Bug: lualine.nvim/lua/lualine/utils/nvim_opts.lua:77: E539: Illegal character <d>

Self Checks

[x] I'm using the latest lualine.
[x] I did find the issue in existing issues or PRs.

How to reproduce the problem

Step-0: prepare the environment

machine: macOS M1 chip, OS version: ventura 13.6 (linux like ubuntu should be good too).
wezterm (other terminal should be good too).

install the Sauce Code Pro nerd font and configure it in wezterm.

local wezterm = require("wezterm")
local config = {}
config.font = wezterm.font("SauceCodePro Nerd Font Mono")
return config

This is because usually we're using patched fonts with icons, and the nvim-web-devicons plugin.

Step-1: download the neovide code base (a rust project):

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/neovide/neovide.git ~/.neovide

Step-2: cd into the project folder & open the `main.rs` with the minimal init:

cd ~/.neovide
nvim -u minimal_init.lua src/main.rs

The minimal_init.lua is attached in the end of this issue.

Note, the minimal_init.lua contains multiple plugins:

nvim-lspconfig, mason.nvim: they're for installing the rust_analyzer lsp.
web-nvim-devicons.nvim, lsp-progress.nvim: it's for providing lsp progress status messages as a lualine component.
lualine.nvim: this plugin itself.

When you're using this minimal_init.lua, the first time you won't re-produce the issue, that's because lazy.nvim need to install plugins, and mason need to install rust_analyzer, wait for all the dependencies installed successfully, then re-open the file src/main.rs in the second time.

Expected behaviour

Correctly shows the lsp progress status messages.

Actual behaviour

It shows:

https://github.com/nvim-lualine/lualine.nvim/assets/6496887/508612a9-211a-408d-8b99-2b7df7c737b6

The error is:

lualine.nvim/lua/lualine/utils/nvim_opts.lua:77: E539: Illegal character <d>

Sometimes it will also report for <+>, <i>.

To help debugging, I add debug log in the lsp-progress.nvim/lua/lsp-progress.lua:

local function progress(option)
  local content = ''
  ...
  logger.debug( -- add log in this line
    "|lsp-progress.progress| returned content: %s",
    vim.inspect(content)
  )
  return content
end

return {
  setup = setup,
  progress = progress,
}

Here's the log file:

lsp-progress.nvim.log

I guess it's relate to the % escaping when formatting lua string.

Also see issue: https://github.com/linrongbin16/lsp-progress.nvim/pull/95.

Minimal config to reproduce the issue

-- options
vim.opt.number = true
vim.opt.relativenumber = false
vim.opt.signcolumn = "yes"
vim.opt.showmode = false
vim.opt.laststatus = 3
vim.opt.autoread = true
vim.opt.autowrite = true
vim.opt.swapfile = false
vim.opt.confirm = false

-- lazy plugin manager
local lazypath = vim.fn.stdpath("config") .. "/lazy/lazy.nvim"
if not vim.loop.fs_stat(lazypath) then
    vim.fn.system({
        "git",
        "clone",
        "--filter=blob:none",
        "https://github.com/folke/lazy.nvim.git",
        "--branch=stable", -- latest stable release
        lazypath,
    })
end
vim.opt.rtp:prepend(lazypath)

require("lazy").setup({
    {
        "neovim/nvim-lspconfig",
        config = function() end,
    },
    {
        "williamboman/mason.nvim",
        dependencies = { "neovim/nvim-lspconfig" },
        build = ":MasonUpdate",
        config = function()
            require("mason").setup({
                ui = {
                    icons = {
                        package_installed = "✓",
                        package_pending = "➜",
                        package_uninstalled = "✗",
                    },
                },
            })
        end,
    },
    {
        "williamboman/mason-lspconfig.nvim",
        dependencies = { "neovim/nvim-lspconfig", "williamboman/mason.nvim" },
        config = function()
            require("mason-lspconfig").setup({
                ensure_installed = {
                    "rust_analyzer",
                },
            })
            require("mason-lspconfig").setup_handlers({
                function(server)
                    require("lspconfig")[server].setup({})
                end,
            })
        end,
    },
    {
        "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons",
        lazy = true,
    },
    {
        "linrongbin16/lsp-progress.nvim",
        dependencies = { "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons" },
        lazy = true,
        config = function()
            require("lsp-progress").setup()
        end,
    },
    {
        "nvim-lualine/lualine.nvim",
        event = { "UIEnter" },
        dependencies = {
            "linrongbin16/lsp-progress.nvim",
            "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons",
        },
        config = function()
            local empty_component_separators = { left = "", right = "" }
            local angle_section_separators = { left = "", right = "" }

            local config = {
                options = {
                    icons_enabled = true,
                    component_separators = empty_component_separators,
                    section_separators = angle_section_separators,
                },
                sections = {
                    lualine_a = { "mode" },
                    lualine_b = {
                        "filename",
                        require("lsp-progress").progress,
                    },
                },
                inactive_sections = {},
                tabline = {},
                winbar = {},
                inactive_winbar = {},
                extensions = {},
            }

            require("lualine").setup(config)

            -- listen to lsp-progress event and refresh
            vim.api.nvim_create_augroup("lualine_augroup", { clear = true })
            vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("User", {
                group = "lualine_augroup",
                pattern = "LspProgressStatusUpdated",
                callback = require("lualine").refresh,
            })
        end,
    },
})

nvim-lualine / lualine.nvim