Paragraph Properties
In PTC Arbortext Layout Developer’s JavaScript Formatting Object Model API (FOM), the fParagraph object represents a paragraph. fParagraph belongs to the Formatting family of objects.
Descriptions of the key properties of the fParagraph object:
• fParagraph.leading — Leading (line spacing)
Leading can be specified as an absolute value or a relative value. By default, PTC Arbortext Layout Developer’s leading is applied with 3/4 of the amount specified above the baseline and 1/4 below the baseline. This approach ensures that the descenders of characters on the current line do not crash into ascenders on the line below. The Arbortext Styler integration uses professional leading mode on frames. In the integration, PTC Arbortext Layout Developer paragraphs apply 100% of the leading value above the baseline.
the PTC Arbortext Layout Developer auto leading mode fParagraph.autoLeading allows the leading of a paragraph to flex according to the height of the content. There are also autoleading options that control incremental increases to flex amount and the maximum distance for flex. The flex can be applied both above and below the line.
• fParagraph.textAlign — Text alignment, controls the horizontal alignment of content
Text can be horizontally aligned in multiple ways:
◦ left or right aligned, justified, or centered
◦ scaling the text to make it fit on a single line
◦ overhanging the edge of the measure to the left, right or both
Text alignment options are specified in the fParagraph.HorizontalAlignment constant.
• fParagraph.widowLines, fParagraph.orphanLines — Widows and orphans, the minimum number of lines either left in a column or allowed to flow to the next column
• fParagraph.direction — Text direction and column flow in the paragraph
You can set a paragraph to use right-to-left writing for Arabic and Hebrew content.
• fParagraph.keepWithNext, fParagraph.keepEndWithNext, fParagraph.keepWithPrev — Keeps control
A paragraph can be kept with the previous paragraph or the next. When keeping with the next, the end of the current paragraph can be kept rather than the whole paragraph.
Keeps also take a mode value:
◦ always keep
◦ keep but do not leave empty columns of text
◦ keep but do not leave partially empty columns
• fParagraph.marginTop, fParagraph.marginColumnTop, fParagraph.marginBottom, fParagraph.marginLeft, fParagraph.marginRight — Margins for each side of a paragraph
Top, bottom, left, and right margins can be given separate values. Paragraph margins do not have priorities, unlike those for blocks.
A column top margin can be specified, which is a top margin that is only used when the paragraph is at the top of a column. The normal top margin would not be applied in this case.
• PTC Arbortext Layout Developer provides multiple vertical justification options, which define an amount of stretch for lines and margins. It does not include options for compression as FOSI does. Vertical justification can be applied between lines and above and below paragraphs, to different extents, and with different weightings.
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In Arbortext Styler, vertical justification is applied at the block level.
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• fParagraph.tabs, fParagraph.tabStops — Tab stops, alignment points on a line of text
A specified tab character triggers tabs. Tabs allow multiple alignment points on a line of text, for example right aligning text at a given measure. Headers and footers can use tab stops rather than multiple columns in a table.
• fParagraph.rules, fParagraph.backgroundColor — Border rules and background color
Refer to Rules for further information about rules.
• fParagraph.indentLeft, fParagraph.indentRight — Paragraph indents
Indents can be applied to the left and right of lines in a paragraph, for example to indent the first line or to apply a drop capital. PTC Arbortext Layout Developer’s indents can be configured to apply to a number of lines, and not just from the beginning of the paragraph.
