Variables

// Setting variables
set $user-name = "Alice"
set $score = 100
set $is-logged-in = true

// Using variables in UI
.text "Welcome, $user-name!"
.text "Your score: $score"

// Conditional logic with variables
if $is-logged-in
  .button "Logout"
else
  .button "Login"

Naming Conventions

Variable names in Rhyme follow specific conventions that make your code readable and consistent.

The Basics

All variables in Rhyme start with a dollar sign $ followed by a descriptive name:

set $user-name = "Alice"
set $total-count = 42
set $is-logged-in = true

Kebab-Case Style

Rhyme uses kebab-case (words separated by hyphens) for variable names:

• ✅ $user-email - Correct kebab-case
• ✅ $first-name - Clear and readable
• ✅ $shopping-cart-total - Multiple words connected
• ❌ $userEmail - Avoid camelCase
• ❌ $user_email - Avoid underscores

Descriptive Names

Choose names that clearly describe what the variable contains:

Special Variables

Rhyme provides a comprehensive set of special variables that are automatically available in all apps. These variables give you access to system information, app state, date/time values, and much more.

date & time variables

current date/time

• $TODAY - Current date and time
• $NOW - Current date and time (same as $TODAY)
• $TIMESTAMP - Current timestamp in milliseconds

formatted dates

• $DATE - Medium format date (e.g., “Jan 15, 2025”)
• $LONGDATE - Long format date (e.g., “January 15, 2025”)
• $SHORTDATE - Short format date (e.g., “1/15/25”)

formatted times

• $TIME - Medium format time (e.g., “2:30:45 PM”)
• $LONGTIME - Long format time with timezone
• $SHORTTIME - Short format time (e.g., “2:30 PM”)

date components

• $DAY - Full day name (e.g., “Monday”)
• $DAYSHORT - Short day name (e.g., “Mon”)
• $MONTH - Full month name (e.g., “January”)
• $MONTHSHORT - Short month name (e.g., “Jan”)
• $MONTHNUM - Month as number (1-12)
• $YEAR - Two-digit year (e.g., “25”)
• $YEARNUM - Four-digit year (e.g., 2025)

time components

• $HOUR - Two-digit hour (e.g., “14”)
• $HOURNUM - Hour as number (0-23)
• $MINUTE - Two-digit minute (e.g., “05”)
• $MINUTENUM - Minute as number (0-59)
• $SECOND - Two-digit second (e.g., “09”)
• $SECONDNUM - Second as number (0-59)

time slots

• $TIMESLOTS60 - Array of hourly time slots
• $TIMESLOTS30 - Array of half-hour time slots
• $TIMESLOTS15 - Array of 15-minute time slots
• $TIMESLOTS10 - Array of 10-minute time slots
• $TIMESLOTS5 - Array of 5-minute time slots

name arrays

• $DAYNAMES - Full weekday names array
• $DAYNAMESSHORT - Short weekday names array
• $MONTHNAMES - Full month names array
• $MONTHNAMESSHORT - Short month names array

app & system information

app details

• $APP - Current app information object
• $APPNAME - Name of the current app
• $APPGROUP - App group identifier
• $AID - App ID
• $APPICON - App icon reference
• $APPBIN - App binary data
• $APPBINLEN - Size of app binary in bytes
• $VERSION - VM version

execution context

• $BLOCK - Current block name
• $BLOCKID - Current block ID
• $BLOCKS - Array of all block names
• $BLOCKIDS - Array of all block IDs
• $PC - Program counter
• $STEP - Current step count

environment

• $ENVIRONMENT - Runtime environment (“browser”, “node”, “worker”, “unknown”)
• $ENV - Extended environment information
• $LANGUAGE - Current language setting (e.g., “en|US”)
• $REGION - Geographic region
• $PWA - Whether running as Progressive Web App

user & authentication

• $ACCOUNT - Account information
• $PLAN - Current subscription plan
• $AUTH - Authentication headers
• $AUTHMODE - Authentication mode
• $AUTHHEADERS - Generated auth headers

client information

• $CLIENT - Client object
• $CLIENTID - Client identifier
• $CLIENTPASSCODE - Client passcode
• $CLIENTTOKEN - Client authentication token
• $CLIENTCAN - Client capabilities object (badge, listen, locate, speak, vibrate)

url & location

• $URL - Full current URL
• $HOSTNAME - Current hostname
• $SUBDOMAIN - First part of hostname
• $ORIGIN - Protocol and hostname
• $URLPATH - URL pathname
• $URLHASH - URL hash/fragment

colors & styling

• $COLORA - Primary color value
• $COLORB - Secondary color value
• $COLORC - Tertiary color value
• $COLORS - Array of all available colors
• $APPWIDTH - Application width setting

system lists

variables & state

• $VARIABLES - Array of all defined variable names
• $SYSVARS - Array of all system variable names
• $VARMETA - Variable metadata keys
• $STATE - Complete state object
• $VARBUF - Variable buffer

ui & components

• $CUSTELEMENTS - Custom elements available
• $CUSTOMELEMENTS - Registered custom elements
• $TEMPLATES - Available templates
• $UIPOSITIONS - UI elements with position data
• $LASTEL - Last created element

resources

• $IMAGES - Array of loaded image names
• $ICONS - Array of available icons
• $ACTIONS - Array of all action names
• $PLUGINS - Array of loaded plugins

variable metadata

These functions accept a variable name as parameter:

$variables

Variables are the foundation of data management in Rhappsody applications. They provide a simple, intuitive way to store and manipulate information throughout your app.

key concepts

naming conventions

• Variables are prefixed with a $ symbol (e.g., $my-var)
• All variables are global to the entire app
• Variable names are case sensitive - $my-var is different from $My-Var
• Convention: use lowercase letters, numbers, and dashes (e.g., $user-name, $item-count)

best practices

• Use descriptive, meaningful names that clearly indicate the data’s purpose
• Longer names are encouraged for clarity (e.g., $customer-email instead of $email)
• Ensure variable names are unique across your entire application
• Remember that all variables share the same global scope

variable types

string

Text values enclosed in double quotes. Use single quotes when the value contains double quotes.