Solving the "Last Mile" of Design System Automation. With the release of Sketch Athens, the introduction of Frames and Graphics - alongside the modern Stack Layout engine - represented a massive shift in how we design interfaces. However, as design systems grow in complexity, managing hundreds of stacks across a large file can still feel like a manual chore.
Today, we are excited to introduce Stack Layout Hacks, a plugin built specifically to handle the "hidden" complexities of modern Sketch stacks.
Why Stack Layout Hacks?
While Sketch’s native Flex-based engine is powerful, it sometimes hides specific controls deep within the Inspector or limits bulk editing. This plugin bridges that gap by providing direct access to the core properties of MSFlexGroupLayout.
Key Highlights:
Precision Padding Control: Have you ever struggled to apply asymmetric padding (e.g., 6px top, 0px bottom) across multiple symbols? Our plugin forces the paddingSelection: 2 (Individual Mode) to ensure your values stick exactly as intended.
The Power of Bulk Clipping: Deep-scanning logic allows you to enable or disable "Clip Content" recursively across entire layer trees. No more clicking through nested groups to find the one layer that’s leaking its contents.
One-Click Sizing Hygiene: Quickly normalize your layout sizing. Whether you need child elements to Fill their parent or the parent to Fit its contents, our dedicated sizing scripts handle it for both Horizontal and Vertical axes instantly.
Individual Wrapping: Stop manually grouping layers. Use the "Separate Stacks" feature to wrap multiple independent objects into their own horizontal or vertical frames in a single click.
Installation Guide
Getting started is incredibly simple:
- Navigate to the Releases page on the plugin's GitHub repository.
- Download the latest
.ziparchive - Unzip the downloaded file.
- Double-click the extracted
.sketchpluginfile. Sketch will automatically install it and show a success notification.
Once installed, you can access all the tools from your top menu via Plugins ➔ Stack Layout Hacks.
Modern Workflow for Modern Designers
The project is open-source and available on GitHub. You can download it, contribute, or report issues here:
👉 Download Stack Layout Hacks plugin for Sketch
Download it today and take full control of your layouts!
