Environment variables give you a centralized way to define, review, and modify values that are used in multiple places across CTP. For example, assume you have a path that is used multiple times. If you define it as a literal value and later want to change that path value, you will have to change it numerous times. If you define it as a variable, you can update it once, and your changes will be automatically propagated to all relevant areas.
All variable names are visible at the system level and shared between all environments on the same system. All variable names visible at the component level are shared between all instances of the same component.
Each lower level entity can override values from the upper level entity. For example, if the PATH variable was defined at the system level, you could change its value (but not the variable name) and the environment level. In addition, you can define new environment-level variables that are not present at the system level; those variable names will be added to the system without values.
Any variables that are not overridden will inherit their values from the system (if looking at variables for an environment) or component (if looking at variables for a component instance).
To override an inherited variable value from the environment information panel:
When variable values are editable, you can mask or unmask them (if they were not yet saved).
In system/environment information panels, you can mask a value by clicking in that field, then clicking the Mask icon in the right of the field.
In other areas, you can mask a value by using the key icon to the right of the variable editor.
The exception is when editing variables that are inherited from SOAtest tests or within CTP (e.g., environment variables inherited from a system). These variables will inherit the parent’s masking setting. If the parent variable is masked, it cannot be unmasked at the inherited level. If you want to unmask it, you must do so at the parent level.