Station Variables (Global)

Station variables hold data that applies across your whole station: branding, show names, sponsor logos, live event data. Unlike Visual Variables, which belong to a single visual, a station variable is defined once and can be used in every visual. Update it in one place and every output follows, live.

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Create a station variable

Go to Settings → Outputs → Variables and click Add new → New variable.

• Name - the display name operators see.
• Reference - a unique reference used across all visuals. It is generated from the name, but you can adjust it.
• Variable Type - where the value comes from, see below.
• Data Type - what kind of value it holds, for user input and database variables.

Two switches finish the setup:

• Playout Access - without playout access the variable is hidden in the Output Playout and the Global Variable Controller.
• Media variables can set an Upload Folder, so newly uploaded media for this variable lands in a specific Media Hub folder instead of the root.

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Variable types

• User Input - a value you set manually, in the editor or live from the Global Variable Controller.
• Database - like user input, but values are stored and searchable. Useful for recurring data such as reporter names, where you want to pick from earlier entries.
• Api Data Source - the value is fed by an API Data Source, like an RSS feed. You link the data source and optionally cap the item count.
• Music Track Meta - song details from your radio automation, such as artist and title.

Which types and data types are available depends on your plan and enabled features.

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Data types

User input and database variables pick a data type: Text, Long Text, Number, Boolean, Options with a predefined list of choices, and the Media Image and Media Video families for selecting or uploading media. Most types can set a default value.

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Organize with groups

Use Add new → New group to organize related variables under a named group, like “Show branding” or “Election night”. Drag variables in and out of groups and reorder them; the same order shows up in the Global Variable Controller. Deleting a group never deletes its variables, they just become ungrouped.

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Use a station variable in a visual

In the Visual Designer:

• Text layers - type / in the text field or open the data selector, then pick from the Station Variables section.
• Dynamic media and other layers - select the variable in the layer’s variable dropdown. Station variables are prefixed with [ STATION ] to tell them apart from visual variables.

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Change values live: the Global Variable Controller

The Global Variable Controller, under Outputs, is the live control surface for station variables. It lists every variable with playout access, grouped and ordered like the settings page. Select a variable or a whole group, edit the values, and click Apply to all visuals to push the changes to every output at once. The right column shows live previews of visuals, so you see the impact of a change before and after applying it. Which visuals appear there is up to you: configure them in the Visual Previews configuration section on the Variables settings page.