Variables Overview: The Six Types and What They Do

Variables are where most of the customization in the Proposal Tool comes from. This article is the map. Each section below says what a type is and where it shows up, then points you to the article that covers it in full.

🚧 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 on Proposal Tool Permissions: Who Can Do What, please see this support article.

What the Variables List Contains

When you open Variables, the list you see is every single variable you have access to in the tool. That includes three kinds of things:

• Scanifly design data. Data points that come across from the Scanifly design endpoints, such as the values describing the system you designed.
• The calculations behind the built-in proposal. The math the standard proposal already performs is exposed here as variables, so you can see and reuse it. [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm whether these built-in calculation variables are read-only or editable, and state it here.]
• Anything you have created. Every custom, AI, and input variable you add joins the same list.

That last point is the one worth holding onto. Because everything sits in one list, a variable you create is available anywhere variables are available, including in formulas, in rules, and in template blocks.

[Image: Screenshot of the variables list in global settings, showing design data, built-in calculations, and custom entries together]

For pricing tied to specific modules rather than variables, see Equipment Library and Module Pricing Tiers.

1. Custom Variables

A calculation you define yourself, with a name, a formula, a description, and a unit. It works like a formula in a spreadsheet, and it exists to cover math the tool does not already do for you. Custom variables appear in the variables list and can be used by other variables, rules, and templates.

For more information on Variables: Custom, AI, and Input Variables, please see this support article.

2. AI Variables

A variable name plus a prompt, run against your system data. Some AI variables ship by default, and you can add your own. They are for written output rather than pricing, for example a short plain language summary of the system. Your team can use them on the Project Builder page.

For more information on Variables: Custom, AI, and Input Variables, please see this support article.

3. Input Variables

A field your team fills in by hand, as text, a number, a dropdown, or a multi-select. Use input variables for anything Scanifly has no field for. They appear on Project Builder for your team to complete, and the values they enter can feed calculations and templates.

[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm "Input Variables" matches the exact in-product capitalization/label.]

For more information on Variables: Custom, AI, and Input Variables, please see this support article.

4. Adders

A cost that adds to the system price, defined by a name, a type, and a cost. The type is a flat dollar amount, dollars per watt, or a percentage. Adders appear on Project Builder for your team to select per proposal.

For more information on Variables: Adders, Incentives, and Import Adders, please see this support article.

5. Incentives

The reverse of an adder, defined by a name, a type, and a value, with the same three types. Incentives appear on Project Builder for your team to select, and they apply against the system cost as a discount. Incentives are also where optional caps and apply order are configured.

For more information on Variables: Adders, Incentives, and Import Adders, please see this support article.

6. Import Adders

A rule-based adder. Instead of your team selecting it, you define a condition and a cost output, and the cost is applied automatically whenever the condition is met. Nothing ships preconfigured, so every import adder is a rule you build.

[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: confirm "Import Adders" matches the exact in-product capitalization/label.]

For more information on Variables: Adders, Incentives, and Import Adders, please see this support article.

Which One Do You Want?

For more information on Set Up the Proposal Tool: Order of Operations, please see this support article.

For more information on Template Builder: Block Types and Building a Page, please see this support article.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to our chat support or email hello@scanifly.com.