9.3. Variables

When you reference parts of a pattern or a query, you do so by naming them. The names you give the different parts are called variables.

In this example:

MATCH (n)-->(b) RETURN b

The variables are n and b.

Variable names are case sensitive, and can contain underscores and alphanumeric characters (a-z, 0-9), but must always start with a letter. If other characters are needed, you can quote the variable using backquote (`) signs.

The same rules apply to property names.

[Important]Variables are only visible in the same query part

Variables are not carried over to subsequent queries. If multiple query parts are chained together using WITH, variables have to be listed in the WITH clause to be carried over to the next part. For more information see Section 10.5, “With”.