XLIFF export clings on to old variable values
I need to systematically change the value of every variable in default.var with a script.
The problem occurs when I attempt an XLIFF export on topics with the changed variables - for some reason, the XLIFF export uses the old variable value instead of the new one. I've tried clearing the cache, restarting the project, restarting the translation project and so on but nada.
My question is, where does the XLIFF get the old values and how can I force it to use the new values?
Illustration to make my point clear:
1 - I have a topic where two variables, let's call them variable A and B, are used:

2 - the values of variable A and B are changed (externally, with a script). In this example, they are changed to 'PLACEHOLDER'.

3 - when exporting this illustration topic, I notice the XLIFF export fails to use the new PLACEHOLDER value.

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Q: why does this even matter? The Default.var in the translation project will automatically load the new variable value, regardless of the current variable value.
A: yes, but there's a very annoying bug that occurs when our variables are being exported. The usage of <br> and '>' signs cause a duplication problem in the XLIFF file: muliple <g> tags are created in the XLIFF for one variable. This causes the variable to be duplicated in the translation project. This is a workaround for that bug, and now I'm trying to find a workaround for the bug of this workaround.

