MD042 - no-empty-links

Description

This rule is triggered when an empty link is encountered. Empty links have no destination or contain only an empty fragment (#). This applies to inline links, as well as full, collapsed, and shortcut reference links whose definition points to an empty destination. Links must have a valid destination to function properly.

Rationale

Empty links do not lead anywhere and therefore don't function as links. They may indicate incomplete content or a placeholder that was never filled in.

Examples

Invalid

# Empty Links

This is an [empty link]().

This is an [empty fragment](#).

Here is [another empty]( ).

Valid

# Valid Links

This is a [proper link](https://example.com/).

This is a [fragment link](#section).

Here is a [reference link][ref].

[ref]: https://example.com/reference