Skip to main content
June 21, 2023

Allow assigning String variables to Text props in component instances

  • June 21, 2023
  • 56 replies
  • 13651 views

The new variables feature is great! But I’m asking you to add an ability to assign String variables to Text props of component instances.

My use case
I have a generic component “header” in my company’s design system that can be used with any text. I insert the instance as a part of my specific design frame for iOS. A UX Writer edits the header text. Then, I create a frame for the same screen for Android, Desktop and Mobile Web. In total, I have 4 screens with the same header.

Now if the UX writer decides to change the text inside the header instance, they have to copy paste it 4 times. I’d like to solve the sync problem and the need to maintain consistency manually. I wanna make a String variable “screen-1-header” for example, and bind it with the Text property of the “header” instance. BUT as far as I see, Figma doesn’t allow it at the moment, which is sad. I can assign a variable to a text layer that is not a part of a component, but I don’t like the idea of detaching instances from master components.

Please expand the variable feature to text props in instances. It’ll burst my teams workflow.


UPD: although the assigning works on text layers within a component, it doesn’t work if the text layer is connected to a text prop.

56 replies

Anna_Foltman
New Member
October 12, 2023

I was just about to approve using String Variables for translations - it worked great especially since we translate designs in reverse. For some time I thought it was just a bug that some strings connect to variables, and when you unfocus them, they lose the variable. Now I see that it’s a missing feature. I agree, that without it, this feature is unreliable and unusable in a scalable way.

Anna_Foltman
New Member
October 12, 2023
Aymeric_Bianco_Pelle1
October 27, 2023

Hey everyone, had the same issue, wrote a plugin for it, hope this helps ! https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1283084251253914878/apply-string-variable-to-prop
And that this shameless auto promo is not frowned upon !

December 8, 2023

Now that variables are available for nested instances I was excited to use a variable on a (nested instance) text property, but just realized you can’t. Sadface…

Tim_Daff
January 4, 2024

Barmp. Just came across this for the first time and thought I was missing something obvious. Hope the Figma team can get this shipped soon 🙂

Francisco_Borges
February 2, 2024

We really need this!

Nass
New Member
February 19, 2024

This seems to do the job as a workaround, thanks! ❤️

Martin_Mateos_Sanchez
February 24, 2024

Hello! I would love to see this too. Especially because I use the Relay plugin from Google and it only supports component with properties, so now I need to have two components, one for the design and a clone of it for Relay

Constantine_Zuev
March 13, 2024

Almost a year later, but this is still not implemented 😭

jasonhibbs-cm
March 14, 2024

This stops me from using text variables seriously