Variables

Overview

Variables are what allow Toucan to work portably across different computers which, as of version 3, can even run different operating systems. The easiest way to think of a variable is as a smart file or folder path which changes based on the computer you are currently using. Toucan has a number of built in Variables and you can create your own in the GUI. Whether user created or built-in a variable can be used anywhere Toucan expects a file or folder path, simply wrap the variable name in @-signs, for example @docs@ or @myvar@. Variables can also be nested, for example you can create a Variable that uses @drive@ within it to get the current drive. There is no limit to the depth at which they may be created although to ease understanding they should probably be limited to two or three levels.

User Interface

The Variables Tab

The Variables interface is very simple. Variables can be saved, added and removed using the standard controls in the top left of the window. The rest of the window is taken up with a list that shows the various expansions of different variables on different machines. On the right hand side are buttons to allow you to add and remove these expansions.

Built-in Variables

The table below summarises the variables that are built in to Toucan.

Name

Description

date

The current date in the format yyyy-mm-dd

time

The current time in the format hh-mm

year (or YYYY)

The year in its four digit form, i.e. 2009

month (or MM)

The two digit month, i.e. June is 06

monthname

The month name i.e. August

monthshortname

The short month name i.e. Aug

day (or DD)

The current day i.e. 23

dayname

The day name, i.e. Monday

dayshortname

The short day name i.e. Mon

hour (or hh)

The current hour

minute (or mm)

The current minute

dayofweek

The weekday number in the range 1 - 7 where Monday is 1

weekofyear

The current week number in the range 1 - 53

drive

The drive letter that Toucan is being run from

docs

The current users documents folder

volume

The volume name of the drive Toucan is being run from

label

The label from an autorun.inf file, if it exists

volumename

The reverse of the volume variable, i.e. @mydrivevolumename@ might map to C: