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Hey guys,

I’m baffled that this is not possible in Figma.


Basically, let’s say that I have a menu component, one of those regular drop down menus we see everywhere. And I use auto layout, so that I can add/remove menu items and the whole thing resizes nicely and looks good. Let’s say I use 7 menu items in the main component. I name them Menu btn 1, Menu btn2 and so on.


Now I’ll create an instance and use only 3 menu items, so basically I’ll delete the extra 4. I name the buttons Change, Edit and Remove.


Later I wanna add 1 more menu item, what do I, since I can’t add anything to component instances? 😃 I have to reset all changes, write the name of the menu buttons again, and remove the extra 3.


Is it just me, or is that totally insane?

While I’m not baffled, I do agree with your sentiment. It should be possible to use a component as a frame to add more content into. The best you can do is making component variants that hold different content. Bonus is that you can also animate between these variants.

I don’t know where the problem is. If you want to add the 4th menu item, you just need to unhide the 4th item.


If you want 8 items, you need to add another item to your main component first.


You can also hide items in your main component to be able to unhide them in your instances if you need them. I’m using this “method” for breadcrumbs for instance.


This behavior ensures consistency.

That is true, but with this method and the “slot” method you always need at least as many elements in the component as you will ever need in the prototype. It clutters the component with layers that you don’t regularly use.

hey guys, thanks for the replies

@Dennis_N Had no idea that if you hide a menu item the whole component resizes 😃

Thanks for the tip

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