As editor and maybe also as viewer I want to be able to see where specific components are used. So I’m basically talking about way to find instances of a component across files.
There’s a plugin called “Instance Finder” but unfortunately it’s just working within one file not across.
For huge design systems with multiple files and different designers working on it this is far from ideal.
This idea is not new but since the other topics are closed I guess I need to open a new thread.
My feature files get quite expansive and I often have reduced performance due to memory limitations. I can not unify all instances of a component in one file.
Searching for all component instances across files would be critical to my success as a product designer managing a design system.
I would like to propose the implementation of a feature that provides comprehensive statistics on the usage of components within Figma files.
This feature would offer insights into how frequently a particular component is utilized across different artboards and pages within a file along with detailed information such as usage count, artboard name, page name, and instance count upon selection. (Same on library)
Usage Count: The feature would display the total number of times a specific component is used throughout the entire Figma file. This metric would help designers identify the most commonly used components and prioritize updates or modifications accordingly.
Artboard and Page Name: Alongside the usage count, the feature would provide visibility into the specific artboards and pages where each instance of the component is located. This information would enable designers to quickly locate and navigate to relevant areas of the file for further analysis or editing.
Instance Count on Selection: When a component is selected within the Figma canvas, the feature dynamically displays the number of instances of that component present on the current artboard. This real-time feedback would empower designers to make informed decisions while working on design iterations and updates.
Agreed with above opinions on using Figma in large scale projects, especially design system
not having a way to gather a list of scenarios where the component is used across projects hugely undermines the ability to predicts the impact of changes and undermining the value of actually spending time creating the components from the get go hugely (especially in scenarios where “one-off” to offer “tailored” experiences to specific projects are accepted)
This is a major hurdle for our team; part of a large organization where not everything was implemented with properly organized libraries at the start, and now managing it is very difficult when we can’t see where component instances have been used.
Any minor or major component refactor is freaking scary if there are hundreds of instances, across multiple files, depending on it. In my experience, this is quite a common scenario.
Native searching for names is very limited, we often rename instances to better reflect their role as nested instances.
just to mention a super simple example: imagine a button with 2 placeholder icons, the same placeholder icon is used for both leading and trailing icons, and those instances need to be renamed to reflect their respective roles.
Using Figma native search we would never find that icon/arrow-left and icon/arrow-right are being used in example button instances.
Much needed feature to locate instances. Can’t rely on names, as those may change.
Advanced and much needed feature is finding specific variants (name can’t help us today).
