EL expressions define a set of implicit objects (aka predefined variables) that you can access directly in an EL expression, without declaring them. The table below lists every implicit object with its type and purpose; click a name for full details and examples.

Variable Type Description
applicationScope java.util.Map Custom attributes shared across the whole web application (WAR); same as WebApp.getAttributes.
arg java.util.Map The arg map passed to Executions.createComponents; available only while creating the included page.
componentScope java.util.Map Custom attributes of the current component (Component.getAttributes).
cookie java.util.Map The request’s cookies, as a (String, Cookie) map.
desktop Desktop The current desktop; same as self.desktop.
desktopScope java.util.Map Custom attributes of the desktop; used to communicate among pages in the same desktop.
each java.lang.Object The current item while iterating an element that has the forEach attribute.
event Event The current event; available inside an event listener only.
execution Execution The current execution.
header java.util.Map The request’s headers, as a (String, String) map.
headerValues java.util.Map The request’s headers, as a (String, String[]) map.
forEachStatus ForEachStatus The status of the current forEach iteration (index, previous, current).
labels java.util.Map All internationalization labels belonging to the current locale.
page Page The current page.
pageContext PageContext The current page context (request, response, variable resolver, and so on).
pageScope java.util.Map Custom attributes of the current page (Page.getAttributes).
param java.util.Map The request parameters as a (String, String) map (first value of each).
paramValues java.util.Map The request parameters as a (String, String[]) map (all values).
requestScope java.util.Map Custom attributes of the current execution (Execution.getAttributes).
self Component The component itself (the closest component).
session Session The current session (encapsulates the HTTP session).
sessionScope java.util.Map Custom attributes of the session (Session.getAttributes).
spaceOwner IdSpace The space owner of this component; same as self.spaceOwner.
spaceScope java.util.Map Custom attributes of the ID space containing this component.
zk java.util.Map Browser and system information, e.g. ${zk.chrome} returns the Chrome version.