.
for i in $@; do :; done
Correct code:
echo "$1"
for i in "$@"; do :; done # or, 'for i; do'
Rationale
The first code looks like "print the first argument". It's actually "Split the first argument by IFS (spaces, tabs and line feeds). Expand each of them as if it was a glob. Join all the resulting strings and filenames with spaces. Print the result."
The second one looks like "iterate through all arguments". It's actually "join all the arguments by the first character of IFS (space), split them by IFS and expand each of them as globs, and iterate on the resulting list". The third one skips the joining part.
Quoting variables prevents word splitting and glob expansion, and prevents the script from breaking when input contains spaces, line feeds, glob characters and such.
Strictly speaking, only expansions themselves need to be quoted, but for stylistic reasons, entire arguments with multiple variable and literal parts are often quoted as one:
$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file # Unquoted (bad)
"$HOME"/"$dir"/dist/bin/"$file" # Minimal quoting (good)
"$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file" # Canonical quoting (good)
When quoting composite arguments, make sure to exclude globs and brace expansions, which lose their special meaning in double quotes: "$HOME/$dir/src/*.c"
will not expand, but "$HOME/$dir/src"/*.c
will.
Note that $( )
starts a new context, and variables in it have to be quoted independently:
echo "This $variable is quoted $(but this $variable is not)"
echo "This $variable is quoted $(and now this "$variable" is too)"
Exceptions
Sometimes you want to split on spaces, like when building a command line:
options="-j 5 -B"
make $options file
Just quoting this doesn't work. Instead, you should have used an array (bash, ksh, zsh):
options=(-j 5 -B) # ksh: set -A options -- -j 5 -B
make "${options[@]}" file
or a function (POSIX):
make_with_flags() { make -j 5 -B "$@"; }
make_with_flags file
To split on spaces but not perform glob expansion, Posix has a set -f
to disable globbing. You can disable word splitting by setting IFS=''
.
Similarly, you might want an optional argument:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="-x"
bash $debug script
Quoting this doesn't work, since in the default case, "$debug"
would expand to one empty argument while $debug
would expand into zero arguments. In this case, you can use an array with zero or one elements as outlined above, or you can use an unquoted expansion with an alternate value:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="yes"
bash ${debug:+"-x"} script
This is better than an unquoted value because the alternative value can be properly quoted, e.g. wget ${output:+ -o "$output"}
.
As always, this warning can be [[ignore]]d on a case-by-case basis.
this is especially relevant when BASH many not be available for the array work around. For example, use in eval or in command options where script has total control of the variables...
FLAGS="-av -e 'ssh -x' --delete --delete-excluded"
...
# shellcheck disable=SC2086
eval rsync $FLAGS ~/dir remote_host:dir
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting. Open
elif [ $OS = "Linux" ]; then
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting.
Problematic code:
echo $1
for i in $*; do :; done # this done and the next one also applies to expanding arrays.
for i in $@; do :; done
Correct code:
echo "$1"
for i in "$@"; do :; done # or, 'for i; do'
Rationale
The first code looks like "print the first argument". It's actually "Split the first argument by IFS (spaces, tabs and line feeds). Expand each of them as if it was a glob. Join all the resulting strings and filenames with spaces. Print the result."
The second one looks like "iterate through all arguments". It's actually "join all the arguments by the first character of IFS (space), split them by IFS and expand each of them as globs, and iterate on the resulting list". The third one skips the joining part.
Quoting variables prevents word splitting and glob expansion, and prevents the script from breaking when input contains spaces, line feeds, glob characters and such.
Strictly speaking, only expansions themselves need to be quoted, but for stylistic reasons, entire arguments with multiple variable and literal parts are often quoted as one:
$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file # Unquoted (bad)
"$HOME"/"$dir"/dist/bin/"$file" # Minimal quoting (good)
"$HOME/$dir/dist/bin/$file" # Canonical quoting (good)
When quoting composite arguments, make sure to exclude globs and brace expansions, which lose their special meaning in double quotes: "$HOME/$dir/src/*.c"
will not expand, but "$HOME/$dir/src"/*.c
will.
Note that $( )
starts a new context, and variables in it have to be quoted independently:
echo "This $variable is quoted $(but this $variable is not)"
echo "This $variable is quoted $(and now this "$variable" is too)"
Exceptions
Sometimes you want to split on spaces, like when building a command line:
options="-j 5 -B"
make $options file
Just quoting this doesn't work. Instead, you should have used an array (bash, ksh, zsh):
options=(-j 5 -B) # ksh: set -A options -- -j 5 -B
make "${options[@]}" file
or a function (POSIX):
make_with_flags() { make -j 5 -B "$@"; }
make_with_flags file
To split on spaces but not perform glob expansion, Posix has a set -f
to disable globbing. You can disable word splitting by setting IFS=''
.
