NAME¶

Layout::Manager - 2D Layout Management

SYNOPSIS¶

Layout::Manager provides a simple interface for creating layout managers, or classes that size and position components within a container.

A few managers are provided for reference, but this module is primarily meant to serve as a base for outside implementations.

    use Layout::Manager;
    my $foo = Layout::Manager->new;
    $foo->do_layout($component);

USING A LAYOUT MANAGER¶

Layout::Manager relies on Graphics::Primitive::Container as a source for it's components.

Various implementations of Layout::Manager will require you do add components with slightly different second arguments, but the general case will be:

  $lm->add_component($comp, $constraints);

The contents of $constraints must be discerned by reading the documentation for the layout manager you are using.

The $comp argument must be a Graphics::Primitive::Component.

Layout manager works hand-in-hand with Graphics::Primitive, so you'll want to check out the lifecyle documented in Graphics::Primitive::Component. It will look something like this:

  $cont->add_component($foo, { some => metadata });
  $driver->prepare($cont);
  my $lm = new Layout::Manager::SomeImplementation;
  $lm->do_layout($cont);
  $driver->pack($cont);
  $driver->draw($cont);

When you are ready to lay out your container, you'll need to call the do_layout method with a single argument: the component in which you are laying things out. When do_layout returns all of the components should be resized and repositioned according to the rules of the Layout::Manager implementation.

WRITING A LAYOUT MANAGER¶

Layout::Manager provides all the methods necessary for your implementation, save the do_layout method. This method will be called when it is time to layout the components.

The add_component method takes two arguments: the component and a second, abritrary piece of data. If your layout manager is simple, like Compass, you may only require a simple variable like "NORTH". If you create something more complex the second argument may be a hashref or an object.

The value of the components method is an arrayref of hashrefs. The hashrefs have two keys:

component

The component to be laid out.

args

The argument provided to add_component.

TIPS¶

Layout manager implementations should honor the visible attribute of a component, as those components need to be ignored.

METHODS¶

AUTHOR¶

Cory Watson, "<gphat@cpan.org>"

SEE ALSO¶

perl(1), Graphics::Primitive

COPYRIGHT & LICENSE¶

Copyright 2008 - 2010 Cory G Watson

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.