How to: Move Data Into and Out of a Variable

You store a value in a variable by putting the variable name on the left side of an assignment statement.

Putting Data in a Variable

You retrieve a variable's value by including the variable name in an expression.

Use the variable name in an expression. You can use a variable anywhere you can use a constant or a literal, except in an expression that defines the value of a constant.

-or-
Use the variable name following the equal (=) sign in an assignment statement.

The following example reads the value of the variable startValue and then uses the value of the variable counter in an expression.
```
counter = startValue
cellValue = (counter + 5) ^ 2
```
The value of the variable participates in the expression just as a constant would, and then it is stored in the variable or property on the left side of the assignment statement.