2.9.2. Using Variables

The Variables system is a powerful tool to make your life easier. It lets you dynamically insert a piece of text into your topics.
Variables are especially useful when you have multiple manuals and are sharing topics between them. However, even if you are managing only one manuals, Variables can save you lots of time.

For example, you could create a variable “productname” that has your full product name as its value. Then use { productname } anywhere in your topics and it will automatically be expanded into your full product name.
Variables are always defined for your entire Manula account, but they can be given different values per manual and per language.

Defining and managing your Variables

Use the Insert Variable button to open the Variables Screen, then switch to the “Create / Delete Variables” tab. Here you can define new variables and edit the values of existing ones.

After defining your Variables, you can assign values to them on the 2nd tab, “Manage Variable Values”.

Insert Variables into your topics

To insert a variable into use your topic, use the same Variable button.
It will appear in your editor as the variable name contained in curly brackets ( { and } ), but when you view your topic (either using the View tab or the View Live button), you will see that the variable is replaced by its’ value.

System Variables

The following variables are always available for your use, their values automatically set by the system:

• {COMPANY-LOGO-TOPBAR} = The Top Bar Logo of your company
• {COMPANY-LOGO-SIDEBAR} = The Sidebar Bar Logo of your company
• {MANUAL-NAME} = The name of this Manual
• {MANUAL-VERSION} = The version of this Manual
• {MANUAL-LOGO-SIDEBAR} = The Side Bar Logo of this Manual
• {MANUAL-LOGO-TOPBAR} = The Top Bar Logo of this Manual
• {CURRENT-YEAR} = The current year
• {TOPIC-LINK-PREV} = Link to the previous Topic
• {TOPIC-LINK-NEXT} = Link to the next Topic