How do I set a field variable?

5.01 English Writer Mac 10.10

with a template or a document being edited

  • I choose menubar/insert/fields/more fields
  • In the dialog box I select: “set variable”
  • i enter a name and a value.
  • I click on insert
  • I click on close
  • The value is inserted into my document.
  • I choose menubar/insert/fields/more fields
  • In the dialog box I select: “show variable”
  • in the center column I select the name of my variable
  • the “Value field” is blank.
    This looks like a bug, but the interface to this program is so convoluted, its hard to be sure.

Using LO 4.4.1.2 on Windows 8.

When you use “Set variable” it will show in the page view as "Set variable (Variable name) = (Variable value). When the document is printed it will print the (Variable value) at the point in the document that the Variable was placed, unless you set the Variable to “invisible”.
When you want to insert the same Variable at another point in the document use “Show variable”. This will place "Show variable = (Variable name) at that point in the document page view and when printed show the (Variable value). It is odd that when you use “Show variable” in menubar/insert/fields/more fields it does not show the variable value.