# Macro Creation Tutorial

**URL:** <https://klipper.discourse.group/t/macro-creation-tutorial/30>\
**Category:** Macros\
**Created:** [March 22, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://klipper.discourse.group/t/macro-creation-tutorial/30 "2021-03-22T15:00:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 20

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**Author:** ![garethky](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/klipper.discourse.group/garethky/32/956_2.png) [@garethky](https://klipper.discourse.group/u/garethky)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 11:05pm UTC](https://klipper.discourse.group/t/macro-creation-tutorial/30/20 "2022-09-12T23:05:16Z")

</div>

something to add to the tutorial:

The `SET_GCODE_VARIABLE` and `SAVE_VARIABLE` commands in klipper require that you pass them Python literals. Simple strings and numbers are pretty easy but what about complex types like arrays or objects? This has been a stumbling block for more ambitious macros. If you have tried the `tojson` filter you have probably not had a lot of luck. Here is a way to do it using the `pprint` filter:

```auto
[gcode_macro TEST_STUFF]
variable_hello: None
gcode:
    {action_respond_info(printer['gcode_macro TEST_STUFF'].hello | pprint)}
    {% set my_array = [1, 2.0, "heater_bed", None, 3] %}
    {% set my_object = {"name": "Hello World it's \"Fred\" calling", "some_data": my_array} %}
    {action_respond_info("my_array: %s" % (my_array | pprint | replace("\n", "") | replace("\"", "\\\"")))}
    {action_respond_info("my_object: %s" % (my_object | pprint | replace("\n", "") | replace("\"", "\\\"")))}
    SET_GCODE_VARIABLE MACRO=TEST_STUFF VARIABLE=hello VALUE="{my_object | pprint | replace("\n", "") | replace("\"", "\\\"")}"

```

Output of 2 calls:

```auto
$ TEST_STUFF
// None
// my_array: [1, 2.0, 'heater_bed', None, 3]
// my_object: {'name': 'Hello World it\'s \"Fred\" calling', 'some_data': [1, 2.0, 'heater_bed', None, 3]}

$ TEST_STUFF
// {'name': 'Hello World it\'s "Fred" calling',
// 'some_data': [1, 2.0, 'heater_bed', None, 3]}
// my_array: [1, 2.0, 'heater_bed', None, 3]
// my_object: {'name': 'Hello World it\'s \"Fred\" calling', 'some_data': [1, 2.0, 'heater_bed', None, 3]}

```

- `pprint` converts Python objects to their Python Literal format but it adds newlines when the object is too large to comfortably read.
- `replace("\n", "")` deletes the newlines
- `replace("\"", "\\\"")` escapes double quotes in the string so it can be passed to a klipper command wrapped in double quotes.

The end result is a valid Python literal that you can pass to the macros:

```auto
SET_GCODE_VARIABLE MACRO=TEST_STUFF VARIABLE=hello VALUE="{my_object | pprint | replace("\n", "") | replace("\"", "\\\"")}"
SAVE_VARIABLE VARIABLE="my_saved_variable" VALUE="{my_object | pprint | replace("\n", "") | replace("\"", "\\\"")}"

```

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_[View the full topic](https://klipper.discourse.group/t/macro-creation-tutorial/30)._