Jekyll Error “Liquid Exception: undefined method `encoding' for nil:NilClass in _layouts/post.html”

Question

Getting the following error when trying to run jekyll build or jekyll serve :

Liquid Exception: undefined method 'encoding' for nil:NilClass in _layouts/post.html
jekyll 2.5.3 | Error: undefined method 'encoding' for nil:NilClass

It looks to be an issue with a RVM/ruby file? (see the --trace logs below) but I haven't really touched anything code-wise (especially not in any ruby files) and haven't edited '/_layouts/post.html' in the last several commits and this just popped up.

Here's the repository on Github: https://github.com/ryanstraits/ryanstraits.github.io , though the master branch is on the last commit before this error occurred.

Not much of a serious coder, so I'm a little baffled. Any help would be great.

Here's what I get when I run jekyll build --trace :

Liquid Exception: undefined method encoding' for nil:NilClass in _layouts/post.html /Users/Straits/.rvm/rubies/ruby-2.2.0/lib/ruby/2.2.0/cgi/util.rb:8:inescape': undefined method encoding' for nil:NilClass (NoMethodError) from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/filters.rb:134:incgi_escape'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/strainer.rb:43:in invoke' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/context.rb:82:ininvoke'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/variable.rb:50:in block in render' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/variable.rb:38:ineach'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/variable.rb:38:in inject' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/variable.rb:38:inrender'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/block.rb:109:in block in render_all' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/block.rb:96:ineach'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/block.rb:96:in render_all' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/tags/if.rb:40:inblock (2 levels) in render'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/tags/if.rb:38:in each' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/tags/if.rb:38:inblock in render'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/context.rb:112:in stack' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/tags/if.rb:37:inrender'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/block.rb:109:in block in render_all' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/block.rb:96:ineach'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/block.rb:96:in render_all' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/tags/for.rb:117:inblock (2 levels) in render'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/tags/for.rb:105:in each' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/tags/for.rb:105:ineach_with_index'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/tags/for.rb:105:in block in render' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/context.rb:112:instack'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/tags/for.rb:104:in render' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/block.rb:109:inblock in render_all'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/block.rb:96:in each' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/block.rb:96:inrender_all'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/block.rb:82:in render' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/template.rb:128:inrender'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/liquid-2.6.2/lib/liquid/template.rb:138:in render!' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/convertible.rb:106:inrender_liquid'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/convertible.rb:205:in render_all_layouts' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/convertible.rb:239:indo_layout'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/post.rb:261:in render' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/site.rb:298:inblock in render'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/site.rb:297:in each' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/site.rb:297:inrender'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/site.rb:51:in process' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/command.rb:28:inprocess_site'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/commands/build.rb:56:in build' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/commands/build.rb:34:inprocess'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/lib/jekyll/commands/build.rb:18:in block (2 levels) in init_with_program' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/mercenary-0.3.5/lib/mercenary/command.rb:220:incall'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/mercenary-0.3.5/lib/mercenary/command.rb:220:in block in execute' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/mercenary-0.3.5/lib/mercenary/command.rb:220:ineach'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/mercenary-0.3.5/lib/mercenary/command.rb:220:in execute' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/mercenary-0.3.5/lib/mercenary/program.rb:42:ingo'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/mercenary-0.3.5/lib/mercenary.rb:19:in program' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/gems/jekyll-2.5.3/bin/jekyll:20:in'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/bin/jekyll:23:in load' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/bin/jekyll:23:in

'
from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/bin/ruby_executable_hooks:15:in eval' from /Users/Straits/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.2.0/bin/ruby_executable_hooks:15:in'

Answer 1

The problem for me was a:

{{ cgi_escape_title = page.title | cgi_escape }}

in my _layouts/default.html , for pages that don't have page.title .

One solution is to do instead:

{{ page.title | default: "" | cgi_escape }}

which converts the nul title to "" , or if you are feeling more verbose:

{% if page.title %}
  {% assign cgi_escape_title = page.title | cgi_escape %}
{% else %}
  {% assign cgi_escape_title = '' %}
{% endif %}
{{ cgi_escape_title }}

Tested on Jekyll 3.0.3.

Answer 2

Found the issue: A lot of my posts were imported using a "Wordpress to Jekyll" converter and it looks like it left the "title:" field blank in the Front Matter of a few of those posts. Just wish the error would have been a bit more specific.

I guess the lesson at the end of the day is: don't leave your Front Matter blank, folks!