SC2006

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.

Related resources:

• BashFaq: Why is $(...) preferred over `...` (backticks)?
• StackOverflow: What is the difference between $(command) and `command` in shell programming?