doc_suspicious_footnotes: lint text that looks like a footnote

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5636,6 +5636,7 @@ Released 2018-09-13
 [`doc_markdown`]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-clippy/master/index.html#doc_markdown
 [`doc_nested_refdefs`]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-clippy/master/index.html#doc_nested_refdefs
 [`doc_overindented_list_items`]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-clippy/master/index.html#doc_overindented_list_items
+[`doc_suspicious_footnotes`]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-clippy/master/index.html#doc_suspicious_footnotes
 [`double_comparisons`]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-clippy/master/index.html#double_comparisons
 [`double_ended_iterator_last`]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-clippy/master/index.html#double_ended_iterator_last
 [`double_must_use`]: https://rust-lang.github.io/rust-clippy/master/index.html#double_must_use

clippy_lints/src/declared_lints.rs

@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@ pub static LINTS: &[&crate::LintInfo] = &[
     crate::doc::DOC_MARKDOWN_INFO,
     crate::doc::DOC_NESTED_REFDEFS_INFO,
     crate::doc::DOC_OVERINDENTED_LIST_ITEMS_INFO,
+    crate::doc::DOC_SUSPICIOUS_FOOTNOTES_INFO,
     crate::doc::EMPTY_DOCS_INFO,
     crate::doc::MISSING_ERRORS_DOC_INFO,
     crate::doc::MISSING_PANICS_DOC_INFO,

clippy_lints/src/doc/doc_suspicious_footnotes.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+use clippy_utils::diagnostics::span_lint_and_then;
+use clippy_utils::source::snippet_with_applicability;
+use rustc_errors::Applicability;
+use rustc_lint::LateContext;
+
+use std::ops::Range;
+
+use super::{DOC_SUSPICIOUS_FOOTNOTES, Fragments};
+
+pub fn check(cx: &LateContext<'_>, doc: &str, range: Range<usize>, fragments: &Fragments<'_>) {
+    for i in doc[range.clone()]
+        .bytes()
+        .enumerate()
+        .filter_map(|(i, c)| if c == b'[' { Some(i) } else { None })
+    {
+        let start = i + range.start;
+        if doc.as_bytes().get(start + 1) == Some(&b'^')
+            && let Some(end) = all_numbers_upto_brace(doc, start + 2)
+            && doc.as_bytes().get(end) != Some(&b':')
+            && doc.as_bytes().get(start - 1) != Some(&b'\\')
+            && let Some(span) = fragments.span(cx, start..end)
+        {
+            span_lint_and_then(
+                cx,
+                DOC_SUSPICIOUS_FOOTNOTES,
+                span,
+                "looks like a footnote ref, but no matching footnote",
+                |diag| {
+                    let mut applicability = Applicability::MachineApplicable;
+                    let snippet = snippet_with_applicability(cx, span, "..", &mut applicability);
+                    diag.span_suggestion_verbose(span, "try", format!("`{snippet}`"), applicability);
+                },
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn all_numbers_upto_brace(text: &str, i: usize) -> Option<usize> {
+    for (j, c) in text.as_bytes()[i..].iter().copied().enumerate().take(64) {
+        if c == b']' && j != 0 {
+            return Some(i + j + 1);
+        }
+        if !c.is_ascii_digit() || j >= 64 {
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    None
+}

clippy_lints/src/doc/mod.rs

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ use std::ops::Range;
 use url::Url;
 
 mod doc_comment_double_space_linebreaks;
+mod doc_suspicious_footnotes;
 mod include_in_doc_without_cfg;
 mod lazy_continuation;
 mod link_with_quotes;
@@ -608,6 +609,34 @@ declare_clippy_lint! {
     "double-space used for doc comment linebreak instead of `\\`"
 }
 
+declare_clippy_lint! {
+    /// ### What it does
+    /// Detects syntax that looks like a footnote reference,
+    /// because it matches the regexp `\[\^[0-9]+\]`,
+    /// but has no referent.
+    ///
+    /// ### Why is this bad?
+    /// This probably means that a definition was meant to exist,
+    /// but was not written.
+    ///
+    /// ### Example
+    /// ```no_run
+    /// /// This is not a footnote[^1], because no definition exists.
+    /// fn my_fn() {}
+    /// ```
+    /// Use instead:
+    /// ```no_run
+    /// /// This is a footnote[^1].
+    /// ///
+    /// /// [^1]: defined here
+    /// fn my_fn() {}
+    /// ```
+    #[clippy::version = "1.88.0"]
+    pub DOC_SUSPICIOUS_FOOTNOTES,
+    suspicious,
+    "looks like a link or footnote ref, but with no definition"
+}
+
 pub struct Documentation {
     valid_idents: FxHashSet<String>,
     check_private_items: bool,
@@ -639,7 +668,8 @@ impl_lint_pass!(Documentation => [
     DOC_OVERINDENTED_LIST_ITEMS,
     TOO_LONG_FIRST_DOC_PARAGRAPH,
     DOC_INCLUDE_WITHOUT_CFG,
-    DOC_COMMENT_DOUBLE_SPACE_LINEBREAKS
+    DOC_COMMENT_DOUBLE_SPACE_LINEBREAKS,
+    DOC_SUSPICIOUS_FOOTNOTES,
 ]);
 
 impl EarlyLintPass for Documentation {
@@ -1147,7 +1177,8 @@ fn check_doc<'a, Events: Iterator<Item = (pulldown_cmark::Event<'a>, Range<usize
                         // Don't check the text associated with external URLs
                         continue;
                     }
-                    text_to_check.push((text, range, code_level));
+                    text_to_check.push((text, range.clone(), code_level));
+                    doc_suspicious_footnotes::check(cx, doc, range, &fragments);
                 }
             }
             FootnoteReference(_) => {}

tests/ui/doc_suspicious_footnotes.fixed

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#![warn(clippy::doc_suspicious_footnotes)]
+
+/// This is not a footnote`[^1]`.
+//~^ doc_suspicious_footnotes
+///
+/// This is not a footnote[^either], but it doesn't warn.
+///
+/// This is not a footnote\[^1], but it also doesn't warn.
+///
+/// This is not a footnote[^1\], but it also doesn't warn.
+///
+/// This is not a `footnote[^1]`, but it also doesn't warn.
+///
+/// This is a footnote[^2].
+///
+/// [^2]: hello world
+pub fn footnotes() {
+    // test code goes here
+}

tests/ui/doc_suspicious_footnotes.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#![warn(clippy::doc_suspicious_footnotes)]
+
+/// This is not a footnote[^1].
+//~^ doc_suspicious_footnotes
+///
+/// This is not a footnote[^either], but it doesn't warn.
+///
+/// This is not a footnote\[^1], but it also doesn't warn.
+///
+/// This is not a footnote[^1\], but it also doesn't warn.
+///
+/// This is not a `footnote[^1]`, but it also doesn't warn.
+///
+/// This is a footnote[^2].
+///
+/// [^2]: hello world
+pub fn footnotes() {
+    // test code goes here
+}

tests/ui/doc_suspicious_footnotes.stderr

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+error: looks like a footnote ref, but no matching footnote
+  --> tests/ui/doc_suspicious_footnotes.rs:3:27
+   |
+LL | /// This is not a footnote[^1].
+   |                           ^^^^
+   |
+   = note: `-D clippy::doc-suspicious-footnotes` implied by `-D warnings`
+   = help: to override `-D warnings` add `#[allow(clippy::doc_suspicious_footnotes)]`
+help: try
+   |
+LL - /// This is not a footnote[^1].
+LL + /// This is not a footnote`[^1]`.
+   |
+
+error: aborting due to 1 previous error
+