5e Saving Throw Macro - OGL Sheet

I am stuck on what should be a very easy question to answer - well, partly stuck at any rate.  I am attempting to make a simple drop down macro that, when used as a token action, asks the player which save to make, then rolls the dice.  Simple right?  And in the world of @{selected|dexterity_save_roll} being the simple code for it, it ought to be easy.  But the only answer and example I have been able to locate seems overly complicated, though it certainly seems to work - just trying to understand why though?  The one that works is: @{selected|wtype}&{template:simple} @{selected|rtype}?{Save |Strength,+[[(@{selected|strength_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_str_save}*@{selected|npc})]][STR SAVE] ]]}} {{rname=^{strength-save-u}}} {{mod=[[ [[(@{selected|strength_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_str_save}*@{selected|npc})]][STR SAVE] ]]}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+[[(@{selected|strength_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_str_save}*@{selected|npc})]][STR SAVE] ]] |Dexterity,+[[(@{selected|dexterity_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_dex_save}*@{selected|npc})]][DEX SAVE] ]]}} {{rname=^{dexterity-save-u}}} {{mod=[[ [[(@{selected|dexterity_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_dex_save}*@{selected|npc})]][DEX SAVE] ]]}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+[[(@{selected|dexterity_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_dex_save}*@{selected|npc})]][DEX SAVE] ]] |Constitution,+[[(@{selected|constitution_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_con_save}*@{selected|npc})]][CON SAVE] ]]}} {{rname=^{constitution-save-u}}} {{mod=[[ [[(@{selected|constitution_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_con_save}*@{selected|npc})]][CON SAVE] ]]}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+[[(@{selected|constitution_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_con_save}*@{selected|npc})]][CON SAVE] ]] |Intelligence,+[[(@{selected|intelligence_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_int_save}*@{selected|npc})]][INT SAVE] ]]}} {{rname=^{intelligence-save-u}}} {{mod=[[ [[(@{selected|intelligence_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_int_save}*@{selected|npc})]][INT SAVE] ]]}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+[[(@{selected|intelligence_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_int_save}*@{selected|npc})]][INT SAVE] ]] |Wisdom,+[[(@{selected|wisdom_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_wis_save}*@{selected|npc})]][WIS SAVE] ]]}} {{rname=^{wisdom-save-u}}} {{mod=[[ [[(@{selected|wisdom_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_wis_save}*@{selected|npc})]][WIS SAVE] ]]}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+[[(@{selected|wisdom_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_wis_save}*@{selected|npc})]][WIS SAVE] ]] |Charisma,+[[(@{selected|charisma_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_cha_save}*@{selected|npc})]][CHA SAVE] ]]}} {{rname=^{charisma-save-u}}} {{mod=[[ [[(@{selected|charisma_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_cha_save}*@{selected|npc})]][CHA SAVE] ]]}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+[[(@{selected|charisma_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}*(1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001)))+(@{selected|npc_cha_save}*@{selected|npc})]][CHA SAVE] ]] }}} {{global=@{selected|global_save_mod}}} @{selected|charname_output} Surely it can be simpler??? I have tried: ?{Saving Throw:|Strength,@{selected|strength _save_roll}|Dexterity,@{selected|dexterity_save_roll}... etc. to no avail.  And I have tried it both as a pure macro in the Collections tab, and as an Ability on my PCMacros sheet.. nada. Anyone able to point me in the right direction?

The reason the working example works is because it recreates the template manually which is what is necessary for the macro to function properly.  You may notice in your example you get an input dialog box that has something like "&{template:simple" which means the right curly brace that terminates the template is actually terminating the query. For example, using the dropdown that calls @{selected|dexterity_save_roll} is resolved immediately in the query which becomes a literal string that has right curly braces "}" that need to be escaped with its HTML entity "}" for the template parameters. The macro may seem overly complex but part of that is that it's repeating the same math functions 6 separate times so it looks even more complex than it is. Edit:  A simple example of a template escaped properly for a query dropdown would look like this - &{template:default} {{name=Template Name}} {{Description=Example description}}

