eslint-plugin-yml

Introduction to ESLint Plugin for YAML

eslint-plugin-yml is a tool designed to help developers maintain consistent styling and catch errors in their YAML files. It's an extension for ESLint, a popular tool for identifying and fixing problems in JavaScript code. But unlike JavaScript, YAML is a data serialization language often used for configuration files, and ensuring its correctness and style consistency can be important for large projects.

Features

1. Linting for YAML: This plugin allows developers to use ESLint's capabilities to lint YAML files, helping to identify and fix issues.
2. Consistent Code Styles: Developers can enforce consistent styles throughout their YAML files.
3. Supports Vue SFC: For Vue single-file components (SFCs), the plugin supports custom blocks written in YAML, such as <i18n lang="yaml">. It's compatible with vue-eslint-parser version 7.3.0 and above.
4. ESLint Directives: The plugin supports ESLint directives, for example, # eslint-disable-next-line.
5. Real-time Feedback: With editor integrations, developers can receive instant feedback on their YAML files.

Difference from Other YAML Plugins

Unlike other YAML plugins such as eslint-plugin-yaml, which don't use Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs), eslint-plugin-yml provides both AST and source code text to ESLint. This means it can handle ESLint directive comments and work alongside other plugins that require source text.

Installation and Usage

To get started with eslint-plugin-yml, it supports installation via npm. The basic requirements include:

• ESLint version 6.0.0 or higher.
• Node.js version 14.17.x, 16.x, or higher.

Configuration: Developers can configure the plugin using either eslint.config.js files or traditional .eslintrc.* files. It provides several configurations such as:

• flat/base for basic YAML parsing.
• flat/recommended for rules to avoid errors.
• flat/standard for enforcing common stylistic conventions.
• flat/prettier to disable rules that conflict with Prettier.

Running ESLint: When executing ESLint, include the .yaml extension using the --ext option, as ESLint defaults to targeting only JavaScript files.

Editor Integrations

The plugin supports integration with editors like Visual Studio Code and JetBrains WebStorm, allowing developers to lint YAML files directly within these platforms by modifying the linting scope or configurations.

YAML Rules

eslint-plugin-yml comes with a comprehensive set of rules for maintaining YAML standards, such as consistent indentation (yml/indent), preventing empty documents (yml/no-empty-document), and more. Some of these rules support automatic fixing when using the --fix option in ESLint.

Conclusion

eslint-plugin-yml is a powerful tool for developers working with YAML, providing robust linting capabilities and ensuring consistency and correctness in configuration files, thanks to its seamless integration with ESLint and compatibility with popular development environments.