Sketch Libraries Overview

Sketch Library Basics

Carbon specific Sketch library tutorial

• 0:00 - How to download the Carbon Sketch Kit
• 4:22 - How to import a Sketch Library
• 7:23 - How the Carbon Library is organized
• 11:26 - Brief overview of library symbols and override panel basics
• 17:15- How to get and accept library updates/notifications

Additional Tutorials

• Basic Sketch 47 Libraries tutorial
• Article about Sketch 47 library capabilities

Importing Carbon Libraries

For visual learners: 4:02-5:10 in the video linked above covers this.

1. In the Mac toolbar go to Sketch > Preferences or press ⌘,.

2. Navigate to the Libraries tab and click Add Library... button.

3. Locate the Carbon Design Kit Sketch file inside the folder Carbon Design Kit x.x.x and select it.
4. The file should now appear under the Libraries tab in the Preferences modal.
5. Close preferences and click on Insert in the Sketch toolbar. There should now be a menu item labeled Carbon Design Kit.

Steps to upgrading to the latest Kit & Library File

First time Carbon Design Kit Download (for versions 8.1.0 or newer)

1. Download latest Carbon Design Kit from this repo.
2. Navigate to your downloads folder and look for the folder named Carbon_Design_Kit_8.x.x
3. Move this folder out of the downloads folder into a different, *preferred location. We do not recommend keeping this file in the downloads folder.

*Please remember where you put this folder, you will need to know the location for future, updated kit downloads.

Updating to latest Carbon Design Kit Library

To update to the latest library version you will need to download the newest version of the Carbon Design Kit and replace the previous version you saved. Follow the specific instructions below to ensure a smooth transition.

1. Download latest Carbon Design Kit folder from this repo.
2. Navigate to your downloads folder and look for the folder named Carbon_Design_Kit_8.x.x.
3. Open the folder and look for the Sketch file named Carbon Design Kit and copy it.
4. Navigate to the location where you stored your first Carbon Design Kit download (per the instructions above) and paste the newly downloaded version in this folder.
5. A modal will appear asking if you want to “Keep both, stop, or replace” the old file, click replace. This will ensure that the Carbon Design Kit Library you previously imported into Sketch will be updated with the most recent changes.

6. When you open any Sketch file the Carbon Design Kit Library should reflect the latest changes with the exception of any symbols currently in use in that particular Sketch file. To update those components, navigate to the notifications badge in the upper right hand corner, click Library Update Available to activate a modal that let's you see and accept the changes between versions.