---
title: "Discussion on \"Why we rejected the export-and-fork model for visual UI editing\" | Hashnode"
description: "Discussion on \"Why we rejected the export-and-fork model for visual UI editing\". Most visual UI editors export code, then you fork it by hand. We rejected that for React + MUI: edit on the AST, get clean one-line diffs, keep your source. \nThree honest patterns exist in visual UI editing — only one produces commits a senior engineer will merge."
url: "https://hashnode.com/posts/why-we-rejected-the-export-and-fork-model-for-visual-ui-editing/6a3945d73485f5dd74485eca"
---

[Feed](https://hashnode.com/feed) /

Discussion

# [Why we rejected the export-and-fork model for visual UI editing](https://crossui.hashnode.dev/why-we-rejected-the-export-and-fork-model-for-visual-ui-editing?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

Most visual UI editors export code, then you fork it by hand. We rejected that for React + MUI: edit on the AST, get clean one-line diffs, keep your source. Three honest patterns exist in visual UI editing — only one produces commits a senior engineer will merge.

Jun 22 · 9 min read · crossui.hashnode.dev  
Read the article

-   [#ast](https://hashnode.com/tag/ast)
-   [#react](https://hashnode.com/tag/react)
-   [#mui](https://hashnode.com/tag/mui)
-   [#visual-editing](https://hashnode.com/tag/visual-editing)
-   [#scd](https://hashnode.com/tag/scd)

## Written by

[Jack Li](https://hashnode.com/@linb)

@linb · Montreal, Canada

  
[View profile](https://hashnode.com/@linb)

Full-stack developer, creator of CrossUI Studio

## Responses

Markdown supported · ⌘↵ to post

No responses yet.