1. Getting Started

1.1 Overview

C9 Variables simplifies content management by providing ways to author smart reusable content. A "smart" content is easy to maintain. A good example is a promotion code that keeps changing from time to time. You simply want to keep your links updated with the latest code. Likewise, a "reusable" content makes it easy to author content once but use it in multiple places. An example of this would be the product features that you may want to refer from multiple locations on your site, such as, the product page, blog posts, etc.

C9 Variables makes it easy to author and use such content by following these 2 simple steps.

1. Author the smart/reusable content as a variable.
2. Update the referring content (such as, links, blogs, pages, etc.) to use this variable. That way, the referring content gets the latest value.

As you will see further in this documentation, C9 Variables makes it easy to manage and use these variables via convenience UI and shortcode.

1.2 How it works?

The following graphics demonstrates the essence of C9 Variables basic functionality.

1.3 Installation

1.3.1 C9 Variables Installation

1. Use the WordPress Plugins->Add New action and search for C9 Variables. Click on Install Now to proceed with the installation. Alternately, upload c9-variables-<version>.zip using WordPress Admin Plugins->Add New.
2. Activate the plugin.
3. Optional: Tweak the 'Settings'. You can always do this later.

1.3.2 C9 Variables Pro Installation

1. Purchase or renew subscription.
2. Download the c9-variables-pro-<version>.zip. (See detailed instructions)
3. Upload the c9-variables-pro-<version>.zip using WordPress Admin Plugins->Add New.
4. Activate the plugin.
5. Specify the license key (available under Account->My Licenses) in the Variables Pro->Settings section. Here is the link for your convenience:
   https://cloudnineapps.com/my-licenses
6. Optional: Tweak other 'Settings'. You can always do this later.

 

2. C9 Variables Documentation

This section of documentation is common to both the C9 Variables and C9 Variables Pro plugins. The enhanced functionality available in the C9 Variables Pro plugin is called out, as appropriate.

2.1 Overview

2.1.1 C9 Variables Features

• WordPress Admin
  • Add/modify/delete up to 10 Variables
  • Support for WordPress built-in roles: Super Admin, Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber (see details)
  • Page/Post Editor Enhancements
    • Integrated Editor button to lookup and insert a Variable
    • Organize Variable list by title
    • Use selected Variable in the post/page via a convenient shortcode
  • Settings
    • Debug Mode: On/Off (default: Off)
    • Anonymous Usage Tracking: On/Off (default: Off)
• WordPress Public
  • Replace Variable value when showing the post/page

2.1.2 C9 Variables Roles and Capabilities

Since the primary intent of C9 Variables is to author smart reusable content, it uses the built-in WordPress roles and grants these specific capabilities depending on the role. It closely adheres to the WordPress built-in capabilities model. C9 Variables specific capabilities are automatically applied and no specific user action is necessary unless you need to tweak these for your installation. Following matrix provides the details.

Legend: 'X' indicates capability is available, '-' indicates capability is not available.

Capability	Super Admin/Administrator	Editor	Author	Contributor	Subscriber
Read Variables	X	X	X	X	X
Edit Own Variables	X	X	X	X	-
Edit Others Variables	X	X	-	-	-
Publish Variables	X	X	X	-	-
Delete Own Variables	X	X	X	X	-
Delete Others Variables	X	X	-	-	-
Manage Options/Settings	X	-	-	-	-

2.2 C9 Variables User Guide

2.2.1 Adding a Variable

In order to add a Variable, please follow these steps.

• Login as an admin.
• Go to Variables->All Variables (in case of C9 Variables Pro, go to Variables Pro->All Variables).
• Click on Add New.
  
• Author the Variable content, as needed. You can use the visual editor or text editor and shortcodes from other plugins.
  
  Following screenshot is from the Pro plugin that provides additional capabilities (see C9 Variables Pro documentation for details).
  
• Click on Publish or Update to save the Variable.

2.2.2 Using a Variable

A "Referring Content" is a page or post that would use one or more Variables. Please follow these steps to use a Variable.

• Edit the Referring Content.
• Use the Variables button to launch the Variable Selector.
  
  Following screenshot is from the Pro plugin that provides additional capabilities (see C9 Variables Pro documentation for details).
  
• If needed type in a keyword to narrow down the Variable list. Select a Variable from the list. The keyword search is incremental - a short delay in typing letters performs the search.
  
  Following screenshot is from the Pro plugin that provides additional capabilities (see C9 Variables Pro documentation for details).
  
• The selected Variable name is shown in the Selected Variable field.
  Note: You may notice that the Selected Variable text could be different from the Variable's title and is in all lower case. A Variable's title is a user-friendly text to identify the Variable. Whereas, a Variable's name is what the WordPress system understands internally to uniquely identify a Variable. For this reason, C9 Variables shortcode also uses Variable's name.
• Click on Insert Variable to insert the Variable in the Referring Content or Cancel to abort. The Variable is inserted using the c9-vars-insert shortcode.

2.2.3 Listing Variables

In order to see Variables list, please follow the following steps.

• Login as an admin.
• Go to Variables->All Variables (in case of C9 Variables Pro, go to Variables Pro->All Variables).
  

2.2.4 Editing a Variable

In order to edit a Variable, please follow these steps.

• Login as an admin.
• Go to Variables->All Variables (in case of C9 Variables Pro, go to Variables Pro->All Variables).
  
• Click on a Variable to edit it.

2.2.5 Deleting one or more Variables

In order to see Variables list, please follow the following steps.

