Variables Tab

 Variables are used to handle the state of various workflow related
 information that doesn't justify a state of it's own. The default 
 CMF workflows use variables to track status history comments, and 
 store the the last transition, who initiated it and when, for example.
 From the variables tab it's possible to add new variables, and rename
 and delete existing variables.

 The list of existing variables also displays a summary of each
 variable's description, catalog availability, workflow status, default
 value or expression and any access guards. You can click through to
 each variable to configure it's details.

 In each variable's property tab you can set the variable's
 description and a collection of properties the define the variable's
 behaviour, as follows:
 
  Make available to catalog -- Just as it says, it makes this variable
  available to the catalog for indexing, however it doesn't
  automatically create an index for it - you have to create one by
  hand that reflects the content of the variable. Once indexed, you can
  query the catalog for content that has a particular value in is
  variable, and update the variable by workflow actions.
 
  Store in workflow status -- The workflow status is a mapping that
  exists in the state_change object that is passed to scripts and
  available to expressions. 
 
  Variable update mode -- Select whether the variable is updated on
  every transition (in which case, you should set a default
  expression), or whether it should only update if a transition or
  state sets a value.

  Default value -- Set the default value to some string.

  Default expression -- This is a TALES expression (as described in
  Expressions) and overrides the default value.

  Guards -- See the "Guards" section. 


 State variable - stores the name of the variable the current state of
the content is stored in. CMF uses 'review_state' by default, and will
have already created a FieldIndex for it. The state variable is
effectively a variable with "Make available to catalog" set, a default
value of whatever the initial state is and a default expression that
sets to the new state on every transition.