* [Dnsutils](https://packages.debian.org/jessie/dnsutils) is required for WAN search on Linux

Close

MD032 - Lists should be surrounded by blank lines

Tags: bullet, ul, ol, blank_lines

Aliases: blanks-around-lists

This rule is triggered when lists (of any kind) are either not preceded or not followed by a blank line:

Some text
* Some
* List

1. Some
2. List
Some text

To fix this, ensure that all lists have a blank line both before and after (except where the block is at the beginning or end of the document):

Some text

* Some
* List

1. Some
2. List

Some text

Rationale: Aside from aesthetic reasons, some parsers, including kramdown, will not parse lists that don't have blank lines before and after them.

Note: List items without hanging indents are a violation of this rule; list items with hanging indents are okay:

* This is
not okay

* This is
  okay

if [ "$*" = "-A curl -s https://api.ipify.org?format=json | grep -Eo "[0-9.]*" ]; then

Close

Did you forget to close this double quoted string?

Problematic code:

greeting="hello
target="world"

Correct code:

greeting="hello"
target="world"

Rationale:

The first line is missing a quote.

ShellCheck warns when it detects multi-line double quoted, single quoted or backticked strings when the character that follows it looks out of place (and gives a companion warning [[SC1079]] at that spot).

Exceptions

If you do want a multiline variable, just make sure the character after it is a quote, space or line feed.

var='multiline
'value

can be rewritten for readability and to remove the warning:

var='multiline
value'

As always `..` should be rewritten to $(..).

Notice

Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.

  echo "12.34.56.78"

Close

This is actually an end quote, but due to next char it looks suspect.

See companion warning [[SC1078]].

Notice

Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.

  if [ $OS = "Darwin" ]; then

Close

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.

![Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/Jk3L3EO.png)

Close

MD034 - Bare URL used

Tags: links, url

Aliases: no-bare-urls

This rule is triggered whenever a URL is given that isn't surrounded by angle brackets:

For more information, see http://www.example.com/.

To fix this, add angle brackets around the URL:

For more information, see <http:></http:>.

Rationale: Without angle brackets, the URL isn't converted into a link in many markdown parsers.

Note: if you do want a bare URL without it being converted into a link, enclose it in a code block, otherwise in some markdown parsers it will be converted:

`http://www.example.com`

[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/jakewmeyer/Geo.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/jakewmeyer/Geo)

Close

MD034 - Bare URL used

Tags: links, url

Aliases: no-bare-urls

This rule is triggered whenever a URL is given that isn't surrounded by angle brackets:

For more information, see http://www.example.com/.

To fix this, add angle brackets around the URL:

For more information, see <http:></http:>.

Rationale: Without angle brackets, the URL isn't converted into a link in many markdown parsers.

Note: if you do want a bare URL without it being converted into a link, enclose it in a code block, otherwise in some markdown parsers it will be converted:

`http://www.example.com`

  echo "98.76.54.32"

Close

Couldn't parse this ...

This parsing error points to the structure ShellCheck was trying to parse when a parser error occurred. See [[Parser error]] for more information.

Notice

Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.

OS="`uname`"

Close

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.

1. It has a series of undefined behaviors related to quoting in POSIX.
2. It imposes a custom escaping mode with surprising results.
3. It's exceptionally hard to nest.

$(STATEMENT) command substitution has none of these problems, and is therefore strongly encouraged.

Exceptions

None.

See also

• http://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashFAQ/082

Notice

Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.

* If you run into any issues, please open an issue ASAP and I'll work to get it resolved and merged.

Close

MD013 - Line length

Tags: line_length

Aliases: line-length Parameters: linelength, codeblocks, tables (number; default 80, boolean; default true)

This rule is triggered when there are lines that are longer than the configured line length (default: 80 characters). To fix this, split the line up into multiple lines.

This rule has an exception where there is no whitespace beyond the configured line length. This allows you to still include items such as long URLs without being forced to break them in the middle.

