$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.

$user-name = "John Doe"
$message = 'He said "Hello!"'

number

No distinction between integers and floats.

$age = 25
$price = 19.99
$temperature = -10.5

boolean

Accepts multiple formats for better readability:

• true / false
• yes / no
• on / off

$premium-member = yes
$automatic-renewal = off
$is-active = true

date

Dates use the YYYY-MM-DD format.

$today = 2025-01-15
$deadline = 2025-12-31

time

Times use the HH:MM:SS format.

$start-time = 09:00:00
$appointment = 14:30:00

objects

Objects use dot notation to organize related data. They can only be nested one level deep.

$user.name = "Alice"
$user.age = 30
$user.email = "[email protected]"

$product.title = "Widget"
$product.price = 29.99
$product.in-stock = yes

examples

Here’s a simple example showing various variable types in action:

// User information
$user-name = "Sarah Johnson"
$user-age = 28
$is-premium = yes
$signup-date = 2024-03-15

// Product details
$product.name = "Premium Widget"
$product.price = 49.99
$product.available = true
$product.release-date = 2024-01-01

// Settings
$dark-mode = on
$notifications-enabled = yes
$last-login-time = 14:30:00

next steps

Now that you understand variables, you can:

• Learn about actions to manipulate variables
• See practical examples of variables in use