Substitution
Description
The most basic form of evaluation is a %-substitution. Even when other forms of evalution are not performed, %-substitutions usually are. A %-substitution is a '%' followed by one or two letters, digits, or symbols.
If a sequence is understood, it is substituted by a corresponding value.
If a sequence is not understood, the initial '%' is removed. In this way, the '%' also acts similarly to the '\' escape.
For some substitutions, if the letter following the '%' is capitalized, the first letter of the result of the substitution is also capitalized.
Certain %-sequences provide gender-specific pronouns. Some provide information about the execution state. Some provide control over the appearance of text.
Commonly-Used
- %r
- Carriage Return
- %t
- Tab
- %b
- Space
- %%
- Literal '%'.
- %\
- Literal '\'.
- %x<code>
- ANSI color codes.
- %c<code>
- ANSI color codes.
Pronoun-Related
- %s, %S
- Subjective form: he, she, it, they. See: subj(%#)
- %o, %O
- Objective form: him, her, it, them. See: obj(%#)
- %p, %P
- Possessive form: his, her, its, their. See: poss(%#)
- %a, %A
- Absolute Possessive form: his, hers, its, theirs. See: aposs(%#)
Database
- %n, %N
- Enactor's name. See name(%#).
- %va-%vz
- Contents of attribute va through vz.
- %=<attr>
- Equivalent to v(attr) or get(me/attr).
Execution State
- %m
- Text of the last command executed.
- %0-%9
- Value of positional parameter/stack location 0 through 9.
- %q0-%q9
- Value of temporary (setq) register 0 through 9.
- %qa-%qz
- Value of temporary (setq) register A through Z.
- %#
- Database number of the object that caused the message to be displayed or the action list to be run (Enactor).
- %@
- Database number of the object immediately calling %! (Caller). This number starts as the same as %#, but can be affected by u()-type functions, zones, and @function.
- %!
- Database number of the object holding the message or running the action list (Executor).
- %l
- Database number of the location of the object that caused the message to be displayed or the action list to be run.
- %|
- A string piped from the previous command in a pipe.
Note that %<whatever> is equivalent to v(<whatever>), but is more efficient.
See also: ANSI(), ANSI codes, ANSI substitution, Gender, V().
Relevant help files: help substitutions, help substitutions2, help substitutions3