You also have the option to exclude this rule for code blocks and tables. To do this, set the code_blocks and/or tables parameters to false.

Code blocks are included in this rule by default since it is often a requirement for document readability, and tentatively compatible with code rules. Still, some languages do not lend themselves to short lines.

[![Platform](https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-MacOS%20%2B%20Linux-blue.svg)]()

Close

MD034 - Bare URL used

Tags: links, url

Aliases: no-bare-urls

This rule is triggered whenever a URL is given that isn't surrounded by angle brackets:

For more information, see http://www.example.com/.

To fix this, add angle brackets around the URL:

For more information, see <http:></http:>.

Rationale: Without angle brackets, the URL isn't converted into a link in many markdown parsers.

Note: if you do want a bare URL without it being converted into a link, enclose it in a code block, otherwise in some markdown parsers it will be converted:

`http://www.example.com`

  echo "12.34.56.78"

Close

Couldn't parse this ...

This parsing error points to the structure ShellCheck was trying to parse when a parser error occurred. See [[Parser error]] for more information.

Notice

Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.

  elif [ $OS = "Linux" ]; then

Close

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.

    ip route | grep ^default'\s'via | head -1 | awk '{print$3}'

Close

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.

if [ "$*" = "-A curl -s https://api.ipify.org?format=json | grep -Eo "[0-9.]*" ]; then

Close

The mentioned parser error was in ...

This info warning points to the start of what ShellCheck was parsing when it failed. See [[Parser error]] for example and information.

Notice

Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.

fi

Close

Unexpected ..

Note: There is a [known bug](../issues/1036) in the current version when [directives](../wiki/Directive) appear within then clauses of if blocks that causes Shellcheck to report SC1072 on otherwise valid code. Avoid using directives within then clauses - instead place them at the top of the if block or another enclosing block. This is fixed on the online version and the next release.

See Parser Error.

Notice

Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.

    ip route | grep ^default'\s'via | head -1 | awk '{print$3}'

Close

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.

if [ "$*" = "-A curl -s https://api.ipify.org?format=json | grep -Eo "[0-9.]*" ]; then

Close

Did you forget to close this double quoted string?

Problematic code:

greeting="hello
target="world"

Correct code:

greeting="hello"
target="world"

Rationale:

The first line is missing a quote.

ShellCheck warns when it detects multi-line double quoted, single quoted or backticked strings when the character that follows it looks out of place (and gives a companion warning [[SC1079]] at that spot).

Exceptions

If you do want a multiline variable, just make sure the character after it is a quote, space or line feed.

var='multiline
'value

can be rewritten for readability and to remove the warning:

var='multiline
value'

As always `..` should be rewritten to $(..).

Notice

Original content from the ShellCheck https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck/wiki.

* [Dnsutils](https://packages.debian.org/jessie/dnsutils) is required for WAN search on Linux

Close

MD013 - Line length

Tags: line_length

Aliases: line-length Parameters: linelength, codeblocks, tables (number; default 80, boolean; default true)

This rule is triggered when there are lines that are longer than the configured line length (default: 80 characters). To fix this, split the line up into multiple lines.

This rule has an exception where there is no whitespace beyond the configured line length. This allows you to still include items such as long URLs without being forced to break them in the middle.

You also have the option to exclude this rule for code blocks and tables. To do this, set the code_blocks and/or tables parameters to false.

Code blocks are included in this rule by default since it is often a requirement for document readability, and tentatively compatible with code rules. Still, some languages do not lend themselves to short lines.

<div align="center">

Close

MD033 - Inline HTML

Tags: html

Aliases: no-inline-html

This rule is triggered whenever raw HTML is used in a markdown document:

Inline HTML header

To fix this, use 'pure' markdown instead of including raw HTML:

# Markdown header

Rationale: Raw HTML is allowed in markdown, but this rule is included for those who want their documents to only include "pure" markdown, or for those who are rendering markdown documents in something other than HTML.