Watch.ExpandString

Provides access to the emulated job file and to all variables. This function returns a string that is the expanded version of the input string.

Syntax

Watch.ExpandString(StringToExpand)

StringToExpand

A regular parseable string that may contain system variables (%u, %f), user variables (%1 to %9), octal codes, and data selections.

Note: Workflow interprets a backslash in the regular parseable string as an escape character; JavaScript, Python and Perl do the same. This means that backslashes must be doubled when using one of those scripting languages.
This does not apply to strings inside a system variable or user variable, since those variables are expanded, but not parsed.

Here is an example in VBScript, with a file name:

Dim s
s = Watch.ExpandString("C:\\Account\\PDFs\\REV%{RevisionNumber}-LP.pdf")
Watch.Log s,2

In JavaScript, Python, and Perl, the file name would have to be:
"C:\\\\Account\\\\PDFs\\\\REV%{RevisionNumber}-LP.pdf"

If %{RevisionNumber} contains a backslash, it will not be seen as an escape character.

Example

This example results in expanding the string of the variables to the date value in the following format: “YYYY-MM-DD”.

JavaScript

var s;
s= Watch.ExpandString("%y-%m-%d");
Watch.Log("Current Date is: " + s, 2);

VBScript

Dim s
s= Watch.ExpandString("%y-%m-%d")
Watch.Log "Current Date is: " + s, 2

Python

s= Watch.ExpandString("%y-%m-%d")
Watch.Log("Current Date is: " + s, 2)

Perl

$s = $Watch->ExpandString("%y-%m-%d");
$Watch->Log("Current Date is: " . $s,2);