literal ';' STRING

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