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Every penscript expression runs within a scope — the collection of variables available at evaluation time. The scope contains form data, contact information, case data, and system values. Operators read from the scope to produce dynamic results.

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Referencing Variables

Variables are referenced using curly braces: 
"{user.given_name}"
Dot notation accesses nested values: 
"{data.address.city}"
"{contacts.main.email}"
When a variable is used inside a JSON string, it’s resolved at evaluation time and replaced with its value. When used as the entire value of a JSON key, it resolves to its native type (number, array, object, etc.) rather than being converted to a string.

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System Variables

penscript provides built-in system variables available in every scope.
VariableDescription
{$today}The current date
System variables are prefixed with $ to distinguish them from user-defined data.

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Inline Pipes

Variables support pipe expressions for inline transformations — lightweight operations applied directly inside a string reference, without needing a full JSON operator. 
"{$today | formatDdMmYyyy}"
// → "27/01/2026"

"{my_var | formatDdMmYyyy}"
// Scope: { "my_var": "2015-10-20" }
// → "20/10/2015"

"{data.birthdate | age}"
// → 34
Pipes are evaluated left to right. The variable value is passed through the pipe function, and the result replaces the entire expression.

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Inline Comparisons & Ternaries

Simple logic can be expressed directly inside strings, without switching to JSON operators like :if or :cmp. This keeps lightweight conditions readable and compact. Boolean comparisons: 
"{ my_date > $today }"
// → true if my_date is after today

"{ my_date == $today }"
// → equality check with today

"{ data.birthdate | age >= 18 }"
// → true or false
Combined conditions: 
"{ my_date != $today | my_date < $today }"
// → true if my_date is not today or is in the past
Ternary expressions: 
"{ my_date > $today ? 'Future' : 'Past' }"
// → "Future" or "Past"
Inline expressions are ideal for short conditions in notifications, labels, and simple visibility rules. For complex branching with multiple outcomes, use the :if or :case JSON operators instead.

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Scope Resolution

When an expression references a variable, penscript resolves it by looking through the current scope. If a variable is not found, the reference resolves to undefined rather than throwing an error. In nested contexts — like a :map loop inside a :define block — inner scopes can access variables from outer scopes. If a variable name exists in both the inner and outer scope, the inner scope takes precedence. The full variable reference — all namespaces, every available key, and where each can be used — is documented in the Reference section.

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Next Steps

How penscript works

Expression modes and operator composition

Logic & comparisons

Conditions, branching, and boolean logic

Numbers & calculations

Arithmetic and formatting

Reference

Full variable reference