Thank you to everyone who has supported Bridge Variables! It's been a long journey (8 years), and though the feature hasn't been integrated into Scratch, it's been fun to see what the community has done with the suggestion, especially the bridge variable cloud shop which shut down a while back, I believe due to Scratch API being closed off. Let's take a quick look at the history of this suggestion.

July 6, 2013 - zorket creates suggestion ‘Open variables’ allowing for cloud communication between multiple projects

March 21, 2016 - Paddle2See comments on the post (see page 33):

Paddle2See wrote:

Seems like it adds a fair amount of complexity. Can somebody explain some typical use cases that this feature would allow?

Remember, you can already communicate between projects by using the Export / Import feature of lists.

July 4, 2016 - Bridge Variable Cloud Shop forum post appears

July 14, 2016 - flutehamster delivers an important criticism of the suggestion, noting the unneeded complexity that could intimidate new scratchers.

flutehamster wrote:

I feel like Paddle2See actually has a point. Sure, you can use it for, a multi stage game, but why not combine them? They are, after all, one project. I asked my little brother, and he thought it was too complicated. For emerging Scratchers, doesn't it make sense for one project to be self contained?

Don't get me wrong - I do see how the potential upsides. If you make the second half based on popularity, it would be nice to transfer their “User Stats” to the second project. Or maybe, if you have something that goes pass the storage limit, you may want that, or multiple servers… but all of this is hard.

Paddle2See wrote:

Seems like it adds a fair amount of complexity.

In the end, you have to consider Scratch's target audience - Should new programmers be exposed to such complexity?

In conclusion, I have to make another point. Reading past posts, I feel like the question has changed from “Why should we have it?” to “Why shouldn't we?”, which, in my opinion, is not the correct way to frame a suggestion. Example: Why shouldn't we have a Veloceraptor head run across the screen every page load on the forums?



PS: Does your suggestion help the target audience have a smoother experience? Example: the steps block.

July 17, 2017 - it seems that -stache- has declared the Bridge Variable shop closed.

October 4, 2021 - zorket converted this page from a suggestion to an archive

Again, thanks for everything everyone! Note that I consider this post to be an archive instead of a suggestion at this point, so feel free to post, but no need to support.

Original suggestion

Bridge Variables are variables (or lists) that are stored in the cloud, and sync data between projects.

First, we need to modify the “Create variable” menu. When creating a variable, there will be a new checkbox that allows you to create a bridge variable. This requires “Cloud variable” to be checked as well.

These bridge variables are more than just cloud variables. They are able to synchronize data in between projects. Remember Clutter? Clutter is a long gone service that allowed you to actually bind your scratch projects together. Bridge variables brings this back in a new way, by allowing projects to send information back and forth, or to share important values.

Once you have created a bridge variable, you don't need to create it again. In a separate project, new buttons will appear in the data menu: “Load variable” and “Load list”. These buttons will allow you to import any bridge variable you have created.

Note that you can get bridge variables via Scratch API (I believe this is no longer supported unfortunately). One example is this one, but you can find more searching around.

Good idea, but could be “hacked” so one project could read another user's project cloud data.

Firedrake969 wrote:

Good idea, but could be “hacked” so one project could read another user's project cloud data.

I said that only one user can access their own open variables.

zorket wrote:

Firedrake969 wrote:

Good idea, but could be “hacked” so one project could read another user's project cloud data.

I said that only one user can access their own open variables.

Still other issues, but it's early in the morning and I can't really think. xD

Good idea.

Support.

ImagineIt wrote:

Good idea.

Support.

Thanks!

I can't wait for more people to see this idea!

Support! I've been wanting this for a while. Also, I think users should be allowed to give permission to other users to connect to their cloud variables.

FirstSkyler1 wrote:

Support! I've been wanting this for a while. Also, I think users should be allowed to give permission to other users to connect to their cloud variables.

I also had the idea of “trusting” other users. But first of all, it would have to be a two-way acceptance, otherwise one person would just trust another then steal their open variables xD Also, “trusting” people would lead to a system like what I've seen:

Be careful who you trust, because it's your responsibility, not ours if your stuff gets destroyed by the person you trusted!

I really don't want nor think that scratch would end up with this system. Here's a better system: If one person destroyed the other cloud variables then they would distrust the user and have the changes undone.

Good idea!

bump

Support!

Interesting idea! Support!

DotDash wrote:

Support!

ProdigyZeta7 wrote:

Interesting idea! Support!

Thanks!

Bump, so we can get more feedback!

Bump

I support!

Bump!

Firedrake969 wrote:

zorket wrote:

Firedrake969 wrote:

Good idea, but could be “hacked” so one project could read another user's project cloud data.

I said that only one user can access their own open variables.

Still other issues, but it's early in the morning and I can't really think. xD

Hacked? Regular cloud variables could be hacked just as easily.

Good idea! Support.

Scratch12300 wrote:

Good idea! Support.

ty

bump

zorket wrote:

Scratch12300 wrote:

Good idea! Support.

ty

Yw!