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What Infuse Does
More Syntax
Desktop Usage

Container

Variables in the container are words beginning and ending with a dollar sign ($). The first character after the initial dollar sign must be a letter of the alphabet or an underscore (_). Subsequent characters can be letters, digits or underscores. Variables must not contain blank spaces, punctuation characters, or control characters.

You may find the StrongED tool strip useful for stripping out content from a webpage automatically.

Content

A content file is simply a set of assignments of the form

variable = [[text]]

For example:

$signoff$ = [[

               Yours faithfully

                  Clarissa O'Driscoll

PS. Keep on trucking.
            ]]

So the text can include newlines; however, a newline following the opening double-bracket ([[) is ignored.

It is possible to include the values of previously defined variables like this:

$greataunt$ = [[Clarissa O'Driscoll]]
$envoi$ = [[ Keep on trucking.]]

$template$ = [[

               Yours faithfully

                  %s

PS. %s
            ]]

$signoff$ = $template$:format($greataunt$,$envoi$)

The symbol %s is a format-specifier which shows where the arguments of the format function are to be placed.

However, if the variables $greataunt$, $envoi$ and $template$ do not actually appear in the container, you can equally well write

local greataunt,envoi = [[Clarissa O'Driscoll]],[[ Keep on trucking.]]
local template = [[

               Yours faithfully

                  %s

PS. %s
            ]]
$signoff$ = template:format(greataunt,envoi)

Note three differences. First, the word local preceding the definitions of greataunt, envoi and template; this ensures that these definitions cannot clash with others in other content-files. Second, the $ symbols have been dispensed with; this is only possible if they do not appear in the container. Third, it is possible to define more than one variable at a time, using a multi-assignment. The variables appear on the left, separated by commas, and the values they are to be assigned appear on the right, separated by commas.

If a variable occurring in the container is not defined in a content file, then the corresponding merged file will simply contain the name of the variable. So look for words beginning and ending with a dollar sign in the output because they probably indicate that you forgot a definition.