Thread

Can someone give me a real world example of a Global Variable that they use on their website?

I understand the concept. I am just having a hard time thinking about how I can utilize this feature.

I’ve used it to give allow small snippets of content that aren’t big enough to be put in their own entry a place to live that allow them to be editable in the control panel. One example of this is text that pops up with you click a help button (just as an example from a site I recently built). The text is just one or two sentences, yet the client needed to be able to edit that text without going into the templates. Global variables came in handy here, even though we only used that variable once.

That’s just one use. I’m sure others have more.

I am using it all the time. I have used {doctpye}, {image_dir}, {company_address} on the last project, and probably a dozen more.

good suggestions! I think I can find some new ideas for my websites.

Don’t forget Fresh Variables, which expands on Global Variables.

Would you want to use your navigation in Global variables or is that bad practice and stick to embeds?

I’ll second Sue’s Fresh Variables recommendation. For every site I do, I create variables for “Edit entry” buttons, tracking code (Google analytics, Mint, etc.), etc. Basically, anything that isn’t big enough for a weblog entry, but still needs to be easily editable.
I’m working now on a site for an annual event, and I’ve created variables for the event day, date and year, so that I only have to update the 3 variables once a year, and the changes will be reflected everywhere.

aircrash, could you just use global variables instead of fresh variables?

Maybe I just don’t under fresh vs. global?

Fresh Variables allows you to use php and ee code within the variables, so things like the Edit Entry buttons require Fresh Variables, but the other things I mentioned could just be global variables. I use Fresh Variables for everything just so I can have them all in one place; I make a “Variables” tab in the control panel for quick access to the FV module page.

Fresh Variables do not work with IE 6 or 7… unfortunately.

Why wouldn’t they work in IE6 or IE7?

It needs a DOM-compliant web browser, so no IE.

It says so here: http://expressionengine.com/downloads/details/fresh_variables/

I believe the IE problem is the back-end ajax bit, not the variables themselves.

I believe the IE problem is the back-end ajax bit, not the variables themselves.

What sites do you have live with fresh variables that we can test in ie.

I can’t say, due to restrictions from my employer, but I’ve used them in at least half a dozen sites that have been heavily tested in IE 6, & 7 (and sometimes 8).