I think you’re doing something wrong because they work just fine for me.  I use them all the time.  I suspect you’re trying to place them as macros inside macros instead of simply using them properly as name:value pairs (object attributes).     I tell it like this:  People have to look at Chief and Ruby as 2 entirely separate constructs/entities.  Whenever CHIEF sees two % signs enclosing some text, it will display any appropriate automated text.  If that text happens to match a user d