Token Values with References

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While it's helpful to give a human-readable name to a hard-coded value, the real power of Design Tokens comes from referencing another Token.

When the value of a Token is the Name of an existing Token in the system wrapped in curly brackets{ }, it will inherit its value from the referenced Token.

For example, looking at the value of a Color Token applied to the label of a button component, you can see it has a value of {brand.colors.success.on-success}and same value of #b1f1cb.

This means when you look at the value of a Design Token which references an existing Token in your system, you can easily tell where the design decision came from.

Common terms

There are lots of different words the community uses to describe this kind of Token Value:

Reference Tokens
Alias Tokens
Semantic Tokens
Decision Tokens

Alias Tokens

It's called an "Alias" Token because it provides a new name, or alias, for an existing design decision in our system.

Ideally, the new name/alias provides meaningful context about how, where, or when we intend to implement our design decisions.

However, when you are just starting to work with Design Tokens, the label "Alias" can get confusing, so in the Tokens Studio docs, we will say "Values that reference another Token" for clarity.

Syntax specifications

To write a Token Value which references another Token, you wrap the Token Name in curly brackets without any spaces.

For example: {green-500}

Composite Tokens, which have more than one value, can have one or more of its properties set to reference another Tokens.

The same Typography Composite Token example pictured above written in code is below. Line 7 has a hard-coded value, the rest are referencing another Token that exists elsewhere in the system.

{
  "text-style": {
    "body": {
      "sm": {
        "strong": {
          "value": {
            "letterSpacing": "2%",
            "lineHeight": "{text-style.line-height.body.sm} * 100%",
            "fontFamily": "{text-style.font-family.body}",
            "fontWeight": "{text-style.font-weight.body.strong}",
            "fontSize": "{text-style.font-size.body.sm}",
            "paragraphSpacing": "{text-style.paragraph-spacing.default}",
            "textDecoration": "{text-style.text-decoration.default}",
            "textCase": "{text-style.text-case.body}",
            "paragraphIndent": "{text-style.paragraph-indent.default}"
          },
          "type": "typography"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Create a Token with references

In the Tokens Studio Plugin for Figma there are three ways to define the Value of a Token that references another Token .

Select a Token Name using a dropdown pre-populated with compatible Token Types.
Search for a specific Token Name from the same pre-populated dropdown.
Write the Token Name you are referencing inside curly brackets.

Each Token Type has a slightly different interface to create a new Token, but the Token Value input to add a reference works the same.

Select the plus sign next to your desired Token Type to create a new Token. Right click on an existing Token and select Edit to open its Token form.

Tap the down chevron icon within the Token Value input to open the pre-populated menu of compatible Token Names.
You can scroll through the list, or type the name of the Token in the input to filter the Token names in the dropdown.
Select the name of the Token you want to reference.
The list will close, and the selected token will appear in the Token Value input wrapped in curly brackets {theme-color.info.default}

Or, you can type the Token Name you are referencing inside curly brackets in the Token Value input.

For example {theme-color.info.default}

Once you start typing, if there are any matches the Plugin will show them below the input. You can select the name your desired Token to close the menu.

When you are finished creating the Token, press the button at the bottom of the Token form to close it.

The new Token appears on the Token Page. You can hover on the Token to view the data entered to create the Token.

Tokens available to reference

Compatible Tokens are available to reference and are determined by the Token Type.

For example, a Typography Token is not compatible with a Color Token as their values have different properties.

So, when creating a new Color Token, the Plugin will not show Typography Token Names as an option to reference as its value.

Each Token Type guide defines the compatible Token Types that are available to reference in its Value.

Tokens in Active Token Sets are available to reference

The plugin will only show Tokens with compatible Types that are living in Token Sets that are currently active.

Active Token Sets have a checkmark visible next to the Token Set Name in the left menu on the Token page of the Plugin.

If the Token Name you want to reference is not in the dropdown list, you can "force" a reference by manually entering the Token Name between curly brackets.

For example, if you want to reference a Number Token without a unit in a Dimension Token which requires a unit, you can manually type the Number Token Name wrapped in curly brackets followed by unit:

{unitless.number}px

Even if the plugin notifies you the Token is "not found," once you save your changes, you'll notice the reference has gone through and the Token should how the correct Resolved Value.

Token Names are case-sensitive.

To make the forced reference process a little smoother, you can copy the Name of any Token by:

Right-click on the Token
Select Copy Token path

Then you can paste the name from your clipboard between curly brackets{Token-name} in the value of your desired Token using the paste keyboard shortcut.

command + v (mac)
control + v (windows/linux)

This strategy comes in handy when writing complex Token Values which reference another Token. For example:

Inherited and Resolved Values

A Token with a Value that reference another Token will inherit its Value from the referenced Token.

There are no limits on how many layers of referencing are possible in Design Tokens.

This creates a flexible and dynamic system which scales very quickly.

For example, if you decide that the text for all success elements in your system should be white instead of a light green, you only need to change the value of one Token (the {brand.colors.success.on-success} Token), and all components referencing it will change.

This means with thoughtful references in your Token Structure, you only have to make changes to 1 Token and the new value will cascade across the entire system.

In technical terms, this "inheritance" is known as Resolved Value, because the Plugin has to pass the Value through your Token Structure and perform any calculations necessary to display the resulting Value.

Compared to the Raw Value, which shows the Token Value exactly as it was written.

Nested references will be deprecated

As we continue to align with the W3C specifications Design Tokens Community Group, we will be phasing out 'nested references'.

Nested references are not included in the DTCG specifications.
They are not supported by any other design tools.

As design Token and transformation tools become more sophisticated, nested references negatively impact the performance of Token resolution, so we can not continue to support it.

If your Token values are written with nested references:

{colors.{primary}.500}

It's time to make some changes.

Transforming Tokens

Each Token Type has specific Transforms to be aware of that ensure accurate resolved values that are usable in code.

Resources

Mentioned in this doc:

Community resources:

None yet!

Known issues and bugs

- Occasionally when referencing a Token which exists in more than one Token Set, the incorrect values are showing in the Resolved Token Value preview when the Token is hovered on.