How can I escape special characters in bash with FZF?

[rickalex21]

1. Create this makefile:

TARGET=some_program

target:
	$(TARGET) This will error here when searching.

2. Try searching for TARGET using this:

open_files() {
	echo "args $*"
  # Handel args here.
}
export -f open_files

RG_PREFIX="rg --follow --sortr=path --column --line-number --no-heading --color=always --smart-case "
INITIAL_QUERY="${*:-}"
DIRS=(".")

selected=$(
	FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND="$RG_PREFIX $(printf %q "$INITIAL_QUERY") ${DIRS[*]}" \
		fzf --ansi \
		--color "hl:-1:underline,hl+:-1:underline:reverse" \
		--disabled --query "$INITIAL_QUERY" \
		--bind "change:reload:sleep 0.1; $RG_PREFIX {q} ${DIRS[*]} || true" \
		--bind "ctrl-f:unbind(change,ctrl-f)+change-prompt(2. fzf> )+enable-search+clear-query" \
		--bind 'enter:become(bash -c "open_files {+}">/dev/tty)+abort' \
		--prompt '1. ripgrep> ' \
		--multi \
		--delimiter : \
		--preview 'bat --color=always {1} --highlight-line {2}' \
		--preview-window 'up,65%,border-bottom,+{2}+3/3,~3' \
		--height "100%"
)

You will get an error in fish or bash:

fish: Unknown command: TARGET
fish: 
TARGET
^~~~~^
in command substitution
fish: Unknown command
bash -c "open_files './Makefile:28:4: $(TARGET) This will error here when searching.'">/dev/tty

[LangLangBart]

When pressing ⏎ Enter, fzf executes using $SHELL -c. See also fzf's man page.

man fzf | less --pattern 'fzf runs the command with'

echo $SHELL
# /usr/local/bin/fish

Your command would be executed as follows:

/usr/local/bin/fish -c 'bash -c "open_files ./Makefile:4:4:$(TARGET) This will error here when searching.">/dev/tty'
# fish: Unknown command: TARGET
# fish:
# TARGET
# ^~~~~^
# in command substitution
# fish: Unknown command
# bash -c "open_files ./Makefile:4:4:$(TARGET) This will error here when searching.">/dev/tty

To modify the SHELL variable, prepend SHELL=$(which bash) to your fzf command in the script:

- FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND="$RG_PREFIX $(printf %q "$INITIAL_QUERY") ${DIRS[*]}" \
+ SHELL="$(which bash)" FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND="$RG_PREFIX $(printf %q "$INITIAL_QUERY") ${DIRS[*]}" \

Then, update this line:

-   --bind 'enter:become(bash -c "open_files {+}">/dev/tty)+abort' \
+   --bind 'enter:become:open_files {+}>/dev/tty' \

# args ./Makefile:4:4:	$(TARGET) This will error here when searching.

[rickalex21]

Thanks that make sense have a great weekend @LangLangBart