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Ash.Sharifi
Ash.Sharifi
May 6, 2021

Override auto layout direction on the instances

  • May 6, 2021
  • 59 replies
  • 5795 views

Hello Figma!

I can not change the direction of the Autolayout on the instances of a component. I can not understand why such a great feature is disabled on the instances and why not allow us to overwrite it?

There are so many incidents that I would have wished to be able to change the direction of the Autolayout in the instances of the component but right now I have to create multiple variants. 😦

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    Pinned Reply By djv

    Hey All, thank you for your continued feedback! 

    Right now, you cannot directly override an auto layout direction on a component instance in Figma because the layout direction (horizontal or vertical) is locked to the Main Component. But there are temporary solutions to allow you to change the auto layout direction:

     

    • Use Component Variants: Create separate horizontal and vertical variants inside your main component, then switch between them using a variant property dropdown in the right sidebar on your instance.
    • Detach the Instance: Right-click the instance and choose Detach instance to break the link, enabling you to freely change the auto layout direction on the resulting frame.

    Hope this helps clarify and gives you a couple of new options to try! If there are any promising updates from the team on when or if this can be implemented, we’ll be sure to provide an update. 

    59 replies

    Show previous replies
    Akos_Veber
    Akos_Veber
    January 19, 2023

    Currently, if you create a component with auto-layout the directions (vertical or horizontal) are locked on the children of the parent component. When we need to change directions, we have to detach components. Only other way is to create multiple variants with different directions. It would be nice if we could simply change the auto-layout directions on child components when being pulled in design files.

      dennsi
      dennsi
      Active Member
      January 19, 2023

      +1
      Also, being able to rearrange the layers in instances would be great so we’re more flexible and don’t have to create component duplicates with minimal changes.

        tank666
        tank666
        January 19, 2023

        This request was posted earlier on the forum. Please vote for this idea here: Override auto layout direction on the instances.

        UX/UI designer. Figma expert. Creator and developer of plugins and widgets for Figma and FigJam. Check out my resources in Figma Community: figma.com/@tank
          Akos_Veber
          Akos_Veber
          January 19, 2023

          Thanks @tank666, voted!

            Peter_S
            Peter_S
            February 13, 2023

            This feature would be great! Much leaner, than using separate a instance of a component with different orientation.

            Elliott_Andrew
            Elliott_Andrew
            New Participant
            April 10, 2023

            This would be nice to have instead of having to create a variant!

            dennsi
            dennsi
            Active Member
            April 20, 2023

            +1
            Being able to rearrange the Auto Layout direction or even the layers one by one in instances would be great so we’re more flexible and don’t have to create component duplicates with minimal changes. Also, I think the slot component workaround isn’t flexible enough and creates many hidden layers.

              Kenton_Christie
              Kenton_Christie
              August 10, 2023

              Please can we get this as a feature like yesterday?! This saves so much duplication work it’s scary and it is such a simple thing too! Please!

                Silver
                Silver
                New Participant
                August 17, 2023

                Hello, Figma, direction change for instances, cmon!!!
                Yes, wrap + min/max is super, but not suitable for every situation.
                Oh, and “Reverse” direction is also needed!

                  Tascha
                  Tascha
                  Active Member
                  September 6, 2023

                  yes, dire need for this here too 🙏

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