Edit menu > Preferences > Variables
In this dialog you can create and edit global variables which can be used everywhere in IMatch.
See Variables for information about variables and how to use them in IMatch.
Application variables allow you to configure and store frequently used strings, numbers. You also use them to set up global sequences which you can use in the Renamer to produce unique file names.
For example, consider your copyright notice: You may use this in Metadata templates to fill in the Copyright information. Or in the Batch Processor to create a text overlay, for printing and other uses. If you have to change your copyright notice for some reason you will have to go through all these modules to update it. Instead, you can just update it once, in an Application Variable.
You can access Application Variables wherever you can use normal variables. This includes Metadata Templates and the Batch Processor. If you create an application variable for your copyright notice and then use that variable everywhere else, changing the copyright notice globally becomes very easy: just change the application variable.
Another example for application variables is a studio name.
The Variables list displays all variables currently defined. Variables with an (A) prefix are for All users, variables with a (U) prefix are private to you. Use the buttons on the right of the list to add, rename and remove variables.
Removing a variable may break formulas, metadata templates, the file window tip, etc., where you have used that variable.
You should make sure that a variable is no longer used before removing it.
String variables can hold text of any length. To set/edit the text, fill in the String Value edit control.
Numeric values are positive or negative numbers. IMatch uses 64-bit for numeric values which is quite a lot: -9223372036854775808 through 9223372036854775807.
Numeric Variables are often used to produce some sort of "increasing value", e.g., to produce unique file names or assigning a unique number to some object (e.g., in a script).
If you enable the Auto-increment option for a numeric variable, IMatch will increment the value of the variable every time it is used. You can control the amount the variable is incremented via the Increment field. Use a negative or positive number different from 0. The current value of the variable is displayed in the Value field. You can change it there if needed.
Typical uses for auto-increment variables are producing numeric file names or having a unique numeric value available in a script.
Since variables are incremented on each use, putting an auto-increment variable into something like the File Window Tip will increase the value very quickly.