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Variables: Custom, AI, and Input Variables
Create your own calculations, AI written summaries, and manual entry fields, so the tool captures the numbers and details your company works with.
Scanifly Proposal Tool > Equipment and Variables
### Variables: Custom, AI, and Input Variables
#### Create your own calculations, AI written summaries, and manual entry fields, so the tool captures the numbers and details your company works with.
These three variable types are the ones you build from scratch. Custom variables do math, AI variables write text, and input variables collect what a person has to type in. All three join the same variables list and can be used in calculations and in templates.
🚧 **Admin only** 🚧
Variables live in global settings, so they require the **Manage proposals** permission. If you cannot reach global settings, ask your Scanifly admin to change your permission level.
For more information, see [Proposal Tool Permissions: Who Can Do What](https://help.scanifly.com/proposal-tool-permissions-who-can-do-what).
---
##### Custom Variables
A custom variable is a calculation you define. Think of it the way you would think of a formula in a spreadsheet, where you set the rule once and it computes from there.
Each custom variable takes four things:
* **Variable name:** how the variable appears in the variables list and anywhere you reference it.
* **Formula:** the calculation itself. `[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: document the accepted formula syntax — supported operators/functions, and exactly how to reference another variable by name inside a formula. This is the single most important missing piece in this article.]`
* **Description:** a note explaining what the variable is for, so the next person knows.
* **Unit:** what the result is measured in.
Use custom variables for calculations that are not already in the tool's variable list and not already in Scanifly itself. For variables that reference equipment pricing or module counts, see [Equipment Library and Module Pricing Tiers](https://help.scanifly.com/equipment-library-and-module-pricing-tiers).
[Image: Screenshot of the new custom variable form with the variable name, formula, description, and unit fields visible]
---
##### 1. Create a Custom Variable
1. Go to **Global Settings > Variables > Custom Variables**.
2. Click **Add Custom Variable**.
3. Enter a variable name.
4. Enter the formula. `[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm formula syntax so this step can include a real example.]`
5. Enter a description.
6. Enter the unit.
7. Click **Save**.
The new variable appears in your variables list with the type "Custom."
[GIF: Custom variable being created from the Variables section, ending with the new variable appearing in the variables list]
---
##### AI Variables
An AI variable is a variable name plus a prompt. The prompt runs against your system data, so the AI has access to the data on the system it is describing.
Some AI variables ship by default. `[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: name the default AI variables here, if there's a fixed list.]` You can also add your own.
A worked example: create a variable called **System Design Notes** with a prompt like "summarize the system in two to four plain language sentences using the imported design data." Your team can then use that variable on the Project Builder page to produce a short written read on the design.
❗**IMPORTANT**
AI variables are for written output. AI is never used for pricing or savings math anywhere in the Proposal Tool. Keep your dollar figures in custom variables, adders, incentives, and import adders. See [Variables: Adders, Incentives, and Import Adders](https://help.scanifly.com/variables-adders-incentives-and-import-adders).
🚧 **Requires an OpenAI connection** 🚧
AI variables run on your organization's OpenAI credentials. `[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm this requirement and what your team sees if the key is missing or invalid.]` Set this up in [APIs and Credentials: OpenAI and SignNow](https://help.scanifly.com/apis-and-credentials-openai-and-signnow) before creating an AI variable.
`[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: does the AI variable's output regenerate every time a proposal is generated, or is it stored once per proposal? State this directly so reps know what to expect.]`
[Image: Screenshot of a completed AI variable with a written prompt example]
---
##### 2. Create an AI Variable
1. Go to **Global Settings > Variables > AI Variables**.
2. Click **Add AI Variable**.
3. Enter a variable name.
4. Write the prompt you want run against your system data.
5. Click **Save**.
The new variable appears in your variables list with the type "AI."
📘 **Pro Tip:**
Say what you want in the prompt as plainly as you would to a person, including how long the answer should be. "Two to four plain language sentences" gives you a usable paragraph. A vague prompt gives you a vague one.
---
##### Input Variables
An input variable is a field your team fills in by hand. It exists for anything Scanifly has no field for, so a good rule of thumb is: if the information lives in a person's head rather than in the design, it belongs in an input variable. Sales rep name and sales rep title are the clearest examples.
Input variables come in four kinds:
* **Text input:** free-form typing.
* **Number input:** a numeric value.
* **Dropdown:** one choice from a list you define.
