---
title: "Understanding Variables"
description: "Variables let you swap out one piece of text (like your brand name) everywhere it's used across articles and Clips, so you only ever have to update it in one place."
url: "https://support.helpdocs.io/article/0ass9d069f-understanding-variables"
category: "Managing Content"
updated_at: "2026-10-23T15:19:47Z"
---

# Understanding Variables

Got a bit of text you reuse everywhere, like your product or brand name?

Variables (sometimes called placeholders or merge tags) let you store it once and drop it into as many articles (and [Clips](/article/m27mmeeghp-understanding-clips)) as you like. Update the Variable and every place it's used updates too.

And they look just like your normal text in your article. Heres a Variable we actually use all the time: ⋯ More. Looks just like text, right?

When should you use a Variable? 🤔

Variables are great for short bits of text that show up all over your docs and might change down the line:

- **Brand or product names**.Especially handy if you're mid-rebrand or referring to a product that's still finding its name.
- **Support contact details**.An email address or phone number that shows up across dozens of articles.
- **Anything else that repeats**.A plan name, a URL, a version number. Anywhere you'd otherwise have to hunt down every mention by hand.

Variables only hold plain text, not HTML. For reusable HTML blocks or bigger chunks of content, reach for a [Clip](/article/m27mmeeghp-understanding-clips) instead.

🧱 This article refers to our [new Block editor](/article/tb3ldgvw0b-introduction-to-the-block-editor). Older articles may use our [Classic text editor](https://support.helpdocs.io/category/9ceur1b2ck-legacy-editor).  
You can upgrade an older article to the new Block editor at any time in the article's ⋯ More menu, or contact support to upgrade all articles at once.

[Embedded iframe](https://demo.arcade.software/RcVL89SImDSSh9h7daGp?embed&embed_mobile=tab&embed_desktop=inline&show_copy_link=true)

Creating a VariableInserting a VariableUpdating a VariableDeleting a VariableLocking a Variable

1. Head to **Clips** → **Variables** tab (or click [here](https://my.helpdocs.io/app/clips?tab=variables))
2. Click **New variable**
3. Give it a name and a value
4. Hit **Save**

<!--THE END-->

1. Head to your article
2. Type `/` to open the [slash menu](/article/qsuih77eq7-shortcuts-in-the-block-editor) (or use the block menu or toolbar) and select **Variable**
3. Search for your Variable and select it
4. Your Variable appears in your article, showing its current value 🎉

A Variable in an article always shows the value it currently has, wherever it's inserted. There's no static or dynamic choice to make like with Clips.

1. Head to **Clips** → **Variables** tab (or click [here](https://my.helpdocs.io/app/clips?tab=variables))
2. Select the Variable you want to change
3. Update its value and hit **Save**

Click **Used in N places** under the Variable's name to open the **"Used in"** list, which shows every article referencing it (plus any Clips it's embedded in) so you know exactly what you're about to change before you save.

1. Head to **Clips** → **Variables** tab (or click [here](https://my.helpdocs.io/app/clips?tab=variables))
2. Select the Variable you want to delete
3. Click the ⋯ More menu beside **Save**
4. Click **Delete**, then **Confirm delete**

<!--THE END-->

1. Head to **Clips** → **Variables** tab (or click [here](https://my.helpdocs.io/app/clips?tab=variables))
2. Select the Variable you want to lock
3. Change the dropdown under its name from **Anyone can edit** to **Locked**
4. Hit **Save**

If the dropdown is greyed out, hover over it to see why.

### Overriding Variables Inside Clips

[Embedded iframe](https://demo.arcade.software/5HoHuZy7c2zA1NXb6GMB?embed&embed_mobile=tab&embed_desktop=inline&show_copy_link=true)

This is where Variables really pull their weight. Drop a Variable into a Clip and *every* article that uses that Clip inherits the Variable's value automatically. There's no need to retype it into each Clip instance.

But sometimes one article needs a different value than the rest. That's what overrides are for.

Insert the Clip as a **Dynamic Clip** and you can swap in a one-off value for a Variable in just that instance, without touching the Variable itself or the master Clip.

🤘 Example: Overriding Plan Name

Let's say you've got a Variable called Plan Name set to *Starter*, used inside a Dynamic Clip called SUPPORT: Upgrade Footer:

> Need more from your **Plan Name**? Upgrade any time from your account settings.

Insert that Clip into a handful of articles and they all read "Need more from your **Starter** plan..." automatically. But your Enterprise onboarding guide should say *Enterprise* instead:

1. Insert **SUPPORT: Upgrade Footer** into the article as a **Dynamic Clip**
2. Click the inserted Clip and choose **Edit variables**
3. Find **Plan Name** in the list and set the override to *Enterprise*
4. Hit **Save**

Now that one article reads "Need more from your **Enterprise** plan..." while every other article using the same Clip keeps showing *Starter*. Change the Plan Name Variable itself later and every non-overridden instance updates too. The override just carves out an exception for that one placement.

Overrides only work on **Dynamic Clips**. A Clip inserted as static bakes in whatever the Variable's value was at insert time, so there's nothing left to override.

### Using Variables With Custom HTML Clips

Variables get really handy once you pair them with an [HTML block](/article/7ogotuxka7-adding-a-html-block) inside a Clip. Build a styled component once, like a colored callout banner with its own custom CSS classes, and let non-technical teammates swap out its text without ever touching markup.

Say your design team ships three ready-made banner styles as HTML blocks, each with a different custom class:

```html
<div class="hd-banner hd-banner--warning">
  ⚠️ Banner Text
</div>
```

Turn each style into its own Clip, like BANNER: Info, BANNER: Warning, or BANNER: Danger, with the custom class baked into each one, and drop a shared **Banner Text** Variable inside each Clip where the message goes. Now a non-technical teammate doesn't need to write or edit any HTML to use them:

1. Insert whichever **Dynamic Clip** matches the style they want (**BANNER: Warning** for an amber banner, **BANNER: Danger** for red, and so on)
2. Click **Edit variables** and override **Banner Text** with their own message for that article

The variation (color, layout, whatever custom classes are involved) lives in which Clip they pick. The wording lives in the Variable override. Nobody has to open the HTML block or touch a `class` attribute to get either right.

Variables only replace visible text, not HTML attributes like `class`. So the class names themselves stay baked into each Clip variant rather than being swapped by the Variable. That's why the "variation" is a choice of Clip, not a Variable value.