Direct variable reference can be used in JAVASCRIPT action or in custom functions. CourseLab variables are stored in 2 global objects (according to variable's scope):
The example of setting the value of variable newvar with "current slide" scope:
CLV.oSlide["newvar"] = 12;
Older CourseLab 2.7 variable names are also supported for compatibility purposes (g_arVars, g_arSlideVars).