[PD] message formatting in pd-0.37-4

[volker böhm]

hi,

i need to format messages like "read ./patterns/fname" where fname is  
a variable symbol.
using [read ./patterns/$1] in a message box works in a recent pd  
version.
but i am bound to pd 0.37-4 for now (running PDa on a gumstix).

so, how was message formatting done in the olden pd days?

volker.