CAUTION: Deleting a Variable that's in use by other Referring Content could impact the user experience. Please make sure to remove any references to the Variable prior to deleting it.

• Login as an admin.
• Go to Variables->All Variables (in case of C9 Variables Pro, go to Variables Pro->All Variables).
  
• If deleting a single Variable, simply hover over the Variable and click on the Trash link. If you change your mind later, you can always recover it from the trash.
• If deleting multiple Variables, select the checkbox against the Variables and choose Move to Trash from the Bulk Actions.
• Click Apply. This will move all the selected Variables to the trash. If you change your mind later, you can always recover these from the trash.

2.2.6 Managing Settings

2.2.6.1 Updating Settings

In order to update settings, please follow these steps.

• Login as an admin.
• Go to Variables->Settings (in case of C9 Variables Pro, go to Variables Pro->Settings).
  
  

  Setting	Information	Default
  Enable Debug Mode	- Select to turn Debug Mode on. - Deselect to turn Debug Mode off.	Off
  Allow Anonymous Usage Tracking	- Select to capture anonymous usage tracking in order to improve the quality of service. - Deselect to turn off anonymous usage tracking.	Off

  Following screenshot is from the Pro plugin that provides additional capabilities (see C9 Variables Pro documentation for details).
  

2.2.6.2 Finding Plugin Information

In order to find plugin information, please follow these steps.

• Login as an admin.
• Go to Variables->About Variables (in case of C9 Variables Pro, go to Variables Pro->About Variables).
  • This will display information, such as, plugin version.

2.2.6.3 Finding Information about Other Plugins

Other Plugins provides information about our other plugins, both - free and paid ones. In order to find information about other plugins, please follow these steps.

• Login as an admin.
• Go to Variables->Other Plugins (in case of C9 Variables Pro, go to Variables Pro->Other Plugins).

3. C9 Variables Pro Documentation

Following guide is specific to C9 Variables Pro functionality.

3.1 Overview

3.1.1 C9 Variables Pro Features

• WordPress Admin
  • Unlimited Variables
  • Mark favorite Variables
  • Page/Post Editor Enhancements
    • Variable lookup supports searching by favorites
    • Variable lookup supports sorting results by Last Used or Title
    • Variable lookup supports pagination and configurable page size
  • Settings
    • Default Variable Sort Order: Title, Last Used (default: Title)
    • Number of Results per Page: 10, 25, 50 (default: 10)

3.2 C9 Variables Pro User Guide

3.2.1 Purchasing a Subscription and Applying the License Key

3.2.1.1 Purchasing the License Key and Downloading the C9 Variables Pro Distribution

• Go to C9 Variables Pro home page and click on the Buy Now button.
• Choose an appropriate subscription.
  • Single Site: If you operate a WordPress single site only.
  • Multisite: If you operate a multisite WordPress installation, please choose an appropriate multisite option depending on the number of sites.
• Add to cart and checkout to complete the purchase.
• Post successful purchase, you will be redirected to the order page from where you can download the plugin. Alternately, you can find the download link for C9 Variables Pro under Accounts->My Orders->Downloads. Here is the link for your convenience.
  https://cloudnineapps.com/my-account/downloads/
  

3.2.1.2 Applying the License Key

• Obtain the license key by logging in as the same user on cloudnineapps.com that was used to make the purchase. The key can be obtained by visiting the link below.
  https://cloudnineapps.com/my-licenses
• Login as a WordPress admin to your site (or primary site in case of a multisite WordPress install).
• Go to Variables Pro->Settings and specify the key against the License Key field. Make sure to put the exact key.
  
• Save the Settings. This will automatically perform a check to ensure your subscription is valid.

You are all set to start authoring smart reusable content now!

3.2.2 Marking a Variable as Favorite

Favorite Variables can be looked up more easily via the C9 Variables Pro Variable Selector. In order to mark a Variable as favorite, please follow these steps.

• Login as an admin.
• Add/edit a Variable.
  
• Select the Is favorite checkbox to mark the Variable as a favorite.
• Click on Publish or Update to save the Variable.

3.2.3 Using Enhanced Variable Selector

In order to use the enhanced Variable Selector, please follow these steps.

• Edit the Referring Content.
• Use the Variables button to launch the enhanced Variable Selector.
  
• The Variable Selector has the following tabs.
  • All Variables: Shows all Variables in a paginated manner.
  • Favorites: Shows only the favorite Variables in a paginated manner.
• Specify the keyword to narrow down the list of Variables. The keyword search is incremental - a short delay in typing letters performs the search.
• Use the page navigation buttons, as needed.
• Select the desired Variable and click on Insert Variable.
• The enhanced Variable Selector supports following settings configurable via the Variables Pro->Settings.
  • Sort Variable Search Results By: Specifies field to sort the search results by one of the following.
    • Last Used: Sort search results by last used timestamp of Variables. A last used timestamp is updated when any of the following happens. Most recently used Variables will be shown first.
      • A Variable is added or updated
      • A Variable is inserted in the Referring Content (such as, a page or a post)
    • Title: Sort search results by Variable title in ascending order.
  • Number of Results Per Page: Specifies how many Variables to show per page (default: 10).

3.2.4 C9 Variables Pro Settings

C9 Variables Pro offers following additional settings.

Setting	Information	Default
License Key	- A valid license key. The key can be obtained via the following link https://cloudnineapps.com/my-licenses	Not Applicable
Sort Variable Search Results By	- Sort search results by one of the following - Last Used: Sort search results by most recently used variables. - Title: Sort search results by Variable title.	Title
Number of Results per Page	Number of Variables to show per page in the results.	10