protected String interpolateHelper()

in velocity-engine-core/src/main/java/org/apache/velocity/util/ExtProperties.java [241:325]
60 lines of code
11 McCabe index (conditional complexity)

    protected String interpolateHelper(String base, List<String> priorVariables)
    {
        // COPIED from [configuration] 2003-12-29
        if (base == null)
        {
            return null;
        }

        // on the first call initialize priorVariables
        // and add base as the first element
        if (priorVariables == null)
        {
            priorVariables = new ArrayList<>();
            priorVariables.add(base);
        }

        int begin = -1;
        int end = -1;
        int prec = 0 - END_TOKEN.length();
        String variable = null;
        StringBuilder result = new StringBuilder();

        // FIXME: we should probably allow the escaping of the start token
        while (((begin = base.indexOf(START_TOKEN, prec + END_TOKEN.length())) > -1)
               && ((end = base.indexOf(END_TOKEN, begin)) > -1))
        {
            result.append(base.substring(prec + END_TOKEN.length(), begin));
            variable = base.substring(begin + START_TOKEN.length(), end);

            // if we've got a loop, create a useful exception message and throw
            if (priorVariables.contains(variable))
            {
                String initialBase = priorVariables.remove(0).toString();
                priorVariables.add(variable);
                StringBuilder priorVariableSb = new StringBuilder();

                // create a nice trace of interpolated variables like so:
                // var1->var2->var3
                for (Iterator it = priorVariables.iterator(); it.hasNext();)
                {
                    priorVariableSb.append(it.next());
                    if (it.hasNext())
                    {
                        priorVariableSb.append("->");
                    }
                }

                throw new IllegalStateException(
                    "infinite loop in property interpolation of " + initialBase + ": " + priorVariableSb.toString());
            }
            // otherwise, add this variable to the interpolation list.
            else
            {

                priorVariables.add(variable);
            }

            //QUESTION: getProperty or getPropertyDirect
            Object value = getProperty(variable);
            if (value != null)
            {
                result.append(interpolateHelper(value.toString(), priorVariables));

                // pop the interpolated variable off the stack
                // this maintains priorVariables correctness for
                // properties with multiple interpolations, e.g.
                // prop.name=${some.other.prop1}/blahblah/${some.other.prop2}
                priorVariables.remove(priorVariables.size() - 1);
            }
            else if (defaults != null && defaults.getString(variable, null) != null)
            {
                result.append(defaults.getString(variable));
            }
            else
            {

                //variable not defined - so put it back in the value
                result.append(START_TOKEN).append(variable).append(END_TOKEN);
            }
            prec = end;
        }
        result.append(base.substring(prec + END_TOKEN.length(), base.length()));

        return result.toString();
    }