Given a list of context names, how can I access all the variables with the same name across all those contexts?

Question

I'm looking to access variables in different contexts. The contexts are stored in a list labeled contexttable. Each context, of course, is a string. Is there any way, without using NotebookWrite, to access a variable of the same name, say x, in each context?

I am looking for something like

 contexttable = {"Context1`", "Context2`", ..., "ContextN`"};
 Map[Print[# <> x]&, contexttable]

which would print the x variable in each context.

Answer 1

As Leonid Shifrin said in his comment, you can use SymbolName and ToExpression to get the values in each context.

{Context1`x, Context2`x} = {"foo", 42}; 
contexttable = {"Context1`", "Context2`", "Context3`"};
ToExpression[# <> SymbolName @ Unevaluated @ x] & /@ contexttable

{"foo", 42, Context3`x}

Answer 2

Also following Leonid's comment, and borrowing from m_goldberg's answer, if you wish to avoid creating new symbols you can use Names to filter before passing to Symbol:

{Context1`x, Context2`x} = {"foo", 42};
contexttable = {"Context1`", "Context2`", "Context3`"};

Symbol /@ Names[# <> "x" & /@ contexttable]

{"foo", 42}

Here Context3`x is never created and only the values for Symbols that exist are returned. This may or may not be desirable. If creation of new Symbols is desired just leave out Names:

Symbol[# <> "x"] & /@ contexttable

{"foo", 42, Context3`x}

Note that in each case the symbol name is given as a string, which greatly simplifies things.