# Config.yaml multiline folding syntax **URL:** \ **Category:** Bug Reports\ **Created:** [September 26, 2018, 11:43am UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/config-yaml-multiline-folding-syntax/25400 "2018-09-26T11:43:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ikerin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/circleci/user_avatar/discuss.circleci.com/ikerin/32/19267_2.png) [@ikerin](https://discuss.circleci.com/u/ikerin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 11:43am UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/config-yaml-multiline-folding-syntax/25400/1 "2018-09-26T11:43:33Z")
```yaml - run: > curl https://shipit.ovotech.org.uk/deployments?apikey=$SHIPIT_API_KEY -d team=bit -d service=boost-bit-workflows -d buildId=$CIRCLE_BUILD_NUM -d "links[0].title=CircleCI build" -d "links[0].url=$CIRCLE_BUILD_URL" -d "links[1].title=Diff url" -d "links[1].url=$CIRCLE_COMPARE_URL" -d "notifySlackChannel=boost-bit-squad" ``` Results in this error message: ```bash #!/bin/bash -eo pipefail curl https://shipit.ovotech.org.uk/deployments?apikey=$SHIPIT_API_KEY -d team=bit -d service=boost-bit-workflows -d buildId=$CIRCLE_BUILD_NUM -d "links[0].title=CircleCI build" -d "links[0].url=$CIRCLE_BUILD_URL" -d "links[1].title=Diff url" -d "links[1].url=$CIRCLE_COMPARE_URL" -d "notifySlackChannel=boost-bit-squad" /bin/bash: line 1: -d: command not found Exited with code 127 ``` But it should make it one line, > According to the 1.0 spec: [http://yaml.org/spec/1.0/#id2566944](http://yaml.org/spec/1.0/#id2566944) ---
**Author:** ![halfer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/circleci/user_avatar/discuss.circleci.com/halfer/32/9083_2.png) [@halfer](https://discuss.circleci.com/u/halfer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 11:44am UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/config-yaml-multiline-folding-syntax/25400/2 "2018-09-26T11:44:58Z")
The line breaks are still seen by the CLI. You need to append `\` to every non-last line. ---
**Author:** ![marc](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/circleci/user_avatar/discuss.circleci.com/marc/32/835_2.png) [@marc](https://discuss.circleci.com/u/marc)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 12:11pm UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/config-yaml-multiline-folding-syntax/25400/3 "2018-09-26T12:11:16Z")
```auto $ pbpaste > config.yml $ irb irb(main):001:0> require 'yaml' => true irb(main):008:0> print YAML.load(File.read('config.yml'))[0]['run'] curl https://shipit.ovotech.org.uk/deployments?apikey=$SHIPIT_API_KEY -d team=bit -d service=boost-bit-workflows -d buildId=$CIRCLE_BUILD_NUM -d "links[0].title=CircleCI build" -d "links[0].url=$CIRCLE_BUILD_URL" -d "links[1].title=Diff url" -d "links[1].url=$CIRCLE_COMPARE_URL" -d "notifySlackChannel=boost-bit-squad"=> nil irb(main):009:0> ``` Ruby’s YAML parser behaves the same as the Java-based one that we are using internally. I think it’s an indentation issue in the input string. ---
**Author:** ![marc](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/circleci/user_avatar/discuss.circleci.com/marc/32/835_2.png) [@marc](https://discuss.circleci.com/u/marc)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 12:14pm UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/config-yaml-multiline-folding-syntax/25400/4 "2018-09-26T12:14:36Z")
Oddly, if you indent the string like this is behaves you expect: ```auto - run: > curl https://shipit.ovotech.org.uk/deployments?apikey=$SHIPIT_API_KEY -d team=bit -d service=boost-bit-workflows -d buildId=$CIRCLE_BUILD_NUM -d "links[0].title=CircleCI build" -d "links[0].url=$CIRCLE_BUILD_URL" -d "links[1].title=Diff url" -d "links[1].url=$CIRCLE_COMPARE_URL" -d "notifySlackChannel=boost-bit-squad" ``` Yay for YAML 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![halfer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/circleci/user_avatar/discuss.circleci.com/halfer/32/9083_2.png) [@halfer](https://discuss.circleci.com/u/halfer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 12:50pm UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/config-yaml-multiline-folding-syntax/25400/5 "2018-09-26T12:50:39Z")
Ooh, I didn’t know you could do that. Interesting! Either way, use [this parser](http://yaml-online-parser.appspot.com/) to see how your file will be understood. ---
**Author:** ![ikerin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/circleci/user_avatar/discuss.circleci.com/ikerin/32/19267_2.png) [@ikerin](https://discuss.circleci.com/u/ikerin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/config-yaml-multiline-folding-syntax/25400/6 "2018-09-26T14:36:00Z")
Wow! That was a speedy reply 10x a lot guys. What parser is actually used by circleci? I thought I’ve seen Clojure errors so I assumed it was that, but I guess its probably just a Java lib. ---
**Author:** ![ulidtko](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/circleci/user_avatar/discuss.circleci.com/ulidtko/32/21578_2.png) [@ulidtko](https://discuss.circleci.com/u/ulidtko)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/config-yaml-multiline-folding-syntax/25400/7 "2020-11-16T18:04:53Z")
This does seem as correctly meeting YAML 1.0 specification. Not a bug. Notice the indents: ```auto test: > foo --bar --buzz ``` — gives `{ "test": "foo --bar --buzz\n" }` as expected, **but** ```auto test: > foo --bar --buzz ``` — gives `{ "test": "foo\n --bar\n --buzz\n" }`. This is correct on the grounds of [4.6.6.1](https://yaml.org/spec/1.0/#id2566944), emphasis mine: > The combined effect of the processing rules above is that each “paragraph” is interpreted as a single line, empty lines are used to represent a line feed, **and “more indented” lines are preserved**. Also see Example 4.24 where the spec gives understandable motivation behind this: ```yaml indented text: > This is a folded paragraph followed by a list: * first entry * second entry Followed by [...] above is equal to: | This is a folded paragraph followed by a list: * first entry * second entry Followed by [...] ``` * * * **TL;DR** you must not indent subsequent lines in a folded block scalar. This would work as you expect: ```yaml - run: > curl https://shipit.ovotech.org.uk/deployments?apikey=$SHIPIT_API_KEY -d team=bit -d service=boost-bit-workflows -d buildId=$CIRCLE_BUILD_NUM ``` or this (using literal block scalar and `bash`-level line continuations): ```yaml - run: | curl https://shipit.ovotech.org.uk/deployments?apikey=$SHIPIT_API_KEY \ -d team=bit \ -d service=boost-bit-workflows \ -d buildId=$CIRCLE_BUILD_NUM \ [...] ```