A variable declaration looks a lot like a property declaration: it’s written <variable>: <expression>. Unlike a property, which can only be declared in a style rule or at-rule, variables can be declared anywhere you want. To use a variable, just include it in a value.

$base-color: #c6538c;
$border-dark: rgba($base-color, 0.88);

.alert {
  border: 1px solid $border-dark;
}

$base-color: #c6538c
$border-dark: rgba($base-color, 0.88)

.alert
  border: 1px solid $border-dark

.alert {
  border: 1px solid rgba(198, 83, 140, 0.88);
}

$variable: value 1;
.rule-1 {
  value: $variable;
}

$variable: value 2;
.rule-2 {
  value: $variable;
}

$variable: value 1
.rule-1
  value: $variable


$variable: value 2
.rule-2
  value: $variable

.rule-1 {
  value: value 1;
}

.rule-2 {
  value: value 2;
}

Default Values

Normally when you assign a value to a variable, if that variable already had a value, its old value is overwritten. But if you’re writing a Sass library, you might want to allow your users to configure your library’s variables before you use them to generate CSS.

To make this possible, Sass provides the !default flag. This assigns a value to a variable only if that variable isn’t defined or its value is null. Otherwise, the existing value will be used.

Configuring Modules

Compatibility:

Dart Sass

since 1.23.0

LibSass

✗

Ruby Sass

✗

▶

Variables defined with !default can be configured when loading a module with the @use rule. Sass libraries often use !default variables to allow their users to configure the library’s CSS.

To load a module with configuration, write @use <url> with (<variable>: <value>, <variable>: <value>). The configured values will override the variables’ default values. Only variables written at the top level of the stylesheet with a !default flag can be configured.

// _library.scss
$black: #000 !default;
$border-radius: 0.25rem !default;
$box-shadow: 0 0.5rem 1rem rgba($black, 0.15) !default;

code {
  border-radius: $border-radius;
  box-shadow: $box-shadow;
}

// style.scss
@use 'library' with (
  $black: #222,
  $border-radius: 0.1rem
);

// _library.sass
$black: #000 !default
$border-radius: 0.25rem !default
$box-shadow: 0 0.5rem 1rem rgba($black, 0.15) !default

code
  border-radius: $border-radius
  box-shadow: $box-shadow

// style.sass
@use 'library' with ($black: #222, $border-radius: 0.1rem)

code {
  border-radius: 0.1rem;
  box-shadow: 0 0.5rem 1rem rgba(34, 34, 34, 0.15);
}

Built-in Variables

Variables that are defined by a built-in module cannot be modified.

@use "sass:math" as math;

// This assignment will fail.
math.$pi: 0;

@use "sass:math" as math

// This assignment will fail.
math.$pi: 0

Scope

Variables declared at the top level of a stylesheet are global. This means that they can be accessed anywhere in their module after they’ve been declared. But that’s not true for all variables. Those declared in blocks (curly braces in SCSS or indented code in Sass) are usually local, and can only be accessed within the block they were declared.

$global-variable: global value;

.content {
  $local-variable: local value;
  global: $global-variable;
  local: $local-variable;
}

.sidebar {
  global: $global-variable;

  // This would fail, because $local-variable isn't in scope:
  // local: $local-variable;
}

$global-variable: global value

.content
  $local-variable: local value
  global: $global-variable
  local: $local-variable


.sidebar
  global: $global-variable

  // This would fail, because $local-variable isn't in scope:
  // local: $local-variable

.content {
  global: global value;
  local: local value;
}

.sidebar {
  global: global value;
}

Shadowing

Local variables can even be declared with the same name as a global variable. If this happens, there are actually two different variables with the same name: one local and one global. This helps ensure that an author writing a local variable doesn’t accidentally change the value of a global variable they aren’t even aware of.

$variable: global value;

.content {
  $variable: local value;
  value: $variable;
}

.sidebar {
  value: $variable;
}

$variable: global value

.content
  $variable: local value
  value: $variable


.sidebar
  value: $variable

.content {
  value: local value;
}

.sidebar {
  value: global value;
}

If you need to set a global variable’s value from within a local scope (such as in a mixin), you can use the !global flag. A variable declaration flagged as !global will always assign to the global scope.

$variable: first global value;

.content {
  $variable: second global value !global;
  value: $variable;
}

.sidebar {
  value: $variable;
}

$variable: first global value

.content
  $variable: second global value !global
  value: $variable


.sidebar
  value: $variable

.content {
  value: second global value;
}

.sidebar {
  value: second global value;
}

Flow Control Scope

Variables declared in flow control rules have special scoping rules: they don’t shadow variables at the same level as the flow control rule. Instead, they just assign to those variables. This makes it much easier to conditionally assign a value to a variable, or build up a value as part of a loop.

$dark-theme: true !default;
$primary-color: #f8bbd0 !default;
$accent-color: #6a1b9a !default;

@if $dark-theme {
  $primary-color: darken($primary-color, 60%);
  $accent-color: lighten($accent-color, 60%);
}

.button {
  background-color: $primary-color;
  border: 1px solid $accent-color;
  border-radius: 3px;
}

$dark-theme: true !default
$primary-color: #f8bbd0 !default
$accent-color: #6a1b9a !default

@if $dark-theme
  $primary-color: darken($primary-color, 60%)
  $accent-color: lighten($accent-color, 60%)


.button
  background-color: $primary-color
  border: 1px solid $accent-color
  border-radius: 3px

.button {
  background-color: #750c30;
  border: 1px solid #f5ebfc;
  border-radius: 3px;
}

Advanced Variable Functions

The Sass core library provides a couple advanced functions for working with variables. The meta.variable-exists() function returns whether a variable with the given name exists in the current scope, and the meta.global-variable-exists() function does the same but only for the global scope.

@use "sass:map";

$theme-colors: (
  "success": #28a745,
  "info": #17a2b8,
  "warning": #ffc107,
);

.alert {
  // Instead of $theme-color-#{warning}
  background-color: map.get($theme-colors, "warning");
}

@use "sass:map"

$theme-colors: ("success": #28a745, "info": #17a2b8, "warning": #ffc107)

.alert
  // Instead of $theme-color-#{warning}
  background-color: map.get($theme-colors, "warning")

.alert {
  background-color: #ffc107;
}