# Common questions ## Why would you use `onready var` versus regular `var`? - `var` is assigned when the script instance is created, if this is a node then it might not be added to the tree yet, so you can't use `get_parent` and similar on it. - `onready var` is a shortcut for assigning vars in `_ready()` and is assigned a value after a node and siblings enter the tree. Only useful for nodes. [Reference](https://godotengine.org/qa/12000/is-there-any-reason-to-use-var-instead-of-onready-var)