When I discovered Figma, I was 🤯: Many designers could all together update the same file and see the changes in real time. It was a real revolution for me and it was free.
I was also amazed by the fact that you could create components and reuse them in your designs. It ressembles a lot to what we do in development. We create components and reuse them in our code. I tested it, loved it and finally dropped other design tools.
Then in June 2023, at the figma config, they unveiled the new feature: variables. For developers, it is like CSS variables. I was so excited to use it.
But when I started to use it, I was disappointed because:
- The whole feature access was limited to paying customers (modes & advanced prototyping with variables)
- I could not reuse them in different files. They did not provide any way to easily copy and paste variables on another file.
So I decided to create a plugin to copy variables from one file to another: Here comes "Variable Manager" available for everyone in the Figma community.
How to install it?​
Go to the plugin page and click on the "Try it out" button.
How to use it?​
- Install the plugin
- Open the file with the variables you want to copy
- Run the plugin
- Click on "save new" button
- Once your variables saved, click on "copy to clipboard" icon
- Open the file where you want to copy the variables
- Run the plugin
- Click on "paste" button and paste the variables your previously copied
I am working on simple videos to show you how to use it.
How much does it cost?​
Variables Manager is a premium Figma plugin with a limit of 2 collections saved & 10 variables (you can have as many modes as you want).
If you want unlimited collections and variables, you can unlock it for a one-time payment of €20 per user.
How to contribute?​
If you have any suggestions or issues, please contact me on twitter or mail. I'd be glad to chat and help you realize your ideas.