One embodiment is directed to a method that may be practiced in a declarative application with composites organized hierarchically, including composites in the same hierarchy, but not directly related by direct intervening child/parent relationships. The method includes acts for providing a link between composites unrelated by direct intervening child/parent relationships. The method includes rendering data at a user interface. The data is associated with a first composite in a declarative application. The method further includes detecting, at the user interface, user interaction with the rendered data. As a result of detecting user interaction with the rendered data, the method further includes defining a composite path to the first composite. The method further includes providing the name of the path as a local variable to a second composite such that the second composite can interact with the data.