Sketch App – Symbol

The symbol is a powerful feature of Sketch App. This is an amazing tool because it increases the efficiency of the designer.

For example, you create any list of product, item, order and want to show different content in each entity then symbol will really help you out.

In simple, symbol provides you variable in your design, from where you can override the instance of the variable.

The point we are going to discuss are as follows

• How to create symbol and use.
• How to Edit Symbol.
• How to Manage Symbol.

Let’s start with the first point

How to create the symbol and use it.

For Example, I am going to create “Order List” layout which has order id, status, date, customer and the total amount of the order as shown below

Here I am going to override value of [#Number],  [Date], [Customer Name], [Amount].

Note: We should prefer point text instead of paragraph block text to create symbols, because it won’t allow us to change the content of paragraph in between.

a. Convert layout into the symbol-

1. Select your Layout.
2. Go to layer and select Create Symbol or click on Create Symbol Button in the toolbar.
3. Name your symbol as you want e.g. order.

The symbol is created now, Next stage is how to use the symbol.

b. Use Symbol-

1. Goto Insert > Symbol.
2. Select Your Symbol e.g. order.
3. Place symbol where you want.

or You can copy or paste symbol.

c. To edit the value of content.

Select your symbol and goto inspector and override the value.

Now add as many as instance of your symbol on your artboard and change the value of the variables on a go.

 

Its really awesome feature of sketch app.

How to edit symbol.

Its really easy to edit your symbol, change your symbol and notify effect on all its instance.

Edit symbol-

1. Double click on the symbol.
2. Update, whatever you want.
3. Click on the button “Return to instance”.

Now I am going to rearrange the text of same symbol or Layout as shown below

Now on clicking “Return to instance” we have

 

So, you can see all the layout has been changed according to changes in the symbol.

How to Manage Symbol

We can categorise our symbol by using “/ ” this creates a folder. for example, if you creating status/red, status/green, and status/yellow then it creates a folder status.

Assume that, the red line in each instance of symbol symbolizes the status of the orders. So it should also change color according to order status for e.g. Green (Delivered), Yellow (Pending) and Red(Cancel).

Now I am going to create 3 symbols of different colors.

1. Double click and open your symbol in this case “order”.
2. Click on the rectangle with red color and convert it into the symbol with name order/status/red and similarly 2 more symbol order/status/green & order/status/yellow also you will get layered symbol management.3. Go back to your page from left layer panel change your symbol from symbol list.That all for the symbol, Thanks for giving your precious time for this blog.