Evaluation of macro arguments
-----------------------------

                 Key: VELOCITY-752
                 URL: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/VELOCITY-752
             Project: Velocity
          Issue Type: Bug
          Components: Engine
    Affects Versions: 1.6.2
         Environment: Windows XP SP2, Java 1.5
            Reporter: Steve O'Hara
            Priority: Minor


I've just come across a little gotcha that has taken a few hours to track down 
which might help other people.

An example;

#macro(myMacro $FieldName)
    #foreach ($Name in $FieldList)
        #if ($FieldName=="empty")
            #set ($tmp=$FieldsFound.put($FieldName,$velocityCount))
        #end
    #end
#end

#foreach ($X in $MyFields)
    #myMacro("Field$velocityCount")
#end

All looks OK doesn't it, but........

The problem is one of when arguments are evaluated or in fact to be more 
precise, are not evaluated at all.
Once you bear that in mind you can see the logical problem above - the use of 
$velocityCount (or indeed any variable) in the argument list of myMacro i.e. 

#myMacro("Field$velocityCount")

This sort of usage is dangerous because in effect, what is happening is that 
the macro argument literal is being placed within the macro body without being 
evaluated first.
So, the body of the macro becomes this;

    #foreach ($Name in $FieldList)
        #if ("Field$velocityCount"=="empty")
            #set ($tmp=$FieldsFound.put("Field$velocityCount",$velocityCount)
        #end
    #end

Not what you intended at all and depending on the names of your variables, 
could cause all kinds of mayhem with values coming into scope that you hadn't 
intended.

The workaround is to set a variable before the call to the macro and send that 
instead e.g.

#foreach ($X in $MyFields)
    #set ($tmp="Field$velocityCount")
    #myMacro($tmp)
#end



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