how to do simple macros with parameters?

[PlasmaHH]

Hi, is it possible to do simple macros with parameters? There are wikis out there that have various syntax like {macro:arg1=foo} or {{macro arg1="foo"}} or very similar ones and then the definition body would be like Hello $arg1 or similar and then the result would be Hello foo.

Is anything like that easily possible with simple macro definitions in yaml files? I know I could write python code for that but it seems quite some overhead for a simple text replacement, also it is much less accessible for all the people at the company that do just want to write text and not program in python...

[fralau]

Sure! Their syntax is similar to Python.

Just follow the example, and enjoy!

[PlasmaHH]

I don't want to format some objects with format strings, I want to have wiki style macros that expand to some extra information with the passed one embedded. For example, defining one macro as

lmgtfy: [{0}](https://www.google.com/search?q={0})

and then later in markdown do

{{ lmgtfy("mkdcos") }}

To render a link to a google search for the passed term. So in case the URI one day changes, or you want to add paramterer everywhere or whatever, all you have to do is to change the definition.

But I am not sure why you would do that, and what the code under define_env() is meant for? 🤔

The code is a (good enough for me, probably too simple for others) way to go through the macro plugins variables and if they contain a { before a } somewhere replace it by a function in the macro dict.

I am all ears how to do it easier (from the writer of the .md file and potentially maintianer of the macro definition list) with jinja templates only

[fralau]

I got it!

That should do it:

def define_env(env):
    
    @env.macro
    def lgmtfy(search_item):
        return f"https://www.google.com/search?q={search_item}"

Then you could use, somewhere in your markdown:

Here is the URL: {{ lmgtfy("mkdocs") }}

Then usually, you would have to use the hyperlink syntax so that it becomes clickable, like this:

[Here is the URL]({{ lmgtfy("mkdocs") }})

[PlasmaHH]

My point here is to make the macro definition easy, alongside all the other macros in a single file. I don't want the people that write the documentation who have no idea of python to fiddle with the python code.

It is also much more convenient for me to have all macro definitions in a single yaml file, as ~90% of them will not need to have that expansion be done. Also I plan one of the macro definition files to be autogenerated, it would be really convenient to use that instead having to auto generated python code.

[fralau]

MkDocs-Macros should give you the tools to do all that (puglets, YAML file), if you are willing to put in the homework.

[PlasmaHH]

Well I guess my python code from above is that homework then as I could not find any other way to make it possible to define parametrized macro in yaml