Global Variables

Global variables let you define a value once and reuse it across all matches in a file. This avoids repetition and keeps your match files DRY.

Defining Global Variables

Add a global_vars section above the matches section:

global_vars:
  - name: myname
    type: shell
    params:
      cmd: "whoami"

matches:
  - trigger: ":greet"
    replace: "Hello {{myname}}!"

  - trigger: ":sig"
    replace: |
      Best regards,
      {{myname}}

Both :greet and :sig use the same {{myname}} variable.

Practical Examples

User Information

global_vars:
  - name: hostname
    type: shell
    params:
      cmd: "hostname -s"
  - name: ip
    type: shell
    params:
      cmd: "hostname -I | awk '{print $1}'"

matches:
  - trigger: ":sysinfo"
    replace: "Connected to {{hostname}} ({{ip}})"

Project Context

global_vars:
  - name: project
    type: shell
    params:
      cmd: "basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || echo 'unknown')"

matches:
  - trigger: ":branch"
    replace: "{{project}}/$(git branch --show-current)"
  - trigger: ":root"
    replace: "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"

Reusable Values

global_vars:
  - name: date_fmt
    type: date
    params:
      format: "%Y-%m-%d"

matches:
  - trigger: ":today"
    replace: "Today: {{date_fmt}}"
  - trigger: ":report"
    replace: "Report generated {{date_fmt}}"

Override Behavior

• Global variables are available to all matches in that file
• A match with its own vars can override a global variable of the same name
• Global variables from one file do not apply to other match files

What's Next

• Learn about Nested Matches for including one match inside another
• Explore Variable Chaining for complex workflows