margins

Type

property

Summary

Specifies how much empty space is left on each side between an object's edges and its contents.

Syntax

set the margins of <object> to {<pixels> | <left>, <top>, <right>, <bottom>}

Description

Use the margins property to control how close text within a button or field can come to the object's edges, how close objects in a group can come to the group's edges, and how the label of a graphic is displayed.

If a single integer is specified, all four margins of the object are set to that number of pixels. If four integers are provided, the object's top, left, bottom, and right margins are set to each one respectively:

• item 1 of the margins property is equal to the leftMargin
• item 2 of the margins is equal to the topMargin
• item 3 is equal to the rightMargin
• item 4 is equal to the bottomMargin

If the lookAndFeel is set to "Motif", controls require two pixels of margin space for the border that shows when the control is active (focused). To avoid interfering with this border on Unix systems, set the margins property of groups to at least 2 if the group contains controls whose traversalOn property is set to true.

Important

The margins of an object include the 2-pixel space required for the focus border, even if the lookAndFeel is not "Motif". This means that 2 is the smallest usable margin, rather than zero. For example, if the margins of a field is set to zero, a few pixels at the edge of the field's text may be cut off.

The margins setting of an image, player, or scrollbar has no effect.

Examples

set the margins of group ID 8 to 20 -- sets all four margins

set the margins of button myButton to 2,10,2,10

set the margins of field "Info" to three

Related

command: group

glossary: object, property, pixel, group, Unix, control, non-negative, integer

keyword: image, integer, button, scrollbar, graphic, player, field, control

object: field

property: topMargin, pixels, formattedWidth, textAlign, formattedHeight, wideMargins, boundingRect, rectangle, rightMargin, bottomMargin, label, lookAndFeel, leftMargin, traversalOn

Compatibility and Support

Introduced

LiveCode 1.0

OS

mac

windows

linux

ios

android

Platforms

desktop

server

mobile