WebSphere variables are name and value pairs that are used to provide settings for any of the string data type attributes contained in one of the XML formatted configuration files that reside in the product repository.
You can also use variables in configuration values such as file system path settings. Use the following syntax to refer to a variable:
${variable_name}
The value of a variable can contain a reference to another variable. The value of the variable is computed by substituting the value of the referenced variable recursively.
Variables are useful when concatenating two path variables when the specification does not accept the AND operator. For example, suppose that the following variables exist:
Variable name | Variable value |
ROOT_DIR | / |
HOME_DIR | ${ROOT_DIR}home |
USER_DIR | ${HOME_DIR}/myuserdir |
The variable reference ${USER_DIR} resolves to the value /home/myuserdir.
Not all WebSphere components support the use of a variable that you can define using this function. Therefore, you should always run one of your applications to verify that your system is correctly using any variables that you define.