More about: Variables and Functions

In the Grid Editor, variables and functions help you store and use data.
They always have a name, and they live in different places depending on how you create them.

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🔢 Types of Variables

There are 3 kinds of variables in Grid:

• Local – for one Event only
• Self – for one Control Element
• Global – shared across the whole page

Each one is created differently and used with different naming styles.

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🟢 Local Variables

• Exist only during a single Event (e.g. Setup, Timer)
• Disappear after the Event ends
• Uses the local prefix before the name when created, but can be referenced without it

Example:

local myvar = 5 --creating the local variable

myvar = myvar + 5 --referencing the local variable

Tip: Define them in the Locals Block of the Event where you use them.

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🟠 Self Variables

• Stored inside the Control Element
• Stay in memory and can be reused anytime
• Use self. or element[x]. to reference or create them

Example:

self.counter = 0

Tip: Define in the Self Block of the Control Element's Setup Event.

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🔵 Global Variables

• Shared across the whole page
• Just create and reference them without a prefix, but using a Capitalized name for them is good practice

Example:

Gvalue = 100

Tip: Create in the Global Block of the System Setup Event to keep things organized.

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⚙️ Functions

Functions have two parts:

• A prefix (who runs it)
• A suffix (what it does)

Prefixes

• self: → runs on this Control Element
• element[x]: → runs on Control Element x
• (none) → global function

Suffix

The name of the function, like button_value() or midi_send()

Examples:

self:element_index() --this is a self function, called on that element
element[3]:button_value() --this is also a self function, but referenced from a different element
module_rotation() --this is a global function

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✅ Quick Syntax Rules

Type	Prefix	Symbol	Ending
Variable	self.	.	No ()
Function	self:	:	Yes ()

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⚠️ Special Cases

• LED functions use no prefix. They take the LED number inside ().
• Lua functions like math.random() are from a LUA library, you can find them on the official LUA documentation page.
• Other exceptions are noted in the Reference Manual.

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