BUG: Version 11 - Set Variable to Text - Variable Name by Indirection - Variable Name from Array with Custom Delimiter

Questions & Suggestions
, ,
1

This is a simple test macro to attempt to set the value of a variable (foo), where the variable name is specified by indirection from an array of text values.

It's abstracted from a complicated workflow that we have been using successfully for a number of years.

Screenshot 2023-11-10 at 13.10.57
Screenshot 2023-11-10 at 13.10.571480Ă—1568 219 KB

Set Variable by Indirection Test.kmmacros (4.0 KB)

The expected result of running the macro is that the variable "foo" is assigned the value "bar".

I have tested the macro in version 10 of Keyboard Maestro and the test macro works. However, in versions 11 and 11.0.1, the macro fails with an error message:

2023-11-10 13:06:26 Set Variable to Text failed to set variable “(null)” (from “%Variable%InstanceArray[1]:%”). Macro “Test” cancelled (while executing Set the Variable to the Listified Numbers).

Notes:

  • The variable name is obtained from a text array with a colon as a custom delimiter.

  • The disabled "Display Text" step, when enabled, correctly reports the variable InstanceArray[1]: as having the value "foo". This is in both versions 10 and 11.

  • The manual page for Set Variable to Text appears to indicate that all that is required for a variable to be specified by indirection is to enter, in the Set variable field of the Set Variable to Text step, a token that resolves to the name of the variable to be assigned.

Has anything changed in Version 11 that might cause the observed behaviour?

Does anyone know how I can modify the macro so that it works in version 11?

Thank you for any help you may be able to provide.

2

Yes, the issue is that if the Set Variable to Text action variable has a [ then Keyboard Maestro is deciding that it is setting an array component of the variable.

So it is treating it as if the variable name was %Variable%InstanceArray and setting the first indexed entry of an array separated by :%.

I will adjust the parsing to try to more accurately choose whether the array entry is part of the token or part of the variable.

Thanks.

3

Thanks very much for the quick reply, Peter. Look forward to the fix being rolled out.

4

BTW, you can work around it by using a temp variable.

  • Set variable “LocalTemp” to “%Variable%InstanceArray[1]:%
  • Set variable %Variable%LocalTemp% …
5

Thanks, Peter. I'd already realised I could use a temp variable as a workaround. I confirm that it allows our workflow to perform as expected.

1 Like