def update_by_id(
    id: str,
    patch: VariablePatch,
    *,
    timeout: float | None = None,
) -> VariableResource

async def update_by_id(
    id: str,
    patch: VariablePatch,
    *,
    timeout: float | None = None,
) -> VariableResource

Patches one variable by id, with the same body and the same semantics as update. This is the better call for a sync client that already tracks ids, since it survives renames and needs no project or environment lookup.

value and defaultValue must be ciphertext when present, None clears defaultValue, and omitting a field leaves it untouched.

Note the ordering quirk, which is the reverse of the name addressed route: the variable is looked up before the ciphertext is validated, so a malformed value against an unknown id returns 404 rather than 400.

Example

from envless import envless

variable = envless.variables.update_by_id(
    'a7f2c1e0-8b4d-4c11-9f3a-2d5e6b7c8d90',
    {'required': False},
)

print(variable['name'], variable['required'])

import asyncio

from envless import AsyncEnvless


async def main() -> None:
    async with AsyncEnvless() as envless:
        variable = await envless.variables.update_by_id(
            'a7f2c1e0-8b4d-4c11-9f3a-2d5e6b7c8d90',
            {'required': False},
        )

        print(variable['name'], variable['required'])


asyncio.run(main())

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`id`	`str`	Yes	Variable id from a list response or a webhook payload.
`patch['name']`	`str`	No	New name, matching `^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*$` and 1 to 100 characters, rejected with 409 when another live variable holds it, compared without regard to case.
`patch['value']`	`str`	No	Replacement ciphertext from `encrypt_value`, prefixed `v1:` or `v2:`.
`patch['type']`	`str`	No	One of the `VARIABLE_TYPE` values.
`patch['isSecret']`	`bool`	No	Marks or unmarks the variable as a secret, which the example feed reports as `secret`. Stored, but not echoed in the response.
`patch['visibility']`	`str`	No	One of the `VARIABLE_VISIBILITY_LEVELS` values.
`patch['required']`	`bool`	No	Toggles whether the variable is required for the environment.
`patch['defaultValue']`	`str \| None`	No	Replacement ciphertext fallback, or `None` to clear it.
`timeout`	`float`	No	Seconds each attempt of this call may take, the response body included, before it raises `EnvlessNetworkError` with `is_timeout` set. Overrides the client's `timeout` for this call, and `0` turns the limit off.

Returns

VariableResource for the patched variable, values still ciphertext.

Worth knowing

This route is the only rename path that does not depend on knowing the project and environment slugs.
A rename is checked locally before anything is sent. The new name must be 1 to 100 characters of letters, numbers and underscores, and it must not start with a number. Case is kept exactly as you type it, and a local refusal raises EnvlessApiError carrying request.body_invalid.

Required scopes

variables:write

Underlying endpoint

PATCH /variables/{id}

Request and response schema, every error code, and a live playground.

In TypeScript

envless.variables.updateById()

The same method in @goenvless/sdk, with the same request, retries and errors.

Example#

Parameters#

Returns#

Worth knowing#

Required scopes#

Underlying endpoint#