A new feature in MODX 2.2 allows Elements to define if tags in default property and property set values are pre-processed. This allows values provided to Elements in this way to use tags in values that are processed before being used by the Element, the same way it would be if the tags appeared directly in the Element tag string.

A frustrating inconsistency in the MODX Revolution parser with regard to when tags in property values are parsed now has a partial resolution in the 2.2 release. In 2.2, we introduced an option on the Element Property tabs which indicates if the default property values and any values provided via a property set are processed before being used by the Element. By using this option, default property and property set values will mimic the behavior of property values provided directly in a tag string.

Beware that enabling this will affect any use of default property or property set values as inline tpl’s for Snippets such as getPage or getResources, at least when tags used in those values are not meant to be processed until the results are iterated by the Snippet.

As an example, by enabling this on getResources, you can set the value of the parents property in a property set containing a tag that will return the parents to use in the Snippet. Without this feature, the value received by getResources from the property set value would not yet be processed and would simply be the tag itself, which is meaningless to the Snippet.

For more information on the many new features and bug fixes in the upcoming MODX Revolution 2.2 releases, see Upgrading to 2.2.x.