Overriding instance properties in Figma - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This table shows components with their default properties and instance overrides. The Effective Value column shows the final property value used by the instance, which is the instance override if present, otherwise the default.

Cell	Value
A1	Component Name
B1	Property
C1	Default Value
D1	Instance Value
E1	Effective Value
A2	Button
B2	Color
C2	Blue
D2	Red
E2	Red
A3	Button
B3	Size
C3	Medium
D3
E3	Medium
A4	Card
B4	Shadow
C4	Light
D4	Dark
E4	Dark

Formula Trace

IF(D2 <> "", D2, C2)

Step 1: D2 <> ""

Step 2: IF(TRUE, D2, C2)

Cell Reference Map

    A       B         C         D         E
1 |Component|Property |Default  |Instance |Effective
2 |Button   |Color    |Blue     |Red      |Red
3 |Button   |Size     |Medium   |         |Medium
4 |Card     |Shadow   |Light    |Dark     |Dark

The formula checks if the instance property (column D) is set. If yes, it uses that value; otherwise, it uses the default property (column C).

Result

    A       B         C         D         E
1 |Component|Property |Default  |Instance |Effective
2 |Button   |Color    |Blue     |Red      |Red
3 |Button   |Size     |Medium   |         |Medium
4 |Card     |Shadow   |Light    |Dark     |Dark

The Effective Value column shows the final property value for each instance. If the instance overrides the default, that value is shown; otherwise, the default is used.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What value does the formula return for the Button Color property?

A Medium

B Red

C Blue

D Empty

Key Result

IF(instance_property <> "", instance_property, default_property)