* **Multi-select:** more than one choice from a list you define.
`[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: can an input variable be marked required, so a proposal can't be generated with it empty? Empty fields currently print as "Not provided" on customer-facing pages — confirm and state directly.]`
You can also create **input variable categories** to group your inputs, which keeps a long list organized for the person filling it in.
The values your team enters are not just decoration. They feed calculations and templates, so an input can drive a number on the proposal or a line of text on a page.
[Image: Screenshot of the input variables section showing several inputs grouped under an input variable category]
---
##### 3. Create an Input Variable
1. Go to **Global Settings > Variables > Input Variables**.
2. Click **Add Input Variable**.
3. Enter a name.
4. Choose the type: text, number, dropdown, or multi-select.
5. For a dropdown or multi-select, enter the options your team should pick from.
6. Click **Save**.
The new variable appears in your variables list with the type you selected.
[Image: Screenshot of the new input variable form with the four input types visible]
---
##### 4. Group Your Inputs into Categories
`[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm whether categories are created in the same screen as the inputs, or a separate area, then update step 1 below accordingly.]`
1. Go to **Global Settings > Variables > Input Variables** (or the relevant categories area, once confirmed).
2. Click **Add Input Variable Category**.
3. Name the category.
4. Assign your inputs to it.
Categories are how your team sees related inputs together on Project Builder rather than as one long list.
[Image: Screenshot of an input variable category with inputs assigned to it]
---
##### 5. Save Your Changes to the Preset
❗ **IMPORTANT**
Variables are stored on the preset you are editing. Click **Update Preset** to keep your changes, or choose to discard them or save them as a new preset. Leaving global settings without doing one of those three loses your work.
[Image: Screenshot of the Update Preset control in the global settings header]
---
For more information, see:
- [Fill In Custom Inputs](https://help.scanifly.com/fill-in-custom-inputs-like-sales-rep-name)
- [Variables: Adders, Incentives, and Import Adders](https://help.scanifly.com/variables-adders-incentives-and-import-adders)
- [Variables Overview: The Six Types and What They Do](https://help.scanifly.com/variables-overview-the-six-types-and-what-they-do)
- [APIs and Credentials: OpenAI and SignNow](https://help.scanifly.com/apis-and-credentials-openai-and-signnow)
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to our chat support or email hello@scanifly.com.
### Variables: Custom, AI, and Input Variables
#### Create your own calculations, AI written summaries, and manual entry fields, so the tool captures the numbers and details your company works with.
These three variable types are the ones you build from scratch. Custom variables do math, AI variables write text, and input variables collect what a person has to type in. All three join the same variables list and can be used in calculations and in templates.
🚧 **Admin only** 🚧
Variables live in global settings, so they require the **Manage proposals** permission. If you cannot reach global settings, ask your Scanifly admin to change your permission level.
For more information, see [Proposal Tool Permissions: Who Can Do What](https://help.scanifly.com/proposal-tool-permissions-who-can-do-what).
---
##### Custom Variables
A custom variable is a calculation you define. Think of it the way you would think of a formula in a spreadsheet, where you set the rule once and it computes from there.
Each custom variable takes four things:
* **Variable name:** how the variable appears in the variables list and anywhere you reference it.
* **Formula:** the calculation itself. `[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: document the accepted formula syntax — supported operators/functions, and exactly how to reference another variable by name inside a formula. This is the single most important missing piece in this article.]`
* **Description:** a note explaining what the variable is for, so the next person knows.
* **Unit:** what the result is measured in.
Use custom variables for calculations that are not already in the tool's variable list and not already in Scanifly itself. For variables that reference equipment pricing or module counts, see [Equipment Library and Module Pricing Tiers](https://help.scanifly.com/equipment-library-and-module-pricing-tiers).
[Image: Screenshot of the new custom variable form with the variable name, formula, description, and unit fields visible]
---
##### 1. Create a Custom Variable
1. Go to **Global Settings > Variables > Custom Variables**.
2. Click **Add Custom Variable**.
3. Enter a variable name.
4. Enter the formula. `[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm formula syntax so this step can include a real example.]`
5. Enter a description.
6. Enter the unit.
7. Click **Save**.
The new variable appears in your variables list with the type "Custom."
[GIF: Custom variable being created from the Variables section, ending with the new variable appearing in the variables list]
---
##### AI Variables
An AI variable is a variable name plus a prompt. The prompt runs against your system data, so the AI has access to the data on the system it is describing.
