Magento: how do I access custom variables in PHP?

Question

I am aware of \'Custom Variables\' and how they can be used with {{ }} brackets in email templates as well as in static blocks.

However, I want to use them in templa

Answer 1

Been doing this for some time to create various messages that are editable through the admin interface so I don't have to go code digging when the flavor of the moment changes.

To access the plain value of the custom variable with code custom_variable_code use this:

Mage::getModel('core/variable')->loadByCode('custom_variable_code')->getValue('plain');

NOTE: Single store doesn't show the store select dropdown for the variable scope. This answer is not technically correct, in order to future-proof yourself in case of having multiple stores --> Please see @Mark van der Sanden answer below and give him an upvote.