Variables

Personalize your Arcades with dynamic text using variables and custom links.

Overview

What are variables?

Variables are placeholders you add to text elements inside your Arcade. When a viewer opens the Arcade, these placeholders are replaced with real values, like a person's first name or company name.

For example: If you insert {{ first_name }} into your Arcade, it will display as "Hi, Alex!" if the viewer's first name is Alex.

Variables turn your Arcades into flexible templates that adjust based on who’s viewing.

Personalization in action

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Setting Up Variables

Where can I define variables?

You can define variables in the Settings modal of your Arcade editor. There, you can:

• Add new variables

• Edit existing ones

• Set default values (optional)

Arcade includes first_name and company_name by default to help you get started, but you can create as many as you'd like.

Variables can contain letters, numbers, and underscores (e.g., user_role, team_size).

Configuring variables

Where can I use variables in my Arcade?

Variables can be used in almost any text field, including:

• Chapter titles and subtitles

• Chapter buttons

• Hotspots

• Callouts

• The Arcade title

• The Arcade description

To insert a variable, use double curly braces around its name (with or without spaces): Example: {{ first_name }} or {{first_name}}

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Using Custom Links

What is a custom link?

A custom link is a way to pass variable values into your Arcade at view time. Arcade will swap your {{ variable_name }} placeholders with values included in the URL.

There are two types of custom links:

1. At scale – great for bulk personalization

2. One-to-one – great for individual outreach

Let’s break them down.

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Custom Links at Scale

When should I use variable-based links at scale?

This approach is ideal when you're personalizing Arcades for lots of viewers — for example, in:

• Email campaigns (like SendGrid or Mailchimp)

• Product tours triggered inside your app

• Customer messaging platforms like Intercom

Creating custom links at scale

How do I generate a personalized link template?

1. Go to the Share menu in the Arcade editor.

2. Open the Custom links tab.

3. Scroll to Sharing this Arcade at scale?

4. Choose either Copy link template or Copy embed template.

Arcade will copy a URL that includes your registered variables like this:

https://app.arcade.software/share/ARCADE_ID?variable.first_name=INSERT_VALUE_HERE&variable.company_name=INSERT_VALUE_HERE

Replace INSERT_VALUE_HERE with your dynamic values using your own system or service.

Tip: Each variable is passed in the URL using query parameters. The format is: variable.VARIABLE_NAME=your_value, and values are separated by &.

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Custom Links for Individual Viewers

How do I create a custom link for a specific viewer?

If you're doing high-touch outreach — for example, a personalized demo for a sales lead — you can create a one-off custom link.

1. Go to the Share menu.

2. Open the Custom links tab.

3. Click Create.

4. Name your link (internal use only).

5. Fill in values for each variable.

6. Click Save, then Copy link.

This link is ready to send — no further setup needed.

Creating custom links for particular viewers

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Personalization Use Cases

How can I personalize Arcades in email campaigns?

If you're using an email platform like SendGrid or Customer.io, you can merge their email variables into your Arcade’s link template. When the email sends, the variable values are inserted automatically.

Example with SendGrid syntax:

https://app.arcade.software/share/ARCADE_ID?variable.first_name={{ first_name }}&variable.company_name={{ company }}

How can I use personalization in Intercom messages?

Intercom allows dynamic variables in Messenger messages. You can use these to personalize Arcade links shown inside your product.

For example, use Intercom's {{first_name}} variable in the Arcade URL to create a welcome message like:

https://app.arcade.software/share/ARCADE_ID?variable.first_name={{ first_name }}&variable.company_name={{ company }}

Can I personalize onboarding Arcades?

Yes. Many teams embed Arcades directly inside their product to guide onboarding. You can use variables to customize Arcades based on user attributes — such as their role, company, or plan tier — making each experience more relevant.

Can I personalize Arcades on my homepage?

Definitely. You can combine tools like Clearbit Reveal with Arcade to personalize homepage Arcades. For example, you can show an Arcade that greets visitors by company name or suggests features based on their industry.