Internal Variables

In addition to the form variables you declare yourself, Kvery provides internal variables — values the platform supplies automatically when a query runs. Unlike form variables, you don't enter a value for these; Kvery fills them in.

The :log variable

:log is a built-in custom query variable recognised by Kvery. It lets a query participate in Kvery's logging/auditing flow without you wiring anything up manually. Reference :log in your SQL where the platform expects it, and Kvery substitutes the appropriate value at run time.

Because it is provided by the platform, :log behaves consistently across the editor, scheduled runs and API calls.

Internal vs. form variables

	Form variables	Internal variables
Who supplies the value	The person/caller running the query	Kvery, automatically
Prefix	$ (e.g. $status, $from_date)	: (e.g. :log)
Shows an input field	Yes	No
Safe insertion	Yes (apostrophes escaped)	Yes

Combining them

Internal and form variables work together in one query. Use form variables to let the user filter, and internal variables to keep the query wired into Kvery's platform behaviour:

SELECT *
FROM orders
WHERE created_at >= '$from_date';   -- form variable the user supplies

Tips

• Treat internal variables as reserved — don't reuse their names for your own form variables.
• See the related directives for controlling output, status codes and webhooks alongside your variables.