moss-formulas-variables

Moss Formulas And Variables

Use formulas for one-off numeric expressions and variables for named values that should be reused or referenced.

Editor Entry

In the editor:

• =2+2 creates an unnamed executable formula.
• sum=2+2 creates a named executable variable.
• time=9am or window_1=9am-930am creates a named symbolic variable.

Variable names start with a letter and contain only letters, digits, _, or -. Symbolic values may contain punctuation and non-Latin text. A value is executable only when it is a supported numeric expression or contains a bound reference.

Persisted Markdown

The persisted grammar is:

{{source|display}}
{{source|display|key=value;key=value}}

source ends at the first |, display ends at the second |, and optional semicolon-separated metadata follows. Pipes are unsupported inside source or display; there is no escape form.

Kind	Persisted example
One-off formula	`{{2+2
Symbolic variable	`{{time
Named executable variable	`{{5000

Moss may read a symbolic variable without an ID for compatibility, but new or rewritten symbolic variables should persist one. Anonymous executable formulas retain the two-field form and do not require persisted identity metadata.

Supported executable syntax is + - * / ( ), decimals, $, thousands commas, %, and numeric k/m/b suffixes. Functions and exponentiation are unsupported. Results use thousands separators and at most two decimal places; currency and percent characters affect parsing but do not decorate the result.

Identity And Linked Instances

Moss identifies a variable by (noteId, id).

• Copying and pasting a variable within the same note preserves its ID and creates another linked instance.
• Editing the name or value of any linked instance updates every instance with that ID in the note.
• Create an independent variable by entering a new name=value; Moss assigns a new ID.
• The same ID in another note is independent because the note ID differs.
• When directly duplicating a variable in the same note, preserve the ID only when the duplicate should remain linked. Generate a fresh UUID for a newly created independent variable.