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June 21, 2023

Allow assigning String variables to Text props in component instances

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.

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