The DTCG format
DTA’s token files use the format of the W3C Design Tokens Community Group (DTCG). Its first stable version, 2025.10, has three modules. The spec is the reference; this page only gives the ideas and says where DTA differs.
| Module | What it defines |
|---|---|
| Format | Tokens (objects with $value) and groups, $type, $description, $extensions, $deprecated, aliases ({group.token}, $ref), $root, $extends, and the types |
| Color | Colour values as objects in any CSS Color 4 space |
| Resolver | Themes, brands and other contexts: sets, modifiers and the order in which they apply |
Where DTA differs
Section titled “Where DTA differs”DTA’s files are DTCG in the shape of Figma variables: one file per collection and mode (Brand.BrandA.json, Brand.BrandB.json), or a .tokens file for a collection with one mode. It reads every type of 2025.10, group $type and $deprecated, $ref, $root and $extends, and checks each value against its type; the Token files reference has the format. Compared with 2025.10, DTA does not yet follow $extends from one per-mode file into another (it works within a file, and across the sets of a resolver document). This gap is tracked in the DTCG 2025.10 spec and its tickets.
A minimal file DTA reads, with all four types and an alias, is learn-examples/dtcg-basics/. Next: Token patterns.