Here's what I use. Looks pretty similar to yours, but is a bit shorter due to not having all that business with  (1-ceil((@{selected|npc})*0.00001))  , which is not necessary if always being used by players (non-npc's). @{selected|wtype}&{template:simple} @{selected|rtype}?{Save|Strength, +@{selected|strength_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} {{rname=Strength Save}&#125 {{mod=@{selected|strength_save_bonus}}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+@{selected|strength_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} |Dexterity, +@{selected|dexterity_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} {{rname=Dexterity Save}&#125 {{mod=@{selected|dexterity_save_bonus}}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+@{selected|dexterity_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} |Constitution, +@{selected|constitution_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} {{rname=Constitution Save}&#125 {{mod=@{selected|constitution_save_bonus}}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+@{selected|constitution_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} |Intelligence, +@{selected|intelligence_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} {{rname=Intelligence Save}&#125 {{mod=@{selected|intelligence_save_bonus}}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+@{selected|intelligence_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} |Wisdom, +@{selected|wisdom_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} {{rname=Wisdom Save}&#125 {{mod=@{selected|wisdom_save_bonus}}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+@{selected|wisdom_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} |Charisma, +@{selected|charisma_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}} {{rname=Charisma Save}&#125 {{mod=@{selected|charisma_save_bonus}}} {{r1=[[@{selected|d20}+@{selected|charisma_save_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe}]]}}}@{selected|global_save_mod}@{selected|charname_output} EDIT - Here's a similar ability macro for Skill checks and Attribute checks, if you're interested. @{selected|wtype}&{template:simple} @{selected|rtype}?{Ability|Acrobatics, +@{selected|acrobatics_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Acrobatics}} {{mod=@{selected|acrobatics_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|acrobatics_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Animal Handling, +@{selected|animal_handling_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Animal Handling}} {{mod=@{selected|animal_handling_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|animal_handling_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Arcana, +@{selected|arcana_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Arcana}} {{mod=@{selected|arcana_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|arcana_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Athletics, +@{selected|athletics_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Athletics}} {{mod=@{selected|athletics_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|athletics_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Deception, +@{selected|deception_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Deception}} {{mod=@{selected|deception_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|deception_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |History, +@{selected|history_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=History}} {{mod=@{selected|history_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|history_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Insight, +@{selected|insight_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Insight}} {{mod=@{selected|insight_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|insight_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Intimidation, +@{selected|intimidation_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Intimidation}} {{mod=@{selected|intimidation_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|intimidation_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Investigation, +@{selected|investigation_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Investigation}} {{mod=@{selected|investigation_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|investigation_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Medicine, +@{selected|medicine_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Medicine}} {{mod=@{selected|medicine_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|medicine_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Nature, +@{selected|nature_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Nature}} {{mod=@{selected|nature_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|nature_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Perception, +@{selected|perception_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Perception}} {{mod=@{selected|perception_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|perception_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Performance, +@{selected|performance_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Performance}} {{mod=@{selected|performance_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|performance_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Persuasion, +@{selected|persuasion_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Persuasion}} {{mod=@{selected|persuasion_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|persuasion_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Religion, +@{selected|religion_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Religion}} {{mod=@{selected|religion_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|religion_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Sleight of Hand, +@{selected|sleight_of_hand_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Sleight of Hand}} {{mod=@{selected|sleight_of_hand_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|sleight_of_hand_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Stealth, +@{selected|stealth_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Stealth}} {{mod=@{selected|stealth_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|stealth_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Survival, +@{selected|survival_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} {{rname=Survival}} {{mod=@{selected|survival_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|survival_bonus}@{selected|pbd_safe} ]]}} |Strength, +@{selected|strength_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[STR]]]}} {{rname=Strength}} {{mod=@{selected|strength_mod}@{selected|jack_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|strength_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[STR]]]}} |Dexterity, +@{selected|dexterity_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[DEX]]]}} {{rname=Dexterity}} {{mod=@{selected|dexterity_mod}@{selected|jack_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|dexterity_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[DEX]]]}} |Constitution, +@{selected|constitution_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[CON]]]}} {{rname=Constitution}} {{mod=@{selected|constitution_mod}@{selected|jack_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|constitution_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[CON]]]}} |Intelligence, +@{selected|intelligence_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[INT]]]}} {{rname=Intelligence}} {{mod=@{selected|intelligence_mod}@{selected|jack_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|intelligence_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[INT]]]}} |Wisdom, +@{selected|wisdom_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[WIS]]]}} {{rname=Wisdom}} {{mod=@{selected|wisdom_mod}@{selected|jack_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|wisdom_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[WIS]]]}} |Charisma, +@{selected|charisma_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[CHA]]]}} {{rname=Charisma}} {{mod=@{selected|charisma_mod}@{selected|jack_bonus}}} {{r1=[[ @{selected|d20} + @{selected|charisma_mod}@{selected|jack_attr}[CHA]]]}} } @{selected|global_skill_mod} @{selected|charname_output}

Thank you both for explanations and tips!