Can you create and then use a variable in liquid?

Technical Q&A
1

the following code doesn’t work, but i believe it should. it hinges about the ability to create a variable in one step, then use it in the next. i think it should work, as i’ve assigned and then reassigned a variable in a loop.

so is there something wrong with the steps below?

{% assign total_tickets = product.metafields.evey.event.inventory | plus: product.metafields.evey.event.attendee_count %}
    	{% assign percent_sold = product.metafields.evey.event.attendee_count | divided_by: total_tickets | times: 100 %}
    	​
2

Hi @bytejunkie ,

Since you’re using math filters, make sure the variables you’re creating are all viewed as numbers and not as strings. You can convert a string into a number in liquid, by adding 0, or multiplying by one. Just to make sure this works, I’d do the following:

{% assign inventory = product.metafields.evey.event.inventory | plus: 0 %}
{% assign attendee_count  = product.metafields.evey.event.attendee_count  | plus: 0 %}

{% assign total_tickets = inventory  | plus: attendee_count  %}
{% assign percent_sold = attendee_count  | divided_by: total_tickets | times: 100 %}
    	​
1 Like
3

thanks for the reply. unfortunately this hasn’t worked.

i added some debug.

{% assign inventory = product.metafields.evey.event.inventory | plus: 0 %}
      

{{ inventory }} inventory

		{% assign attendee_count  = product.metafields.evey.event.attendee_count  | plus: 0 %}
      

{{ attendee_count }} attendee count

		{% assign total_tickets = inventory | plus: attendee_count   %}
      

{{ total_tickets }} total tickets

      {% assign percent_sold = attendee_count | divided_by: total_tickets | times: 100 %}
      

{{ percent_sold }} percent sold

to get this

2348 inventory

1006 attendee count

3354 total tickets

0 percent sold

that percentage sold sum still isnt working. im lost as to why, given the others should be forced to numbers as per your additions.

4

Just to further debug, try breaking down the last operation in two parts, division in one step, multiplication in the next. Sometimes calculating with variables can be a bit wonky.

5

That’s because your numbers are integers.

Basically, {{ 3 | divided_by: 5 | times: 100 }} or even {{ 3 | divided_by: 5 }} will produce the same result – 0.

You need to make’em floats, like this: {{ 3 | times: 100.0 | divided_by: 5 }} This will produce the result you want.

In your case:

{{ attendee_count | times: 100.0 | divided_by: total_tickets }}
  29.994036970781156
{{ attendee_count | times: 100   | divided_by: total_tickets }}
  29
{{ attendee_count | times: 100.0 | divided_by: total_tickets | round: 2 }}
 29.99
2 Likes
6

appreciate replys from both of you, but the conversion to floats was the issue.

does that imply that under the hood the filters run under js?

7

Rather Ruby: https://github.com/Shopify/liquid