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Adobe XD: Feature Requests (Read-Only): 01 : Design mode

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(thinking…)

Drag object into symbol definition in the layers panel

Being able to add items to a symbol would not only speed up production time, but would also prevent the scenario where existing symbols (and their overrides) must be manually replaced if the user wants to add an object to a symbol.

If there is a way to do it, it is not intuitive. I can delete, move, and restyle items within a symbol. But if I try to drag another item into the symbol (say, another symbol such as a newly created button), it doesn’t work. XD shows a block icon (⦸) where the dragged insertion point should be. This means I have to recreate the symbol, but that breaks all the other instances of the symbol in the sense that now I have to replicate my new symbol to all of those, deleting the existing ones (and their overrides) in the process.

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Michael shared this idea  ·   ·  Report…  ·  Admin →
AdminElaine (Adobe) (Product Manager, Adobe) responded  · 

You can currently add an object to a symbol by cutting, selecting an object inside the symbol, and then pasting. You can also enter and exit group edit context really quickly by double clicking on a symbol or group. However, you’re right in that you currently can’t drag directly into a symbol. I’ll repurpose this request to focus on that behavior.

-Elaine

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  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    The cut and past trick outlined above does not appear to work with Components - it creates a group but this does not apply to the component - With the new components feature - while there is great flexibility I am unable to edit the component and add or change objects from one thing to another. This means every time I need to make a change/addition to a component -I need to un-group it which orphans all references to the component and start over. In the end, this invalidates the original video example provided for symbols: https://youtu.be/MrLWr7_9-PI I can no longer easily swap one icon for another using components. I have to create a new component and reapply it. By allowing objects to be added or changed inside a component - we'd be in a great position to manage edits without a ton or rework - as was originally positioned in this symbols introduction video. Thanks.

  • JR Key commented  ·   ·  Report

    Ahhhh...that explains my problem. OK. Then please disregard this suggestion. :)

  • JR Key commented  ·   ·  Report

    After creating a new asset on an artboard, it would be very helpful within the Asset Panel to be able to drag that new element into an existing Asset group or to drag an element out of an existing Asset. Currently you can drag to re-order assets, but only within a group or among top-level assets, but we cannot move an element into a group or out of a group except by copying, pasting, and deleting.

  • Idan Ba commented  ·   ·  Report

    Hey Simon,
    as you mentioned - "A few specialized group type do not allow drag layers in/out like Repeat Grid.
    this is exactly what I'm looking for. I found a "Hack" which allow me to double click that repeater and paste on the canvas which then put the paste in seemly random location, Then I change it location using the alt+[] keys to move it up or down.

    Is There by any chance any progress in allowing this in the layers panel ? I know many people are having problem with this but might don't know how to Name it.

    Thanks,
    Idan.

  • Michael commented  ·   ·  Report

    Fellype, copy and paste worked for me, to insert an item into a symbol. (The paste step may not be visually obvious, because XD pastes the item over the original item it was copied from, instead of into the symbol's general location. But if you look in the layers panel, you should see that the item has been pasted into the symbol group.) Are you using the latest version of XD?

  • Michael commented  ·   ·  Report

    Thanks, Elaine. Appreciate the tip (copy and paste), and editing the suggestion to specify the issue.

  • Fellype commented  ·   ·  Report

    Currently, I'm not able to insert things (paste or drag'n drop) inside a symbol. I have to:

    Ungroup Symbol --> Paste anything I want --> Make Symbol

    It would be great if that feature exist, so I shouldn't reacreate symbol and copy/paste then every time, only updating symbol after inserting new things.

  • Simon commented  ·   ·  Report

    I work with groups a lot, as right now it is basically the only way to really tidy up the layers panel. Now that we ycsn Drag&Drop layers, please(!) give us the opportunity to Drag&Drop layers in and out of groups.

    Right now the workflow is 1. Ungroup, 2. keep in mind what elements were in the group 3. remove the layer you want out of the group 4. regroup

    To add a layer into a group it is the same

    To copy a layer that is part of a group but wanting the pasted layer to not be part of that group it is the same.

    Would help me a lot
    Thank you for listening