Prevent macro expansion by wrapping a value with macro delimiters

Summary

The literal macro prevents macro expansion by wrapping a value with the macro prefix ${ and suffix }. This effectively creates a literal macro reference that won’t be expanded in the current pass.

Syntax 

${literal;<value>}

Parameters

  • value - The string to wrap with macro delimiters

Behavior

  • Wraps the input value with ${ and }
  • Returns ${<value>}
  • Prevents immediate macro expansion
  • The result can be expanded in a later processing pass

Examples

Create a literal macro reference:

${literal;version}
# Returns: "${version}"

Delay macro expansion:

deferred=${literal;basedir}
# deferred contains the string "${basedir}", not the actual path

Pass macro syntax as a value:

template=${literal;project.name}
# Later: expanded=${template} will evaluate ${project.name}

Store macro patterns:

pattern=${literal;if;condition;true;false}
# Returns: "${if;condition;true;false}"

Use Cases

  • Delaying macro expansion to a later processing stage
  • Storing macro patterns as values
  • Generating dynamic macro references
  • Template creation and processing
  • Multi-pass macro processing
  • Escaping macro syntax

Notes

  • The result is a string, not an expanded macro
  • Useful for meta-programming with macros
  • The wrapped value will be expanded if processed again
  • Does not escape inner content - only wraps it
  • Requires exactly one argument
  • Returns a literal macro syntax string
  • See also: Property substitution and template processing

See test cases in MacroTestsForDocsExamples.java