Missing definition

The writing points at a footnote, [^label], or names a link by a label, [text][label] or [label][], and no line on the page defines that label. Statac publishes what you wrote as words, brackets and all.

What you’ll see

warning  Missing definition: there is no `[^2]:` line
  Did you mean `[^1]`?
  More: https://statac.dev/e/missing-definition/

In the terminal the message also names the file and line where there is one, and marks the exact text.

Why Statac warns

Markdown shows a reference with no definition as the words you typed, so the page is still readable, but the note or the link you meant isn’t on it. A footnote’s note and a link’s address can be written anywhere on the page, even inside a snippet call that wraps writing, so a label spelled two ways is the usual cause. Brackets that aren’t a reference, such as [draft] alone or x[i][j], are left alone.

How to fix it

Add the line the reference needs, or correct the label to one the page defines. When a defined label is close to the one you wrote, Statac offers it. Labels match whatever their case. To show the brackets as words, write a backslash before the first: \[^label].

Example

In content/post-1.md:

The figures are from 2026.[^source]

[^sources]: The yearly report.

Write the marker and its note with the same label:

The figures are from 2026.[^sources]

[^sources]: The yearly report.

Its name

Name	missing-definition
In the terminal	statac explain missing-definition
To stop showing it	quiet: [missing-definition] in statac.yaml, once you have understood it. Statac still counts it.