Get the last element from one or more lists

Summary

The last macro returns the last element from one or more comma-separated lists. If multiple lists are provided, it returns the last element from the combined lists.

Syntax 

${last;<list>[;<list>...]}

Parameters

  • list - One or more semicolon-separated lists of values (items within each list are comma-separated)

Behavior

  • Combines all provided lists into a single list
  • Returns the last element from the combined list
  • Returns an empty string if all lists are empty
  • Preserves the original value (no trimming or transformation)

Examples

Get last element from a list:

${last;apple,banana,cherry}
# Returns: "cherry"

Get last from multiple lists:

${last;red,green;blue,yellow}
# Returns: "yellow"

Get last defined value:

version=${last;1.0.0;${custom.version};${snapshot.version}}
# Returns last defined version

Use with property lists:

latest.jar=${last;${buildpath}}

Select last matching file:

newest=${last;${sort;${lsr;logs;*.log}}}

Use Cases

  • Selecting the final item from a list
  • Getting the most recent value (when lists are ordered)
  • Extracting tail elements for processing
  • Choosing the last available option
  • Implementing last-wins strategies
  • Getting the tail of a sequence

Notes

  • Returns empty string (not null) for empty lists
  • Does not modify or trim the value
  • Can handle multiple list arguments separated by semicolons
  • See also: ${first} for getting the first element
  • See also: ${get} with negative index (-1) for the same result
  • See also: ${sublist} for extracting multiple elements

See test cases in MacroTestsForDocsExamples.java