Framework macro variables are valid in certain contexts. The following describes the various contexts in which macro variables are valid. Not all macro variables are valid in all contexts.

• Source - Applies to the "source" values of PUT and GET commands.

• Destination - Applies to the "destination" values of PUT and GET commands. 

• Post/Pre Command - Applies to the properties Post Get Command, Post Put Command, Pre Get Command, and Pre Put Command as described in SET command in the Data Flow Command Reference article.

See also: Connector Processing Macros, below, for the separate PreProcessingCommand/PostProcessingCommand properties on File System and SMB endpoints.

The following table outlines the Framework Macros and the contexts in which each is valid:

Note: Cells with a bolded, italicized, underscored X indicate the value might not be known. If the value is not known, the macro name (for example, ${sourcefile}) is simply passed through.  Further, if a macro is used that is not supported within a particular context (for example, referencing ${destfile} within a Source context), it will simply be passed through as well.

The following macros are valid in the contexts defined above:

The following macros are used with PreProcessingCommand/PostProcessingCommand, properties supported only on File System and SMB endpoints. 

${file} and ${filename} are only meaningful where PreProcessingCommand/PostProcessingCommand are supported in the first place — confirm the endpoint type before using them.

• ${file} and ${filename} must be written in lowercase, unlike Framework Macros, which are case-insensitive.
• ${sourcefile} / ${srcfile} and ${destfile} are Framework Macros that return filenames without directories, documented for PreGetCommand/PostGetCommand/PrePutCommand/PostPutCommand. They are not valid substitutes for ${file}/${filename} in OS processing commands under PreProcessingCommand/PostProcessingCommand.
• The distinction above applies specifically to referencing the transferred file. Although the built-in $LCOPY command can resolve Framework Macros such as ${srcfile} and ${datetime} in PreProcessingCommand and PostProcessingCommand, ${sourcefile}, ${srcfile}, and ${destfile} cannot be used in place of ${file} or ${filename} for that purpose.

In the pattern, all ASCII letters are reserved as pattern letters, which are defined as the following:

Any characters in the pattern that are not in the ranges of ['a'..'z'] and ['A'..'Z'] are treated as quoted text.  For instance, characters like '.', '#' and '@' appear in the resulting date or time text even if they are not enclosed within single quotes.

Note: A pattern containing any invalid pattern letter will result in a thrown exception during formatting or parsing.

Examples Using Pattern Strings:

Use operations in the ${datetime} macro to specify variants of the date and time in either the past or the future. The format of the macro with operations depends on which fields are included.

When only date fields are included in the format:

${datetime[+/-#y][+/-#m][+/-#d]:format}

Otherwise, when time fields are included in the format:

${datetime[+/-#h][+/-#m][+/-#s]:format}

The '#' character specifies one or more digit values and the order of the +/- fields (y=year, m=month, d=day, h=hour, m=minute, s=second) dictates the order of the operation. Calendar rules, however, still apply. For example, if the operation causes the day to wrap to the next month then the month value is automatically incremented.

The format parameter variable is case-insensitive and is always required. If it is specified with the +/- field(s), it must be specified as the last parameter. 

Note: You can only use date operations when the format includes only date fields and not time fields. Otherwise, you can only use time operations.