diff --git a/autotests/src/variable_test.h b/autotests/src/variable_test.h
--- a/autotests/src/variable_test.h
+++ b/autotests/src/variable_test.h
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
     void testExactMatch();
     void testPrefixMatch();
     void testRecursiveMatch();
+    void testBuiltins();
 };
 
 #endif // KTEXTEDITOR_VARIABLE_TEST_H
diff --git a/autotests/src/variable_test.cpp b/autotests/src/variable_test.cpp
--- a/autotests/src/variable_test.cpp
+++ b/autotests/src/variable_test.cpp
@@ -277,9 +277,10 @@
     editor->expandText(QStringLiteral("%{Time:hh-mm-ss}"), view, out);
     QVERIFY(QTime::fromString(out, QStringLiteral("hh-mm-ss")).isValid());
 
-    // ENV:HOME
-    editor->expandText(QStringLiteral("%{ENV:HOME}"), view, out);
-    QCOMPARE(QFileInfo(out).canonicalFilePath(), QFileInfo(QDir::homePath()).canonicalFilePath());
+    // ENV:KTE_ENV_VAR_TEST
+    qputenv("KTE_ENV_VAR_TEST", "KTE_ENV_VAR_TEST_VALUE");
+    editor->expandText(QStringLiteral("%{ENV:KTE_ENV_VAR_TEST}"), view, out);
+    QCOMPARE(out, QStringLiteral("KTE_ENV_VAR_TEST_VALUE"));
 
     // JS:<code>
     editor->expandText(QStringLiteral("%{JS:3 + %{JS:2 + 1}}"), view, out);
diff --git a/src/utils/kateglobal.cpp b/src/utils/kateglobal.cpp
--- a/src/utils/kateglobal.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/kateglobal.cpp
@@ -56,13 +56,129 @@
 #include <QBoxLayout>
 #include <QApplication>
 #include <QClipboard>
+#include <QDir>
+#include <QFileInfo>
+#include <QJSEngine>
 #include <QPushButton>
 #include <QStringListModel>
+#include <QUuid>
 
