Ctrl Variables are only assigned to explicit hardware addresses (e.g. input and outputs) in Ctrl Configurations, Ctrl Resources or Ctrl Programs. In this way a high level of hardware independency is created, supporting the reusability of the software.

The scopes of the Ctrl Variables are normally limited to the organization unit in which they are declared, e.g. local. This means that their names can be reused in other parts without any conflict, eliminating another source of errors. If the Ctrl Variables should have global scope, they have to be declared as such (VAR_GLOBAL). Ctrl Variables can be assigned an initial value at start up and cold restart, in order to have the right setting.