Chapter 4 of 14

Values and variables

Programs need to remember information. A name, age, total, message, or answer can be saved under a clear name and used later.

In Creole, the information is a value. The name that holds it is a variable.

Set name to "Asha".
Show name.

The value is "Asha". The variable is name.

Choose names that explain the information they hold. Clear names make a program easier to read.

Set your first variable

Use Set to give a value to a name:

Set language to "Creole".
Set year to 2026.
Set ready to true.

Use the names in later instructions:

Show language.
Show year.
Show ready.

Creole reads the program from top to bottom. A variable must receive a value before an instruction uses it.

Read a variable naturally

Compare these instructions:

Set city to "Mumbai".
Show city.

You can read them as simple steps:

save the text "Mumbai" under the name city
show the value stored in city

Quotes distinguish text from a variable name:

Show "city".
Show city.

The first instruction shows the word city. The second shows the value saved in the variable.

Other ways to save a value

Creole provides readable alternatives when they fit the sentence better:

Remember language as "Creole".
Let score be 10.
Set active to true.

Set, Remember, and Let all create a clear name for a value.

For most examples in these guides, Set is used because it is short and direct.

Text values

Text is written inside double quotes:

Set first_name to "Asha".
Set greeting to "Welcome to Creole".
Set empty_text to "".

Text can contain letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation:

Set message to "Your order number is 2048.".
Show message.

The period inside the quotes belongs to the message. The final period completes the Creole instruction.

Join text and values

Use followed by to build text from smaller values:

Set name to "Asha".
Set greeting to "Hello, " followed by name.
Show greeting.

The result is:

Hello, Asha

You can also use a saved value directly in another instruction:

Ask "What is your city? " and store the answer in city.
Show "You live in " followed by city.

Give text variables meaningful names such as name, city, message, or file_name.

Work with text

Creole includes common text operations:

Set greeting to "Hello from Creole".
Set loud to uppercase of greeting.
Set size to length of greeting.

Show loud.
Show size.

Here:

uppercase of greeting creates uppercase text
length of greeting returns the number of characters
the original greeting remains available

Save a changed value under a new name when both forms are useful.

Number values

Numbers do not use quotes:

Set age to 20.
Set price to 49.95.
Set below to negative 5.

A quoted number is text, not a number:

Set item_count to 5.
Set room_code to "205".

Use a number when you need mathematics. Use text when the digits are a name, code, phone number, or other label.

Calculate new values

A calculation can be saved like any other value:

Set price to 40.
Set delivery to 5.
Set total to price plus delivery.
Show total.

Common math words include:

plus
minus
times
divided by
remainder of

Examples:

Set total to 10 plus 5.
Set difference to 20 minus 8.
Set area to 4 times 8.
Set half to 20 divided by 2.
Set remainder to 17 remainder of 5.

The result of each calculation is saved under its variable name.

True and false values

A truth value can be either true or false:

Set signed_in to true.
Set has_error to false.

Do not put quotes around truth values:

Set ready to true.

This stores a truth value. Writing "true" would store ordinary text instead.

Truth values become especially useful with decisions. The next chapter explains how a program chooses what to do.

The `nothing` value

Use nothing when a useful value is not available yet:

Set selected_user to nothing.
Set last_error to nothing.

nothing is different from empty text and zero:

Set no_value to nothing.
Set empty_value to "".
Set zero_value to 0.

These values have different meanings:

nothing means no value is currently present
"" means text is present but empty
0 is the number zero

Change a variable

A variable can receive a new value:

Set score to 10.
Show score.

Set score to 15.
Show score.

The second Set replaces the value stored in score. It does not change the earlier program output.

Variables are useful for information that changes while a program runs, such as a score, status, count, or response.

Keep the old value when needed

Save a result under another name if the original value is still useful:

Set price to 100.
Set discount to 15.
Set final_price to price minus discount.

Show price.
Show final_price.

Now the program has both the original price and the final price.

Receive a value from a person

Ask saves the person's answer in a variable:

Ask "What is your name? " and store the answer in name.
Ask "What are you building? " and store the answer in project.

Show "Hello, " followed by name.
Show "You are building " followed by project.

Input received from the terminal starts as text. Give each answer a clear variable name so later instructions are easy to understand.

Convert input into a number

Ask always returns text. Convert numeric input explicitly before using it in mathematics:

Ask "Enter a number: " and store the answer in number_text.
Set number to number from number_text.
Set doubled to number times 2.
Show doubled.

Keep the names separate while learning:

number_text is the original terminal text
number is the converted numeric value
doubled is the calculation result

Whole-number text becomes a whole number. Decimal text becomes a decimal number.

Set whole to number from "25".
Set decimal to number from "3.5".

If the text is not a valid number, Creole stops with a clear error. Do not use an unconverted answer directly in arithmetic.

Convert a value into text

Use text from when you need a text representation of a value:

Set score to 42.
Set score_text to text from score.
Show score_text.

Read the type of a value

Use type of when a program needs to inspect a value:

Set answer_text to "42".
Set answer to number from answer_text.

Show type of answer_text.
Show type of answer.

The first type is text; the second is number.

The input-to-output path

A reliable program makes each stage visible:

input → conversion → operation → validation → output

For a small calculator:

Ask "First number: " and store the answer in first_text.
Ask "Second number: " and store the answer in second_text.

Set first to number from first_text.
Set second to number from second_text.
Set total to first plus second.

Show "Answer: " followed by total.

This explicit flow helps readers, tools, and AI coding systems avoid inventing automatic conversion behavior.

Use values across clear steps

A readable program often builds its result in small steps:

Set product to "Creole Guide".
Set price to 40.
Set delivery to 5.
Set total to price plus delivery.
Set summary to product followed by " is ready".

Show summary.
Show total.

This is easier to check than hiding many unrelated actions inside one instruction.

Name variables clearly

Good variable names explain their purpose:

Set customer_name to "Asha".
Set total_price to 45.
Set request_ready to true.

Avoid names that do not explain the value:

Set x to "Asha".
Set thing to 45.
Set value2 to true.

Short names are useful only when their meaning is obvious.

Simple naming rules

Use names made from letters, numbers, and underscores. Start with a letter and use underscores between words:

name
user_name
item2
final_price

Keep names consistent. Do not call the same idea user_name in one place and person_text in another without a reason.

Common mistakes

Missing quotes around text

Incorrect:

Set city to Mumbai.

Correct:

Set city to "Mumbai".

Without quotes, Creole may treat Mumbai as a name instead of text.

Using a variable before setting it