Receiving 'Invalid Variable Name' Errors When Creating Components

Problem

When I create a new variable and try to save it, HotDocs displays an Invalid Variable Name error message. What am I doing wrong that causes this error to appear?

Solution

When naming variables, there are a few rules you must follow:

• A variable name can have up to 50 characters, including letters, numbers, and some symbols.
• The first character in a variable name must be a letter.
• Each variable name must be unique. Even if the variables are different types, their names cannot be identical.
• DO NOT use all uppercase letters in your variable names. Because HotDocs instruction and expression keywords use uppercase letters, you may inadvertently use a word that may someday become a keyword, which will prevent HotDocs from reading your variable name correctly. (See Introduction: Instruction and Expression Models.)
• Do not use any of the following characters when naming your components:

  . (period)

  $ (dollar sign)

  " (quotation mark)

  : (colon)

  [ ] (brackets)

  , (comma)

  ( ) (parenthesis)

  % (percent)

• These characters can be used only if there is a character other than a space immediately before or after it:

  + (plus)

  - (hyphen)

  * (asterisk)

  / (forward slash)

  > < (greater than and less than signs)

  >= <= (greater than or equal to and less than or equal to signs)

  = (equals)

  != (does not equal)