Glossary

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Organization (workspace)

An organization, sometimes called workspace, is the Specify place you share with your team.

Repository

A repository is like a directory containing your design tokens and assets. The design data is stored within a JSON compatible tree built upon the Specify Design Token Format.

Source

A source belongs to a repository, it represents where the original design tokens and/or assets come from - think of Figma (Variables or Local Styles) or Tokens Studio.

Destination

A destination belongs to a repository, it represents where the formatted design data get distributed on updates - think of GitHub or any automation you can come up with our CLI and SDK.

Specify Design Token Format (SDTF)

The SDTF stands for Specify Design Token Format. It's a token format that helps you sync design tokens from Figma Styles, Figma Variables, and Tokens Studio. Your design tokens are created and saved as a token tree you can query and transform thanks to the Specify API. The SDTF is composed of more than 50 token types. In a SDTF token tree, design tokens can be organized in Collections, Groups, and Modes.

Token type

A Token type is a type of design token or asset supported by Specify like a color, a textStyle or a vector.

Collection

A collection is a way to group design tokens while ensuring the modes of the tokens they contain within the SDTF. A Collection can contain groups, and design tokens with one or several modes.

Group

A group is way to semantically group design tokens in the SDTF. A group contains design tokens, other groups and exists in the context of a collection.

Alias

An alias design token is a design token whose value is not a raw value but a reference to another design token's value.

Mode

A Mode is a way to associate the value of a design token to a specific context. For instance, a color named background can have several values associated to different modes like Light or Dark.

Parsers Engine

The Parsers Engine is the high-level design data transformation and export API.

Parser Rule

A parser rule is a JSON object describing a series of parsers and options, responsible to transform and export your design tokens and assets to your code base.

Parser

Parsers are functions allowing you to transform design tokens and assets coming from Specify to fit your needs and company standards. See all parsers.

SDTF Client

The SDTF Client offers versatile methods for working with SDTF token trees, enabling data manipulation, transformation, and conversion into various formats or languages, bridging the gap between stored and live token instances within your repository.

SDTF Engine

The SDTF Engine brings together the core APIs that enable most of Specify features to seamlessly integrate, whether you're working in Figma or Token Studio, managing GitHub pull-requests, or directly within your codebase with the SDK or the CLI.

Configuration file

A Specify configuration file is a JSON or JavaScript file, made of one or many rules and the credentials to authenticate. The configuration is used to communicate with the Parsers Engine.