To %% or not to %%... That is the question...

[Phil Pendlebury]

This has been a bit of blur for me since the start but I think I should sort it out.

I use a screen capture line as an example:

Say I have read the variable deftolerance from an ini file and so deftolerance = 50

My line is:

FindImagePos>%SCRIPT_DIR%\graphics\%mutegraf%,%SCRIPT_DIR%\screen\export.bmp,%deftolerance%,1,mx,my,mute

or it could be:

FindImagePos>%SCRIPT_DIR%\graphics\%mutegraf%,%SCRIPT_DIR%\screen\export.bmp,deftolerance,1,mx,my,mute

Both of the above work fine. In this case the variable will never be touched or changed while the script is running.

Which is best and if possible why?

This is not a request for support so not urgent. Maybe more of a help for me and others and a topic for discussion.

[Bob Hansen]

I tend to always use %variable% format with the %.

The two main reasons that I do this are:
1. Log files show the actual value of the variable vs. the variable name. This is extremely useful when troubleshooting.
2. Easy to identify variables in strings and formulas.

[Phil Pendlebury]

I tend to always use %variable% format with the %.

The two main reasons that I do this are:
1. Log files show the actual value of the variable vs. the variable name. This is extremely useful when troubleshooting.
2. Easy to identify variables in strings and formulas.

Hi Bob,

That is what I have been doing but I just wondered if it was wrong in any way.

Thanks for that.

[JRL]

When resolving a variable surrounding the variable in percents is never "wrong".

When assigning a variable surrounding the variable in percents is almost always wrong. One exception is when assigning an arrayed variable, the variable used as the array counter will be surrounded by percents. See this thread for a discussion about assigning variables with percents.

Parameters are the values passed to or set by a function. If the function has multiple parameters, they are separated by commas. If a parameter contains a variable and the variable is the entire parameter no percents are needed. The exception is when the system variable "VarExplicit" is set to 1.

Macro Scheduler will look at any parameter to see if it is a variable. If a variable with that name exists, the value assigned to that variable is used, otherwise just that literal value is used. Setting VAREXPLICIT to 1 stops this behaviour and tells Macro Scheduler only to resolve a variable if it is contained within % symbols.

For example:

Code: Select all

Let>VarExplicit=0
Let>WinX=100
Let>WinY=100
MouseMove>WinX,WinY
//Or
MouseMove>%WinX%,%WinY%
//Either way is correct since VarExplicit=0

If a parameter contains a variable and the parameter contains even one character that is not a part of the variable name, then the variable must be surrounded by percents.
For example:

Code: Select all

Let>VarExplicit=0
Let>FileName1=Test.txt
Let>FileName2=Final.txt
CopyFile>C:\temp\%FileName1%,C:\Data\%FileName2%

To summarize, Percents are needed around a variable when:
1) There are characters in a parameter that are not part of the variable.
2) VarExplicit is set to 1.

Percents are NOT needed around a variable when:
1) Assigning a value to the variable.
2) The variable is the parameter.

[Marcus Tettmar]

Here's an article I wrote in July:

http://www.mjtnet.com/blog/2008/07/04/u ... -variable/

[Phil Pendlebury]

Here's an article I wrote in July:

http://www.mjtnet.com/blog/2008/07/04/u ... -variable/

Ahhh there you go.