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outtatime
outtatime
Participant
June 3, 2021
Question

Designing and using global editable Assets from the library similar to XDs components

  • June 3, 2021
  • 1 reply
  • 896 views

Hello, 

i like the components feature in XD a lot, because you can change the typography text of a placed asset and still can do global changes on the original asset, which will have an effect on a already placed asset.

 

In Illustrator, from what i know and already tried, its not as comfortable as in XD. I can set up an asset with a graphic, text and picture and save it to the library. When i place an asset from the CC-Library i have 2 choices:

 

1) I place the asset and have no chance to edit the text and the picture, but i have the possibility to do global changes of the original, the benefit in this case is, i have an effect on my placed asset.

 

2) I place a duplicate (which i prefer in my case) and have the possibility to edit the text, the colour or the image itself. But global changes of the original asset will have no effect on my duplicate or on my multiple placed duplicates.

 

Is there any chance that global changes like the graphic colour or font size will have an effect on the placed duplicates when i edit the original asset afterwards or is the only way to do these changes the funtion "global edit" of similar elements?

 

Many thanks in advance!

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1 reply

hammer0909
Community Expert
hammer0909Community Expert
Community Expert
June 3, 2021

You can achieve this behavior in Illustrator by using Symbols. Open the Symbols panel by choosing Window > Symbols then drag your artwork to the Symbols panel to create a new symbol. Now drag the symbol from the panel to your document and that is a symbol instance which is connected to the symbol. If you edit the symbol, all instaces will be updated.

outtatime
outtatimeAuthor
Participant
June 3, 2021

Many thanks for your input. Its actually similar to the library effect which i tried to describe.

 

When you place a symbol you have to ungroup and unlink the original asset from the symbols list to edit the text. Afterwarts you are not able to link to the original symbol again for appearance changes like colour etc. If you edit the original symbol itself, the text will be changed on every placed symbol. This is what i dont want to do.

 

This is so great with XD. You have components, you can do text editing on every placed component but you still have the opportunity to change the allover appearence of the component, even when every placed component has a different text content.

hammer0909
Community Expert
hammer0909Community Expert
Community Expert
June 3, 2021

Not true. Just double click on the symbol in the Symbols panel and make your edit. All instances will then update.

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