Help Centre › Building Processes
Some variables are available in every run without you defining anything – Automize seeds them automatically before the first step. You reference them with the same {…} syntax described in Working with variables in RPAs. There are four groups: dates, folders, environment and the current user.
1. Dates – {dates::…}
All dates are returned as text in YYYY-MM-DD format.
{dates::today} | Today |
{dates::tomorrow} | Tomorrow |
{dates::yesterday} | Yesterday |
{dates::last::monday} … {dates::last::sunday} | The most recent past weekday |
{dates::next::monday} … {dates::next::sunday} | The next upcoming weekday |
Both last and next support all seven days. For example, {dates::today} → 2026-06-16 and {dates::last::friday} → last Friday's date.
For anything more dynamic – date arithmetic, formatting, month-end or working days – use a date formula instead, e.g. {=TODAY()}, {=EOMONTH({dates::today}, 0)}, {=WORKDAY({dates::today}, 5)}. See What calculation functions are supported.
2. Folders – {folders::…}
The three standard user folders, resolved on the machine running the process. Each has a path and a total_files count (counted when the run starts).
{folders::desktop::path} | Full path to the Desktop |
{folders::desktop::total_files} | File count in the Desktop |
{folders::documents::path} | Full path to Documents |
{folders::documents::total_files} | File count in Documents |
{folders::downloads::path} | Full path to Downloads |
{folders::downloads::total_files} | File count in Downloads |
For example {folders::downloads::path} → C:\Users\Cedric\Downloads on Windows, or /Users/cedric/Downloads on macOS. Only Desktop, Documents and Downloads are provided.
3. Environment variables – {environment::…}
A snapshot of the machine's operating-system environment taken at the start of the run. Reference any environment variable by name:
{environment::PATH}
{environment::USERNAME}
{environment::TEMP}
{environment::COMPUTERNAME}
The exact names depend on the machine and OS (for example USERNAME and COMPUTERNAME on Windows, USER and HOME on macOS). This is a handy escape hatch for machine-specific paths and the temp directory.
4. Current user – {windows_user}
The username of the person logged in to the machine. Despite the name it works on macOS too.
{windows_user} → Cedric