Using WebCT Environment Variables in Proxy Tools

A little known feature is the ability for designers to use certain "environment variables" when they configure proxy tools. Here's a rundown of the available variables:

$USER$.name - the current user's login name
$USER$.id - the current user's personID (same as RPT_LEARNING_CONTEXT.PERSON_ID and SubjectVO?.getPersonID)
$LC$.name - the current learning context name
$LC$.id - the current learning context ID (LCID)
$LC$.description - the long description of the current learning context
$INST$.id - the learning context ID of the institution
$INST$.name - the institution name

These variables can be used in any proxy tool field except the title and will be resolved whenever a user clicks the proxy tool link.

For example, assume that you have a proxy tool that has a URL field. If one of the parameters is the user name, the designer could simply append the user name variable to the URL like so:
http://myurl?username=$USER$.name

A word of caution: if a designer uses a variable in a proxy tool field and edits the proxy tool at a later time, the variable will be replaced with the actual current value (determined by the designer's environment). If you want that value to be dynamic (determined by the environment of the user clicking the proxy tool), be sure to change the value back to the variable before saving the proxy tool changes.

This article originally authored by Paul Monk on the WebCT DevNet