Variables

Variables let you store and update values during your stream, like a death counter, a challenge meter, a piece of text, or a countdown timer, and display them live on your stream overlay.

No coding needed. You create a variable, give it a name, choose a type, and update it either manually or automatically through alert actions.

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What Is a Variable?

A Variable is a named value that TipLink remembers and can display. Think of it like a scoreboard entry:

Variable Name	Type	Example Value
death_count	Number	14
current_song	Text	"Never Gonna Give You Up"
is_challenge_active	True/False	true
boss_timer	Countdown	4:32 remaining

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Variable Types

Type	What it stores	Example use
Text	Any text or word	Current song, viewer name, custom message
Number	A whole or decimal number	Death count, sub count, donation total
True/False	Either true or false	Is a challenge on? Is a mode active?
Countdown	A timer that counts down to zero	Boss timer, challenge time limit

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Creating a Variable

1. Click Variables in the left sidebar.
2. Click Create New Variable in the top-right corner.
3. Fill in the details:
   • Name — A label for your variable (e.g. death_count). This is used to reference the variable in overlays and actions.
   • Type — Choose from Text, Number, True/False, or Countdown.
   • Initial Value — The starting value when TipLink first loads.
   • Persist between sessions — If enabled, TipLink saves this value to disk. When you restart TipLink, the variable picks up where it left off instead of resetting.
4. Click Create.

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Editing a Variable's Value

You can update a variable's value directly on the Variables page — no alert needed.

• Text / Number — Click the value field inline and type a new value, then click Save.
• True/False — Click the toggle to flip the value.
• Countdown — Use the countdown controls (Start, Pause, Resume, Reset) to manage the timer.

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Countdown Timers

The Countdown variable type is a special timer that ticks down from a set number of seconds.

Setting the time

1. On the Variables page, click your countdown variable.
2. Enter the time in hours, minutes, and seconds.
3. Click Set Time.

Controls

Button	Action
▶ Start	Begin counting down
⏸ Pause	Freeze the timer
▶ Resume	Continue a paused timer
↺ Reset	Return to the initial value

Countdown history

Each countdown timer keeps a history of actions (start, pause, resume, reset, and adjustments). This is useful for reviewing what happened during a stream.

Session behaviour

Countdown timers are always saved to disk, regardless of the "Persist between sessions" setting. The timer state (running, paused, remaining time) is preserved across TipLink restarts.

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Displaying a Variable on Your Stream

To show a variable value on your stream:

1. Go to Overlays in the sidebar.
2. Open an overlay canvas and click Open Widget Editor.
3. Add a Variable Widget (or a Text widget that supports variable tokens).
4. Select the variable you want to display.
5. Position and resize the widget, then click OK.

The widget will update live as the variable's value changes.

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Updating a Variable from an Alert

You can change a variable's value automatically every time an alert fires.

1. Open or create an Alert.
2. Add an "Update Variable" action.
3. Choose the variable to update.
4. Choose the operation:
   • Set — Replace the value with a fixed value or dynamic event data (e.g. {{ username }}).
   • Add — Increase a number variable by an amount (e.g. add 1 to death_count).
   • Subtract — Decrease a number variable.
   • Reset — Return the variable to its initial value.
5. Save the alert.

Example — Auto death counter:

• Alert: fires on any "Death" keyboard shortcut or hotkey event.
• Action: Update Variable → death_count → Add 1.

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Using Variable Values in Other Actions

Once a variable has a value, you can insert it into text fields in other actions using the template syntax:

{{ variables.death_count }}

For example, in a Stream Overlay action message:

{{ username }} died again! Total deaths: {{ variables.death_count }}

See Using Event Data in Actions for a full guide to the template syntax.

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Tips

• Variable names are case-sensitive. death_count and Death_Count are different variables.
• Use Persist between sessions for values that should carry over (like a donation total), and leave it off for values that should reset each stream (like a per-session death count).
• The Reset action in an alert lets you reset a variable at the start of a stream with one click.
• Countdown variables always persist — the timer state is never lost on restart.