---
url: /set-instructions/inserts-a-variable-value-into-the-working-set.md
description: >-
  Inserts the element whose name matches a variable's current value, treating
  the variable's value as an element name. Shown in the editor as one "Insert
  Variable" entry per relevant model variable.
---

# Inserts A Variable Value Into The Working Set / Insert Variable

Inserts the value of a named variable into the working list, treating that value as an element name. If the variable's current value doesn't match any element in the dimension, nothing is added.

::: tip Shown per variable, and pre-filtered to relevant ones
The available instructions panel lists one entry per model variable, labelled `Insert Variable: <variable name>` - but only for variables whose *current* value matches an element that actually exists in the dimension the set is being edited on. A variable holding a value from an unrelated dimension won't appear until its value changes to something relevant.
:::

#### Example

```
1. Inserts A Variable Value Into The Working Set: selected-department
```

Commonly used in Cards where a variable holds an element name set by user interaction with a [Selectable](/card-guides/selectable) - the set then always reflects whatever the user last picked, without a Set Instructions edit for each new selection.

If the model variable `Time.Current.Year` holds the value `2026`, `Inserts A Variable Value Into The Working Set: Time.Current.Year` adds the element `2026` to the working list - the variable's value, not its key, is what gets treated as the element name.

![Model variable Time.Current.Year = 2026, added to the working set as the element 2026](/set-instructions-example-insert-variable.svg)