Automate MFT supports the use of macros to dynamically insert values into file names and email alerts during task execution. Macros act as placeholders that are replaced with real-time data when a task runs, allowing for flexible and context-aware automation.

Use cases

Macros are commonly used in:
  • File renaming: Customize file names during transfer by embedding dynamic elements such as timestamps or original file names.
  • Email alerts: Include task-specific or file-specific details in alert messages for better traceability and context.
For example, you can rename a file during archiving to include the word Archive and the current date. If the original file is my_file.txt, you can configure the rename step as:
Archive-[yyyy]-[MM]-[dd]-[OrigName]
When the task completes, Automate MFT will rename the file to something like this:
Archive-2025-07-04-my_file.txt

Macros syntax

  • Macros must be enclosed in square brackets, for example, [OrigName].
  • Macros are case-sensitive.
  • Date/Time macros reflect the current system time on the Agent OS or UTC if using a cloud agent.
  • Macros do not reference file metadata such as last modified date.

Where to use macros

Automate MFT supports macros in two main contexts:
  • File-by-file processing: File-specific macros (such as [OrigName] and [FileSize]) and date/time macros (such as [dd] and [yy]) are supported.
  • Post-run email steps: Task-specific macros (such as [TaskID] and [TaskFolder]) and date/time macros (such as [dd] and [yy]) are supported.

Supported macros

Table 1. File-specific macros - use in file renaming steps
Macro Description Example

[DestFileName]

Destination file name including extension. If the rename operation is enabled, the [DestFileName] must be updated with the new value.

report.pdf

[DestFolderPath]

Destination folder path without the file name.

If the file is located at /backup/monthly/report.pdf, the value is /backup/monthly/.

[FileSize]

 Size of the file in bytes. 1048576

[ID]

 Unique identifier of the file, in GUID format. 2b1e4f60-8c2a-4e5a-9b7d-3a2f6c8e9d12

[OnlyExt]

 File extension. pdf

[OnlyName]

 File name without extension. report

[OrigFullPath]

 Full source path including file name. /backups/monthly/report.pdf

[OrigName]

 Original file name with extension. report.pdf

[RelativePath]

 Path relative to base folder. monthly/report.pdf

[TaskDescription]

 Description of the task. Monthly backup of financial reports

[TaskExecID]

 Unique ID of the task execution. 123456789

[TaskFolder]

 Name of the organizational folder where the task is located

If the task is in All Tasks/First Level/Second Level/Third Level/, the value is Third Level

[TaskFolderFullPath]

 Full folder path of the task.

If the task is in All Tasks/First Level/Second Level/Third Level/, the value is All Tasks/First Level/Second Level/Third Level

[TaskID]

 Unique ID of the task. 987654321

[TaskName]

 Name of the task. Monthly Backup

[TaskTags]

 Comma-separated list of tags assigned to the task.

If the task has tags PCI and HIPAA, the value is PCI, HIPAA

[ActualStart]

 Actual start time (using local timezone for the private agent or UTC for the cloud agent) in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS. 2025-01-23 09:00:00

[ErrorDescriptionTask]

 Description of task error (only available as a post-task item). Internal server error

[NominalStart]

 Scheduled start time (using local timezone for the private agent or UTC for the cloud agent) in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS. 2025-01-23 09:00:00

[TaskStatus]

 Status of the task run. Success, Failure

[Params:{parameter name}]

This will use the value contained in the user defined parameter.

Whatever is currently contained in the user specified parameter.
Table 2. Task-specific macros - use in post-run email alerts
Macro Description Example
[ActualStart] Actual start time (using local timezone for the private agent or UTC for the cloud agent) in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS. 2025-01-23 09:00:00
[ErrorDescriptionTask] Description of task error (only available as a post-task item). Internal server error
[NominalStart] Scheduled start time (using local timezone for the private agent or UTC for the cloud agent) in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS. 2025-01-23 09:00:00
[TaskDescription] Description of the task. Monthly backup of financial reports
[TaskExecID] Unique ID of the task execution. 123456789
[TaskFolder] Name of the organizational folder where the task is located

If the task is in All Tasks/First Level/Second Level/Third Level/, the value is Third Level
[TaskFolderFullPath] Full folder path of the task.

If the task is in All Tasks/First Level/Second Level/Third Level/, the value is All Tasks/First Level/Second Level/Third Level
[TaskID] Unique ID of the task. 987654321
[TaskName] Name of the task. Monthly Backup
[TaskStatus] Status of the task run. Success, Failure
[TaskTags] Comma-separated list of tags assigned to the task.

If the task has tags PCI and HIPAA, the value is PCI, HIPAA

[Params:{parameter name}]

This will use the value contained in the user defined parameter.

Whatever is currently contained in the user specified parameter.
Table 3. Date/time macros - use in file renaming steps or post-run email alerts
Macro Description Example
[ddd] Day of week; three-letter abbreviation. Tue
[dddd] Day of week; full. Tuesday
[d] Day of month; minimal representation. 7
[dd] Day of month; two-digit representation. 07
[HH] Hour; two-digit representation, 24-hour format. 07
[hh] Hour; two-digit representation, 12-hour format. 07
[tt] am/pm; two-digit representation pm
[M] Month; minimal numeric representation. 7
[MM] Month; two-digit numeric representation 07
[MMM] Month; short representation Jan
[MMMM] Month; full representation. January
[ss] Seconds; two-digit representation. 07
[mm] Minutes; two-digit representation. 07
[yy] Year; two-digit representation. 25
[yyyy] Year; four-digit representation. 2025