Zeplin exports assets —such as icons and photos— from layers in your design file. These assets are optimized image files in specific formats and scales based on your project type. For Zeplin to export assets from a layer, the layer must be marked for export within the design file.
However, designers sometimes forget to mark layers for export, leading to unnecessary back-and-forth within the team. To address this, Zeplin automatically detects layer names and generates assets if they match certain patterns.
How does it work?
Simply export your Figma file as usual. Zeplin will analyze the layer names during the export process, and if any match the patterns below, it will automatically generate assets:
Pattern |
Layers with names starting with icon, icn, ic, ico |
Components that only contain shapes, like icons |
☝️ The pattern for the layers with names starting with icon, icn, ic, ico is case-sensitive.
If a component contains both an icon and text, you need to match the icon’s name to the pattern. The same applies to component variants—all variant names should start with one of the following: icon, icn, ic, or ico.
When you review your screens in Zeplin after exporting, auto-generated assets will be marked with the experimental icon (🧪) for easy identification.
💁♀️ This option is automatically enabled on the Figma plugin. If you need to turn it off or on, you can manage it from the plugin’s settings menu: Setting up your Figma plugin