Skip to main content
Andii_Hei
July 12, 2023

Quality of Life Improvements for Variables

  • July 12, 2023
  • 32 replies
  • 2246 views

First and foremost, I’m really enjoying using and experimenting with what I can do with Variables. I have barely scratched the surface but feel like these are obvious improvements that should be included in the backlog somewhere:

  • Ability to duplicate Variables
  • Ability to duplicate a Collection
  • Ability to move Variables to another Collection
  • Ability to move a Group to another Collection
  • Ability to move multiple Variables (between Groups and Collections)
  • Add a description for Collections and Groups (I don’t want to repeat the same thing with slight variations for each Variable)
  • Ability to search for a Variable or Group within the Variables window
  • Ability to move the Mode columns within the Variables window
  • [EDIT] When creating Color Variables, I wished that it remembered the last panel I used to create the previous Variable. This would be useful when I’m creating multiple semantic variables via aliasing
  • [EDIT] Ability to scope multiple Variables that are of the same type

Thank you so much for making our lives easier (and keeping us busy) with Variables! Keep up the good work!

🤩

    32 replies

    tank666
    tank666
    July 12, 2023

    @Andii_Hei,

    It is currently possible to move multiple variables between groups. It’s just that it works strangely at the moment:

    1. Choose one variable;
    2. Holding down Shift or Ctrl select the required number of variables by pressing and holding the left mouse button;
    3. Keep holding the left mouse button and drag the variables to another group.
    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
      Andii_HeiAuthor
      July 12, 2023

      Ahh… Nice! I wished it was available as a right-click menu item then, because I never would have thought to press those 2 keys 😂

        Andii_HeiAuthor
        July 13, 2023

        I’ve tried this initially, and found that each time I dragged it into another group it would just deselect all but one variable and then move just the one variable that my cursor was on.

          tank666
          tank666
          July 13, 2023

          So you released the left mouse button. When you select the last variable, do not release the left mouse button, but hold it down and immediately drag.

          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
          Tara_Price
          Tara_Price
          July 13, 2023

          There is supposed to be the ability to duplicate. But it only works on the top level, and only some of the time. I have a lot of language string, and it is not working 90% of the time

            Andii_HeiAuthor
            July 13, 2023

            I was going to upload a video here, but it seems that I can’t do that as a new user, so here’s a screen recording where I’m trying to drag the test variables without releasing the left mouse button.

            tank666
            tank666
            July 13, 2023

            As I told you, you released the left mouse button. That is, you clicked and then pressed and held and dragged. Do not click, but do as I described in previous posts.

            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
              Andii_HeiAuthor
              July 13, 2023

              Yea, I finally got it…! Took a few goes. 😅

              digitalBen
              digitalBen
              New Participant
              October 6, 2023

              The variable should allow to create the breakpoints so that the mode would define the various sizes needed for you interface creation.
              Then in the frame selection when selection a breakpoint mode the interface would adjust frame sizes automaticly based on the values identified.

              Inger-Marie_Nilsen
              Inger-Marie_Nilsen
              New Member
              October 6, 2023

              Hello. We are currently testing the variables beta and love the feature so far. We have a couple of feedback points from our side which we hope will get the attention they deserve.

              Search variable with values:
              The ability to search existing variables with the actual values, e.g. find colour variables based on a hex code: #B2AEFF → lavendel-100

              Variable drilldown in previews
              The ability to backtrack where a color variable stems from in preview mode, e.g. button-primary-bg → primary-bg → lavendel-100 → #B2AEFF

              Variable usage overview
              Seeing where variables are in use and also if they are not in use and can be deleted

              Drag & drop modes
              Drag & drop for modes so we get the correct column order <3

              Kind regards,
              Inger-Marie Nilsen

                Show more replies
                Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement