Instance sheet for gitlab-pattern-library
Currently, in our day-to-day workflow, we browse and insert symbols from the pattern library using Sketch's built-in interface. While we can browse the symbols in the pattern-library sketch file, we cannot copy and paste it into our work files as this will break the link with the Sketch library and create duplicate symbols in our work file. A makeshift solution for large organisms we have is to insert them as symbols and detach them from the library (eg. page-templates - navigation, search, etc.).
A better solution is to have a symbol instance sheet. This file contains all the molecules and organisms needed for our day-to-day workflow – icons, global, and page components. These symbols are instanced from the pattern-library.
Pros
- Easy to browse and familiarize with the various patterns used in GitLab. This is especially true when trying to locate the right icon.
- Easy to copy and paste into work files without breaking the link with the Sketch library.
Cons
- Another file to keep up-to-date, though we already have
Global Components
andPage Components
pages in the pattern-library file.
As part of #135 (closed), my motivations are to give designers an easier interface to browse and use the design system. Though this solution does not solve the issue of naming and organization of symbols, I think it provides a better interface to the pattern-library.