Implemented: Expand Variables on Formatted Search with expandvariables Flag

In some cases it is useful to apply a FormattedSearch on text where the %VARS{}% variables are expanded. For example, you search topics that have a %CALC{}% in a table cell, and you want to show the result of the formula applied to the search hit topic, not to the topic where SEARCH is.

To do that, %SEARCH{}% has now a new expandvariables switch:

Example

This is a silly example that searches this topic and pulls the total from this table:

The cell next to Total has this formula: %CALC{"$SUM( $ABOVE() )"}%

Normal SEARCH where "$SUM( $ABOVE() )" is calculated after the SEARCH:
%SEARCH{ "Total" topic="ExpandVariablesOnFormattedSearch" format="   * Total: $pattern(.*?\| Total\:[^\|]+\|([^\|]+).*)" nosearch="on" nototal="on" }%

• Total: 0

SEARCH with expandvariables="on" where the formula is evaluated before the formatted search:
%SEARCH{ "Total" topic="ExpandVariablesOnFormattedSearch" format="   * Total: $pattern(.*?\| Total\:[^\|]+\|([^\|]+).*)" nosearch="on" nototal="on" expandvariables="on" }%

• Total: 1970

Contributors:
-- PeterThoeny - 27 Feb 2004

Discussions

Change is in TWikiAlphaRelease and at TWiki.org.

-- PeterThoeny - 27 Feb 2004

Small enhancement affecting only a multiple=on search:

• Old spec: The variables got expanded inside the multiple=on loop
• New spec: The variables get expanded on the whole topic before the multiple=on loop
• Purpose: A multiple=on search catches now also content produced by another SEARCH located in the searched topic

Enhancement is in TWikiAlphaRelease.

-- PeterThoeny - 12 Mar 2004