If you haven't already, create a new app in the Developer Portal⁠(opens in a new tab or window). For more information, refer to our Quickstart guide.
In your app's configuration on the Developer Portal⁠(opens in a new tab or window), ensure the "Development URL" is set to http://localhost:8080.

Clone the starter kit:

git clone https://github.com/canva-sdks/canva-apps-sdk-starter-kit.git
cd canva-apps-sdk-starter-kit

SHELL

Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```
SHELL
Run the example:
```
npm run start design_metadata
```
SHELL
Click the Preview URL link shown in the terminal to open the example in the Canva editor.

Example app source code

// For usage information, see the README.md file.
import {
  Button,
  FormField,
  MultilineInput,
  Rows,
  Text,
} from "@canva/app-ui-kit";

import type { DesignMetadata } from "@canva/design";
import { getDesignMetadata } from "@canva/design";

import * as styles from "styles/components.css";
import React, { useState } from "react";

export const App = () => {
  const [designMetadata, setDesignMetadata] = useState<
    DesignMetadata | undefined
  >();

  const getDesignInfo = React.useCallback(async () => {
    const response = await getDesignMetadata();
    setDesignMetadata(response);
  }, [getDesignMetadata]);

  return (
    <div className={styles.scrollContainer}>
      <Rows spacing="3u">
        <Text>
          This example demonstrates how apps can retrieve information about the
          design.
        </Text>
        <Button variant="primary" onClick={getDesignInfo} stretch>
          Get Design Metadata
        </Button>

        <FormField
          label="Design Metadata"
          value={JSON.stringify(designMetadata, null, 2)}
          control={(props) => (
            <MultilineInput {...props} maxRows={12} autoGrow readOnly />
          )}
        />
      </Rows>
    </div>
  );
};

TYPESCRIPT

import { AppUiProvider } from "@canva/app-ui-kit";
import { createRoot } from "react-dom/client";
import { App } from "./app";
import "@canva/app-ui-kit/styles.css";

const root = createRoot(document.getElementById("root") as Element);
function render() {
  root.render(
    <AppUiProvider>
      <App />
    </AppUiProvider>,
  );
}

render();

if (module.hot) {
  module.hot.accept("./app", render);
}

TYPESCRIPT

# Design metadata

Demonstrates how to retrieve design information including title, dimensions, and other metadata properties. Shows design introspection and metadata access patterns.

For API reference docs and instructions on running this example, see: https://www.canva.dev/docs/apps/examples/design-metadata/.

Related examples: See design_interaction/design_token for accessing designs via external APIs, or design_interaction/export for design export functionality.

NOTE: This example differs from what is expected for public apps to pass a Canva review:

- Metadata handling is simplified for demonstration purposes only. Production apps should handle metadata gracefully and use metadata for context-aware functionality
- Error handling is simplified for demonstration. Production apps must implement comprehensive error handling with clear user feedback and graceful failure modes
- Internationalization is not implemented. Production apps must support multiple languages using the `@canva/app-i18n-kit` package to pass Canva review requirements

MARKDOWN

API Reference

Need Help?

Join our Community Forum⁠(opens in a new tab or window)
Report issues with this example on GitHub⁠(opens in a new tab or window)