Differences between components and libraries in XD?

[romusrx]

n,Hello,

I admit I find components and libraries confusing. Or, I don't see th difference between the two. As I can create components to share among teams, what's the added value of putting them in a library ? I would appreciate any explanation to really understand the benefits and drawbacks of them.

One more thing, having to add each component individually to a librarie is really a pain in the ass.

Thanks.

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[HARSHIKA_VERMA]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out and using Adobe XD. Here is the short explaination of the two.

Creative Cloud libraries:-

XD makes it easy for you and your teams to use assets that are shared using Creative Cloud Libraries. You can add colors, character styles, and components from XD to Creative Cloud Libraries and readily use them within other apps such as, Photoshop and Illustrator. Similarly, you can bring colors, character styles, and graphics from these apps into XD using Creative Cloud Libraries. 

Please check out this article for more info: https://helpx.adobe.com/in/xd/help/cc-libraries-xd.html

Components:-

Components (previously known as symbols), are design elements with unmatched flexibility that help you create and maintain repeated elements while varying the instances for different contexts and layouts. For example, usage of buttons in varying contexts.

For more info see this article: https://helpx.adobe.com/in/xd/help/components.html

Hope it helps. Let us know if you need further assistance on the same. We'd be happy to help.

Thanks,

Harshika

[MJCorn]

Hi,

I understand the difference between the two but I do not understand which is better to use. You can create a design system in Adobe XD or you can import those same elements into a CC Library and share it right? Why would you use one over the other?

Thanks,

Mike

[Peter Villevoye]

Adobe CC Libraries are cloud-based and shared among all applications.

Well, maybe not all, but let's say the most popular ones.

So these Library elements can be added from and used in various applications. You can create a logo in Illustrator, put it in a library, use it in Photoshop or XD, edit it Illustrator again, and see all instances reflect its change. And you can share libraries with co-workers, so others can view and even edit (if you allow them) your libraries.

It does pose some challenges, resulting in inevitable trade-offs. E.g. InDesign might add a library item with very precise spacing, or Illustrator can toss in an element with a complex mask and gradient fill. But this element might be too much to swallow for a less capable application...

So there's no guarantee that everything will work everywhere.

Adobe XD Assets like Components are stored in and limited to Adobe XD files.

You can link Components 'live' between files, but that's it – there's no centralized platform, and no hookup (yet) with other Adobe applications, just XD. My personal observation is that the Adobe XD product team initially and intentionally wanted to stay clear of the Adobe CC Library eco-system, and implement a connection to CC Libraries as an after-thought. There were/are too many ideological and technical pitfalls to wholly embrace the CC Libraries from the beginning, so they took care of their own and more reliable paradigm for reusable (XD) content, first.

Does this help ?

[romusrx]

Hello Peter,

Yes it helps a bit. So let me be more specific about my company use case.

• We've subscribed for a bunch of CC accounts, so our work can (and should) be stored in the Adobe cloud.
• We're using only XD and NO other Adobe application.

Given our usage context, once I've read your message, I wonder if there are advantages at using the CC Libraries, in particular when I think about the extra work needed to properly manage a library.

Any thoughts?

[Peter Villevoye]

Many web and app designers often use a whole separate file or artboard in Sketch or XD (or any other tool) to collect all kinds of stuff they'd like to keep i.e. as styles, color themes, components. They also visually organize it in a way which can serve as a style guide or whatever you need to represent the patterns in your whole design. So the Assets panel can be more than enough to keep track of them, and edit them. And linked components can be used across files, keeping all instances everywhere updated, as soon as you edit and open another file with associated components.

However, you van take it up one notch. In order to easily edit 'live' stuff in other applications, CC Library assets are being kept live across applications and files (even within components). So a logo in a CC Library might be updated by Illustrator and passed to XD, back and forth. An image part can be edited in Photoshop, and find its way to XD, again and again.

But why choose – use both ! There's no harm it using them both (perhaps some incidental confusion...)

On a personal note: any smart system in any application which isn't used intensively by large numbers of users within three years, is getting a hard time surviving. (This also goes for CC Libaries, I'm afraid.) XD Components were adopted almost instantly by everyone...

[romusrx]

Hey Peter, this is really helpful, thanks a lot.

 "XD Components were adopted almost instantly by everyone..." I guess a lot of people who use XD today come from Sketch, that could be a reason...and the fact components save a lot of time also, of course.

For the help.

[Peter Villevoye]

Partially, yes. Although many routined Sketch users are die-hard fans of this tool, and the early adopters of it started out with Sketch to break away from Adobe – so they won't ever move (back) to Adobe XD for almost emotional reasons... 😉

Everyone who is smart to enough to notice they're doing repetitive tasks, will look for structural features in any application, like Components in XD, Styles in Word, Master Pages in InDesign, CSS in web design, etc.