Manage Sync Providers

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Last updated 5 months ago

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By default, Design Tokens created with Tokens Studio are stored locally in each Figma file, accessed by opening the plugin.

If you want to share your Tokens across multiple Figma files or store them externally (not in Figma), you can set up remote Token storage with one of our integration partners and add them as a sync provider in the plugin.

Steps in the plugin for Figma

Open the Tokens Studio plugin and navigate to the settings page.

Tap the Add new sync provider
A modal will open with a list of providers to choose from.
Tap the Choose button next to the provider you want to add

Sync provider credentials

Once you select your sync provider, a modal will open with a form to add the necessary credentials.

Each provider's form will look slightly different. If you need help on how to fill out the form, make sure to check out their specific documentation for detailed instructions.

Select Save to continue. Sometimes you have to scroll the form to see the save button.

Save and do the initial sync

Once you Save your credentials, the plugin will compare your Tokens with whats in your repository.

You'll see a modal asking you to push or pull to 'sync' the plugin data with your storage provider, depending on the type of provider, permissions, and the Tokens you have in the plugin.

These images show the push and pull modals for a new GitHub sync, but it will look similar for most providers.

Pull from provider

If your sync provider already has Design Tokens, you'll see a dialogue asking if you want to pull your Tokens in.

If you select yes
- Tokens in your remote storage will be pulled into the plugin.
- Any Tokens currently in the plugin will be replaced with the Tokens in your remote storage, and they can not be recovered.
- Once the pull is complete, the modal will close and you'll be returned to the Settings page of the plugin.
If you select cancel
- Tokens currently in the plugin will remain, and you can choose to push them to your sync provider later.
- The modal will close and you'll be returned to the Settings page of the plugin.
If you close the modal without making a selection
- Tokens currently in the plugin will remain, and you can choose to push them to your sync provider later.
- Closing the modal returns you to the Settings page of the plugin.

Push from local

If your sync provider does not have code files with Design Tokens, you'll see a modal asking if you want to push.

This would push or "send" the current Tokens in the plugin to your sync provider.

If you select Push changes
- The commit message is required.
  - You can think of it as a short note to your engineers about what you are pushing, such as "initial token load."
- Tokens in the plugin will be pushed to your remote storage.
- Once the pull is complete, the modal will close and you'll be returned to the Settings page of the plugin.
If you select cancel
- Tokens currently in the plugin will remain, and you can choose to push them to your sync provider later.
- The modal will close and you'll be returned to the Settings page of the plugin.
If you close the modal without making a selection
- Tokens currently in the plugin will remain, and you can choose to push them to your sync provider later.
- Closing the modal returns you to the Settings page of the plugin.

Sync provider is active

Once your sync provider is connected, it appears on the settings page as Active. The plugin will tell you which Token Format your JSON files are being written in.

You'll notice the sync actions at the bottom of the plugin are now visible. These actions indicate when the plugin is out of sync with the Tokens in remote storage.

Push indicator:
- Visible when changes you've made in the plugin need to be sent to the code files stored by your sync provider.
Pull indicator:
- Visible when the plugin needs to "receive" changes made to the code files stored by your sync provider.

Pro tips for working with Sync providers

Once your sync provider is active, here are some workflow tips from the Tokens Studio team and community.

Save a copy of your sync provider credentials

Capture a copy of the credentials you filled in the form and store them somewhere for safekeeping.

If you need to re-add the sync provider to the plugin, you'll have a record of what you put in each section of the form as a reference.

Once the sync provider is added, Tokens stored by your sync provider are easily accessed in any Figma file without needing to add the credentials again.

Once you open the Tokens Studio plugin in any Figma file:

Navigate to the settings page of the plugin
Navigate to the sync provider of your choice in the list and select apply
The pull from provider modal will open, asking if you want to pull in the Tokens being stored externally.
- Follow the Pull steps above.

Once you've completed the Pull from your sync provider, your Tokens will be available in your new Figma file.

If your sync provider has write permissions, changes you make in the new Figma file can be Pushed back to the sync provider and then Pulled into other Figma files.