Reusable variables are defined in a Microsoft® Word document or in a SmartDocs repository. Reusable variables defined in a document are local to the document and are called document-level variables. Variables defined in a SmartDocs repository can be shared across documents and are called repository-level variables.
Document-Level Variables:
- Are defined in a Microsoft Word document.
- Are not connected to a SmartDocs repository.
- Are document specific and not shared across documents.
- Are always editable, so the variable name and value can be changed.
- Can be converted into repository-level variables.
Repository-Level Variables:
- Are defined in a SmartDocs repository.
- Are connected to a SmartDocs repository.
- Are repository specific and can be shared across documents.
- Variable name is defined in a SmartDocs repository, so the name cannot be changed at the document level.
- Can be locked or unlocked.
- Locked variables have the value defined in the SmartDocs repository and their value cannot be changed on a per-document basis.
- Unlocked variables have the value defined in the document, so the value can be changed on a per-document basis.
- Are imported into a document from a SmartDocs repository.
- Can be disconnected from their SmartDocs repository and converted into document-level variables.
Document-Level or Repository-Level?
If a reusable variable is specific to a single document, then a document-level variable is appropriate. If a variable will be used in more than one document, then you should use a repository-level variable.
Repository-level variables promote content reuse because they encourage your writers to use the same variables in each document. If document-level variables are used instead of repository-level variables, then your writers may accidentally re-create variables with similar names that already exist.
More about Repository-Level Variables
Although repository-level variables are defined in a SmartDocs repository, a copy of repository-level variables are stored locally in documents that use them. These document level copies of the repository-level variables maintain a connection to the SmartDocs repository where they are defined.
When the property for a repository-level variable is updated, documents using the variable receive a Not Synchronized notification next time the document is opened. This notification is indicated by the content status icon.
A repository-level variable stored in a document is synchronized with the latest changes in the SmartDocs repository using the Synchronize Variables command. This command automatically updates all repository-level variables in a document with the latest changes from the SmartDocs repositories they are connected to.
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