Some AI variables ship by default. `[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: name the default AI variables here, if there's a fixed list.]` You can also add your own.
A worked example: create a variable called **System Design Notes** with a prompt like "summarize the system in two to four plain language sentences using the imported design data." Your team can then use that variable on the Project Builder page to produce a short written read on the design.
❗**IMPORTANT**
AI variables are for written output. AI is never used for pricing or savings math anywhere in the Proposal Tool. Keep your dollar figures in custom variables, adders, incentives, and import adders. See [Variables: Adders, Incentives, and Import Adders](https://help.scanifly.com/variables-adders-incentives-and-import-adders).
🚧 **Requires an OpenAI connection** 🚧
AI variables run on your organization's OpenAI credentials. `[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm this requirement and what your team sees if the key is missing or invalid.]` Set this up in [APIs and Credentials: OpenAI and SignNow](https://help.scanifly.com/apis-and-credentials-openai-and-signnow) before creating an AI variable.
`[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: does the AI variable's output regenerate every time a proposal is generated, or is it stored once per proposal? State this directly so reps know what to expect.]`
[Image: Screenshot of a completed AI variable with a written prompt example]
---
##### 2. Create an AI Variable
1. Go to **Global Settings > Variables > AI Variables**.
2. Click **Add AI Variable**.
3. Enter a variable name.
4. Write the prompt you want run against your system data.
5. Click **Save**.
The new variable appears in your variables list with the type "AI."
📘 **Pro Tip:**
Say what you want in the prompt as plainly as you would to a person, including how long the answer should be. "Two to four plain language sentences" gives you a usable paragraph. A vague prompt gives you a vague one.
---
##### Input Variables
An input variable is a field your team fills in by hand. It exists for anything Scanifly has no field for, so a good rule of thumb is: if the information lives in a person's head rather than in the design, it belongs in an input variable. Sales rep name and sales rep title are the clearest examples.
Input variables come in four kinds:
* **Text input:** free-form typing.
* **Number input:** a numeric value.
* **Dropdown:** one choice from a list you define.
* **Multi-select:** more than one choice from a list you define.
`[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: can an input variable be marked required, so a proposal can't be generated with it empty? Empty fields currently print as "Not provided" on customer-facing pages — confirm and state directly.]`
You can also create **input variable categories** to group your inputs, which keeps a long list organized for the person filling it in.
The values your team enters are not just decoration. They feed calculations and templates, so an input can drive a number on the proposal or a line of text on a page.
[Image: Screenshot of the input variables section showing several inputs grouped under an input variable category]
---
##### 3. Create an Input Variable
1. Go to **Global Settings > Variables > Input Variables**.
2. Click **Add Input Variable**.
3. Enter a name.
4. Choose the type: text, number, dropdown, or multi-select.
5. For a dropdown or multi-select, enter the options your team should pick from.
6. Click **Save**.
The new variable appears in your variables list with the type you selected.
[Image: Screenshot of the new input variable form with the four input types visible]
---
##### 4. Group Your Inputs into Categories
`[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm whether categories are created in the same screen as the inputs, or a separate area, then update step 1 below accordingly.]`
1. Go to **Global Settings > Variables > Input Variables** (or the relevant categories area, once confirmed).
2. Click **Add Input Variable Category**.
3. Name the category.
4. Assign your inputs to it.
Categories are how your team sees related inputs together on Project Builder rather than as one long list.
[Image: Screenshot of an input variable category with inputs assigned to it]
---
##### 5. Save Your Changes to the Preset
❗ **IMPORTANT**
Variables are stored on the preset you are editing. Click **Update Preset** to keep your changes, or choose to discard them or save them as a new preset. Leaving global settings without doing one of those three loses your work.
[Image: Screenshot of the Update Preset control in the global settings header]
---
For more information, see:
- [Fill In Custom Inputs](https://help.scanifly.com/fill-in-custom-inputs-like-sales-rep-name)
- [Variables: Adders, Incentives, and Import Adders](https://help.scanifly.com/variables-adders-incentives-and-import-adders)
- [Variables Overview: The Six Types and What They Do](https://help.scanifly.com/variables-overview-the-six-types-and-what-they-do)
- [APIs and Credentials: OpenAI and SignNow](https://help.scanifly.com/apis-and-credentials-openai-and-signnow)
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to our chat support or email hello@scanifly.com.