How do emoji variables work?

An emoji is a name like any other. Give it a value once, then use it on any line below. Change the value, and every line that uses it updates.

On a phone an emoji is one tap, while a typed name takes several.

Which emoji can be a name?

Any emoji. A name can be one emoji, a sequence joined into one picture, an emoji with a skin tone, a flag, or a word with an emoji in it.

On Windows a flag shows as two letters, such as JP. That is how the Windows emoji font draws flags, and the name works the same.

Can an emoji be an operator?

Yes. ➕ ➖ ✖️ ➗ mean plus, minus, times and divide.

Can a line start with an emoji?

Yes, in two ways. A label can start with an emoji, as in 🍕 Pizza: $24. And an emoji in front of a name you already defined is read as decoration, so 🏠 rent * 12 uses rent.

What does not work yet?

Implicit multiplication. Write 2 * 🍕, not 2 🍕. Sumico reads 2 🍕 as the number 2 followed by a word, the same way it reads 2 pizza.

What can you use emoji variables for?

• Splitting a bill with friends: one emoji per dish and 👥 for the people at the table. See split the bill fairly.
• A trip budget: ✈️ for flights, 🏨 for the hotel, 🍜 for food. See split trip costs and travel math in one note.
• Startup MRR and runway: 👤 for customers, 💵 for the price, 🏦 for the bank balance, 🔥 for the monthly burn.
• A contractor's materials list: 🧱 for tiles, 🪣 for paint, 🔩 for fittings.

Here is the startup one. Runway is in months.

Try it here

This is the real Sumico engine, running in your browser. Change 👥 to 4, or the tip to 20%, and the share updates.

Where is Sumico 1.7 available?

Version 1.7.0 is out today for Windows and macOS. The Chrome extension gets it with its next store update, and the Android and iOS apps, now in testing, already run it. Every app runs the same calculation engine, so a line gives the same answer everywhere. In the app, Help and the Welcome document show an emoji example in all 17 interface languages.

New to Sumico? Download the 14-day free trial for Windows or macOS, or read the how-to for everything else it understands.

Questions

Can I use emoji as variables in Sumico?

Yes. From version 1.7.0, write 🍕 = $24 and use 🍕 on any line below, like any other variable name.

Which emoji work?

All of them, including joined sequences like 👨‍👩‍👧, skin tones like 👍🏽, flags like 🇯🇵, and names that mix letters and emoji like pizza🍕.

Do emoji names work on the phone and in the Chrome extension?

Yes. Every Sumico app shares one engine. The Chrome extension reads emoji names from its 1.7.0 store update, and the Android and iOS apps, now in testing, already do.

Can I write 2 🍕 to mean two pizzas?

Not yet. Sumico has no implicit multiplication, so write 2 * 🍕 or 2 ✖️ 🍕.