Similarly, you might want an optional argument:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="-x"
bash $debug script
Quoting this doesn't work, since in the default case, "$debug"
would expand to one empty argument while $debug
would expand into zero arguments. In this case, you can use an array with zero or one elements as outlined above, or you can use an unquoted expansion with an alternate value:
debug=""
[[ $1 == "--trace-commands" ]] && debug="yes"
bash ${debug:+"-x"} script
This is better than an unquoted value because the alternative value can be properly quoted, e.g. wget ${output:+ -o "$output"}
.
As always, this warning can be [[ignore]]d on a case-by-case basis.
this is especially relevant when BASH many not be available for the array work around. For example, use in eval or in command options where script has total control of the variables...
FLAGS="-av -e 'ssh -x' --delete --delete-excluded"
...
# shellcheck disable=SC2086
eval rsync $FLAGS ~/dir remote_host:dir
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
This apostrophe terminated the single quoted string! Open
ip route | grep ^default'\s'via | head -1 | awk '{print$3}'
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
This apostrophe terminated the single quoted string!
Problematic code:
echo 'Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.'
Correct code:
echo 'Nothing so needs reforming as other people'\''s habits.'
or
sh
echo "Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits."
Rationale:
When writing a string in single quotes, you have to make sure that any apostrophes in the text don't accidentally terminate the single quoted string prematurely.
Escape them properly (see the correct code) or switch quotes to avoid the problem.
Exceptions:
None.
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
This word is outside of quotes. Did you intend to 'nest '"'single quotes'"' instead'? Open
ip route | grep ^default'\s'via | head -1 | awk '{print$3}'
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
This word is outside of quotes. Did you intend to 'nest '"'single quotes'"'
instead'?
Problematic code:
alias server_uptime='ssh $host 'uptime -p''
Correct code:
alias server_uptime='ssh $host '"'uptime -p'"
Rationale:
In the first case, the user has four single quotes on a line, wishfully hoping that the shell will match them up as outer quotes around a string with literal single quotes:
# v--------match--------v
alias server_uptime='ssh $host 'uptime -p''
# ^--match--^
The shell, meanwhile, always terminates single quoted strings at the first possible single quote:
# v---match--v
alias server_uptime='ssh $host 'uptime -p''
# ^^
Which is the same thing as alias server_uptime='ssh $host uptime' -p
.
There is no way to nest single quotes. However, single quotes can be placed literally in double quotes, so we can instead concatenate a single quoted string and a double quoted string:
# v--match---v
alias server_uptime='ssh $host '"'uptime -p'"
# ^---match---^
This results in an alias with embedded single quotes.
Exceptions
None.
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
Useless cat. Consider 'cmd < file | ..' or 'cmd file | ..' instead. Open
cat /etc/resolv.conf | grep -i ^nameserver | cut -d ' ' -f2
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
Useless cat. Consider 'cmd < file | ..' or 'cmd file | ..' instead.
Problematic code:
cat file | tr ' ' _ | nl
cat file | while IFS= read -r i; do echo "${i%?}"; done
Correct code:
< file tr ' ' _ | nl
while IFS= read -r i; do echo "${i%?}"; done < file
Rationale:
cat
is a tool for con"cat"enating files. Reading a single file as input to a program is considered a Useless Use Of Cat (UUOC).
It's more efficient and less roundabout to simply use redirection. This is especially true for programs that can benefit from seekable input, like tail
or tar
.
Many tools also accept optional filenames, e.g. grep -q foo file
instead of cat file | grep -q foo
.
Exceptions
Pointing out UUOC is a long standing shell programming tradition, and removing them from a short-lived pipeline in a loop can speed it up by 2x. However, it's not necessarily a good use of time in practice, and rarely affects correctness. [[Ignore]] as you see fit.
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.
Use $(..) instead of legacy ..
. Open
OS="`uname`"
- Read upRead up
- Exclude checks
Use $(STATEMENT) instead of legacy `STATEMENT`
Problematic code
echo "Current time: `date`"
Correct code
echo "Current time: $(date)"
Rationale
Backtick command substitution `STATEMENT`
is legacy syntax with several issues.
- It has a series of undefined behaviors related to quoting in POSIX.
- It imposes a custom escaping mode with surprising results.
- It's exceptionally hard to nest.
$(STATEMENT)
command substitution has none of these problems, and is therefore strongly encouraged.
Exceptions
None.
See also
Notice
Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.