Manage difficult design file conflicts with Trunk
Knowing what other designers are doing has always been a fundamental part of design collaboration. At Trunk, we put a strong focus on collaboration and are making big changes to improve the entire design experience.
Our newest update includes:
- Improved workflow for resolving conflicts in Sketch files
- Tracked progress for uploading and downloading
- Background updates so you can work while Trunk syncs with the server
Resolve design conflicts with fine control and confidence.
Conflicting files is a common problem in a design teams workflow. At Trunk, we’ve recognised this and have implemented a powerful solution for conflicts, giving users a clear and simple way to view, compare and resolve conflicting design files.
If you’re working with others, it’s likely that you may work on the same file, maybe even the same symbol. So what happens when you have both made a change? Without Trunk, you would have to open both files and move all of the changes yourself, hopefully without missing anything, because you’ll probably delete the old files after.
So how does Trunk solve this?
Trunk lets you pick exactly which changes you want from each file, resulting in a better design collaboration process. No more duplicate files or manually merging changes*. In one screen you can see, and compare, every conflicting file (with previews!).
Do I have a pick every little detail?
Not unless you want too.
With the click of a button you can select all of your files, or those from master. You also have the option to choose all artboards from one file, or go into more detail and pick the artboards from either Sketch file. All new artboards will be copied across in their original location, unless they overlap, in which case they are laid out at the bottom of the page.
What about styles, colours and gradients?
Trunk takes all of this into account, automatically merging what we can and removing duplicates. We use your file as the base and bring in any new changes from the master file, this means, if you have the same text (or layer) style in both files, we will keep yours.
How do I confirm changes before finalising the merge?
Before finishing, Trunk will generate previews from the new file for you to inspect. You’ll be able to use all of the comparison views (including 3D) to make sure everything is correct. Like always, you can undo any changes and revert your file back to normal.
I’d prefer to do it myself
That’s fine! Trunk will let you keep both version of a file. Select the keep both option next to the file and we’ll create a master version for you to work with. This applies for any file, not just Sketch.
What’s next?
We’re planning to release Advanced options for Sketch files. This will let you pick how Trunk handles every conflict, not just artboards. This mean, you’ll be able to pick individual text and layer styles, foreign symbols, as well as the option to keep both.
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Trunk is a new way for designers to collaborate on design files through powerful version control. Trunk supports Sketch & Photoshop files with support for more files types on the way.
Sign up to the Trunk Beta and download the Desktop app to start collaborating with your team!
Cheers!
Mitch Heddles
Frontend Lead @ Trunk
jointrunk.com
