Trying to pass a string that needs to be evaluated in a custom tag.

[paulferree]

I have a custom tag that runs a dynamic query and I'm trying to pass a string to it that has some variable names that is only relevant to that tag.

The attribute looks like this in the custom tag:

column_detail="

<a href=""page.cfm?category_id=##qItems.category_id##"" style=""cursor:hand;""><img src=""images/edit.gif"" /> ##qItems.category_title##</a>"

"

(qItems is the name of the query being run inside the tag)

and in the customtag itself I tried to call it like this

#Evaluate(ATTRIBUTES.column_detail)#

However, I get an error with the < in the anchor tag, because I guess it's trying to evaluate that as a mathmatical equation and falling short.

How do I properly pass that string to the tag and have the tag process those variables?

Thanks!

Paul

[Dan_Bracuk]

First, instead of evaluate, try array notation.

attributes["constants in quotes" & variables]

It's faster and might even solve your problem.

Second, what are you attempting to do when the problem occurs?

[paulferree]

I have a page that outputs a listing of data.  And I want to have a central template that handles the listing dynamically. I want to tell the template how many columns to display and I want to control how that data is displayed in each column.

For instance, I could have a listing page that displays: Name, Date, Status.  And then I have another listing page that just has a Category and Status column.  I want to use a single template(tag) for this and I want to be able to control the display of the data in those columns, like if I wanted the Name data to be linked specifically for that listing page.

So in my tag I wanted to do something like this

<cfmodule template="mycustomtag.cfm"

     column_detail="<a href='link.cfm?id=##qItem.id##'>##qItem.name##</a>,##qItem.date##",##qItem.status##"

>

My template will loop through the column detail list to generate the data.  I [thought I] had to use Evaluate to evaluate those variable names on the page, and it works when I don't have any querky characters like <>.  My tag processes it something like this:

           <cfoutput query="qItems">

               <cfloop from="1" to="#ListLen(ATTRIBUTES.column_headings)#" index="i">

                    <div id="column" style="width:#ListGetAt(ATTRIBUTES.column_widths, i)#px;">
                        #Evaluate(ListGetAt(ATTRIBUTES.column_detail,i))#
                    </div>
                </cfloop>

          </cfoutput>

Those variables (qItem.name) doesn't exist on the calling page so Im not sure what to do.

Does that make sense?

Thanks.

[BKBK]

<cfmodule template="mycustomtag.cfm"

     column_detail="<a href='link.cfm?id=##qItem.id##'>##qItem.name##</a>,##qItem.date##",##qItem.status##"

>

The extra " after ##qItem.date## seems to be a mistake. Remove it.

Further, you could use # in place of ##, and abandon the evaluate function.  So, what do you get when you do something like this:

<cfmodule template="mycustomtag.cfm"

     column_detail="<a href='link.cfm?id=#qItem.id#'>#qItem.name#</a>,#qItem.date#,#qItem.stat us#">

<cfoutput query="qItems">

               <cfloop from="1" to="#ListLen(ATTRIBUTES.column_headings)#" index="i">

                    <div id="column" style="width:#ListGetAt(ATTRIBUTES.column_widths, i)#px;">
                        #ListGetAt(ATTRIBUTES.column_detail,i)#
                    </div>
                </cfloop>

          </cfoutput>

[paulferree]

Thanks, but that doesn't work out.

I have to ## because those variables don't exist on the page that calls that custom tag.

And if I need coldfusion to process the values of that attribute "column_detail" before it outputs the data.  Otherwise I just get the output "#qItem.name#" instead of the value of that variable.

[BKBK]

Ah, I see what you mean. I'll have another look.

[BKBK]

In light of your explanation, your code seems OK. What happens when you remove the extra " after ##qItem.date##?

[BKBK]

Use evaluate(de()) in place of evaluate(). I would do something like

<cfset column_detail = evaluate(de(ATTRIBUTES.column_detail))>

  #listGetAt(column_detail,i)#

[paulferree]

BINGO!

I tried to use DE in some other way before but it didn't work for me.  Yours did the trick.  The custom tag now calls the variable like this:

#Evaluate(DE(ListGetAt(ATTRIBUTES.column_details,i)))#

Which gets the job done!! Yay!

I appreciate the help!

Paul

[BKBK]

Cheers! Good luck.

[davelaws]

This should work for you. Also change the " (double quote) to a ' (single quote) on the start and the end of the cfset so it doent look confusing.

evaluate(de(column_detail))

d

Sorry, just realised you already got an answer. lol