 #if LIBGIT2_FOUND
 #include <git2.h>
 #endif
 
+namespace {
+
+void registerVariables(KTextEditor::Editor * editor)
+{
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:FileBaseName"), i18n("File base name without path and suffix of the current document."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        const auto url = view ? view->document()->url().toLocalFile() : QString();
+        return QFileInfo(url).baseName();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:FileExtension"), i18n("File extension of the current document."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        const auto url = view ? view->document()->url().toLocalFile() : QString();
+        return QFileInfo(url).completeSuffix();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:FileName"), i18n("File name without path of the current document."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        const auto url = view ? view->document()->url().toLocalFile() : QString();
+        return QFileInfo(url).fileName();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:FilePath"), i18n("Full path of the current document including the file name."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        const auto url = view ? view->document()->url().toLocalFile() : QString();
+        return QFileInfo(url).absoluteFilePath();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Text"), i18n("Contents of the current document."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return view ? view->document()->text() : QString();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Path"), i18n("Full path of the current document excluding the file name."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        const auto url = view ? view->document()->url().toLocalFile() : QString();
+        return QFileInfo(url).absolutePath();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:NativeFilePath"), i18n("Full document path including file name, with native path separator (backslash on Windows)."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        const auto url = view ? view->document()->url().toLocalFile() : QString();
+        return url.isEmpty() ? QString() : QDir::toNativeSeparators(QFileInfo(url).absoluteFilePath());
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:NativePath"), i18n("Full document path excluding file name, with native path separator (backslash on Windows)."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        const auto url = view ? view->document()->url().toLocalFile() : QString();
+        return url.isEmpty() ? QString() : QDir::toNativeSeparators(QFileInfo(url).absolutePath());
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Cursor:Line"), i18n("Line number of the text cursor position in current document (starts with 0)."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return view ? QString::number(view->cursorPosition().line()) : QString();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Cursor:Column"), i18n("Column number of the text cursor position in current document (starts with 0)."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return view ? QString::number(view->cursorPosition().column()) : QString();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Cursor:XPos"), i18n("X component in global screen coordinates of the cursor position."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return view ? QString::number(view->mapToGlobal(view->cursorPositionCoordinates()).x()) : QString();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Cursor:YPos"), i18n("Y component in global screen coordinates of the cursor position."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return view ? QString::number(view->mapToGlobal(view->cursorPositionCoordinates()).y()) : QString();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Selection:Text"), i18n("Text selection of the current document."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return (view && view->selection()) ? view->selectionText() : QString();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Selection:StartLine"), i18n("Start line of selected text of the current document."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return (view && view->selection()) ? QString::number(view->selectionRange().start().line()) : QString();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Selection:StartColumn"), i18n("Start column of selected text of the current document."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return (view && view->selection()) ? QString::number(view->selectionRange().start().column()) : QString();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Selection:EndLine"), i18n("End line of selected text of the current document."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return (view && view->selection()) ? QString::number(view->selectionRange().end().line()) : QString();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:Selection:EndColumn"), i18n("End column of selected text of the current document."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return (view && view->selection()) ? QString::number(view->selectionRange().end().column()) : QString();
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Document:RowCount"), i18n("Number of rows of the current document."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View* view) {
+        return view ? QString::number(view->document()->lines()) : QString();
+    });
+
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Date:Locale"), i18n("The current date in current locale format."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View*) {
+        return QDate::currentDate().toString(Qt::DefaultLocaleShortDate);
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Date:ISO"), i18n("The current date (ISO)."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View*) {
+        return QDate::currentDate().toString(Qt::ISODate);
+    });
+    editor->registerVariablePrefix(QStringLiteral("Date:"), i18n("The current date (QDate formatstring)."), [](const QStringView& str, KTextEditor::View*) {
+        return QDate::currentDate().toString(str.right(str.length() - 5));
+    });
+
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Time:Locale"), i18n("The current time in current locale format."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View*) {
+        return QTime::currentTime().toString(Qt::DefaultLocaleShortDate);
+    });
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("Time:ISO"), i18n("The current time (ISO)."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View*) {
+        return QTime::currentTime().toString(Qt::ISODate);
+    });
+    editor->registerVariablePrefix(QStringLiteral("Time:"), i18n("The current time (QTime formatstring)."), [](const QStringView& str, KTextEditor::View*) {
+        return QTime::currentTime().toString(str.right(str.length() - 5));
+    });
+
+    editor->registerVariablePrefix(QStringLiteral("ENV:"), i18n("Access to environment variables."), [](const QStringView& str, KTextEditor::View*) {
+        return QString::fromLocal8Bit(qgetenv(str.right(str.size() - 4).toLocal8Bit().constData()));
+    });
+
+    editor->registerVariablePrefix(QStringLiteral("JS:"), i18n("Evaluate simple JavaScript statements."), [](const QStringView& str, KTextEditor::View*) {
+        QJSEngine jsEngine;
+        const QJSValue out = jsEngine.evaluate(str.toString());
+        return out.toString();
+    });
+
+    editor->registerVariableMatch(QStringLiteral("UUID"), i18n("Generate a new UUID."), [](const QStringView&, KTextEditor::View*) {
+#if QT_VERSION >= QT_VERSION_CHECK(5, 11, 0)
+        return QUuid::createUuid().toString(QUuid::WithoutBraces);
+#else
+        // LEGACY
+        QString uuid = QUuid::createUuid().toString();
+        if (uuid.startsWith(QLatin1Char('{')))
+            uuid.remove(0, 1);
+        if (uuid.endsWith(QLatin1Char('}')))
+            uuid.chop(1);
+        return uuid;
+#endif
+    });
+}
+}
+
 //BEGIN unit test mode
 static bool kateUnitTestMode = false;
 
@@ -226,6 +342,9 @@
 
     // tap to QApplication object for color palette changes
     qApp->installEventFilter(this);
+
+    // register default variables for expansion
+    registerVariables(this);
 }
 
 KTextEditor::EditorPrivate::~EditorPrivate()