This object can be used to retrieve properties for the current block whilst it is being formatted. Only valid after blockStart() has been called, but before blockEnd() is called for that block.

PI: blockabsend

This property can be used to retrieve where the right edge of a block is measured from.

If 0 (the default) the indent is relative to its parent block.

If 1 the indent is relative to the right margin. This will be the right edge of a frame, a multicolumn block, or a table cell.

If 2 the indent follows the same rules as setting 1 in all cases except table cells. If the block is in a table cell, the indent will be relative to the cells padding not its edge.

Normally in a nested block its edges are measured from the inside of the parent cell's rules after also taking into account any cell padding.

Searching back through the hierarchy of parent tables and blocks, if one is found with more than a single column, or one had its number of columns specified explicity, then when absoluteStart = true the block will be measured from the border of that parents column edge. This will still be inside any rules of the parent cell but will ignore any of its cell padding. If no conforming parent table/block exists then absoluteStart = true will measure directly from the frame column boundary. From this right boundary, the current block's right margin will then be applied, along with block rules and padding etc in the normal way.

PI: blockabsstart

Returns where the left edge of a block is measured from.

If 0 (the default) the indent is relative to its parent block.

If 1 the indent is relative to the left margin. This will be the start edge of a frame, a multicolumn block, or a table cell.

If 2 the indent follows the same rules as setting 1 in all cases except table cells. If the block is in a table cell, the indent will be relative to the cells padding.

Normally in a nested block its edges are measured from the inside of the parent cell's rules after also taking into account any cell padding.

Searching back through the hierarchy of parent tables and blocks, if one is found with more than a single column, or one had its number of columns specified explicity, then when absoluteStart = true the block will be measured from the border of that parents column edge. This will still be inside any rules of the parent cell but will ignore any of its cell padding. If no conforming parent table/block exists then absoluteStart = true will measure directly from the frame column boundary. From this left boundary, the current block's left margin will then be applied, along with block rules and padding etc in the normal way.

PI: blockavoidall

Returns true if the block is avoiding everything.

PI: blockavoidclear

Documentation TO DO

PI: blockavoidme

Returns true if the block is avoiding everything but still allowing the input stream to flow around it.

PI: blockavoidnone

Returns true if the block is avoiding nothing.

PI: blockavoidpreserve

PI: blockbgcolor

Returns the colour of the current block.

PI: blockbalbef

TODO

PI: blockbal

Returns value of column balancing for this block.

PI: blockbreaktop

TODO

The individual columns of the block. Accessible in array format. Example: formatting.currentBlock.columns[0] Will return an fBlockResolvedColummn which represents the first column in the current block.

Returns the paragraph property fallbacks for block contents.

Returns the styling information for the regions inside this block.

Returns the styling information for the rows of this block.

Returns the styling information for block contents.

Returns the default settings for tables in this block.

Returns the default TeX property values for block contents.

PI: blockfnctrl

Returns the footnote object for the block when one has been defined, otherwise null is returned.

If a footnote reference is processed inside a block and that block does not have a footnote control stream, then the footnote control stream of the frame containing the block is applied. Similarly if a footnote is placed in a nested block which has no footnote control stream, then the parent block's footnote control stream is used, if it exists, else that of the frame.

PI: blockrulefc

Returns true if table-columns on the left of frame-columns will return true for (?l) or [l] when specified as the conditions for cell rules/background colours. Works similarly for right hand edges and (?r) or [r].

PI: blockgutl

Returns the width of the left gutter. NOTE: If value = 0, nothing will be returned.

PI: blockgutr

Returns the width of the right gutter. NOTE: If value = 0, nothing will be returned.

PI: blockfmth

Returns block horizontal alignment.

PI: blockfmthprogression

Returns the value of horizontal progression. 1 indicates the text flows from right to left and 0 left to right.

PI: blockignorefillers

Returns true if the block will restrict the fillers and stop the space at the bottom of cells from being filled.

PI: blockindent

Returns the current block indentation.

PI: blockindentend

Returns where the blocks indentation ends.

PI: blockindentstart

Returns where the blocks indentation starts

PI: blockindenttab

Returns the block indentation tab stop.

PI: blockindenttab2

Returns the second block indentation tab stop.

PI: blockkeeptogether

Returns the way that the contents of the block is kept together, using the priorities in the same way other block keeps work

This is a column based keep and ensures that the block is kept within the same parent column, be it either a frame column, a slim table column or a block column.

PI: blockkeep

Returns the priority used to keep the end of a block with the item following it, with the priority behaving in a similar way to paragraph keeps.

PI: blockkeepp

Returns the priority used that the start of this block is kept with the previous item, using the priorities in the same way that paragraph keeps work.

PI: blockma

Returns the margin width around the block.

PI: blockmt

Returns the width of the bottom margin.

PI: blockmbp

Returns the priority for bottom margin.

PI: blockmct

Return the margin width at the top of each column.

PI: blockmctp

Returns the priority for column top margin.

PI: blockdroptop

Returns the width of the top drop which will occur whenever a block is at the top of a column.

PI: blockorientm

Returns true if the values for marginTop, marginLeft, marginBottom and marginRight are adjusted so they follow the orientation of the block.

PI: blockml

Returns the width of the left margin. It is possible to add margins to the outside of the block, in this way you can adjust the block position relative to the text surrounding it. With all the block margin commands you need to add a value (height or width) for the margin you require e.g. block.marginLeft = '20mm' would add a 20mm margin left of the block.

PI: blockmr

Returns the width of the right margin. It is possible to add margins to the outside of the block, in this way you can adjust the block position relative to the text surrounding it. With all the block margin commands you need to add a value (height or width) for the margin you require e.g. block.marginRight = '20mm' would add a 20mm margin right of the block.

PI: blockmt

Returns the width of the top margin. It is possible to add margins to the outside of the block, in this way you can adjust the block position relative to the text surrounding it. With all the block margin commands you need to add a value (height or width) for the margin you require e.g. block.marginTop = '20mm' would add a 20mm margin above the block.

PI: blockmtmodea

By default blocks following a break across will use a column top margin. Returns true if the block is using normal top margins.

PI: blockmtmodet

By default blocks following a table will use a column top margin. Returns true if normal top margins are used in this situation instead.

PI: blockmtp

Returns the priority for top margin.

PI: blockmtspan

Returns true if the block top or column top margins specified after a span are to span as well.

PI: blockmustfit

Returns true if this table must fit and so it will overlap with a warning if it doesn't.

An expected use would be for a rotated block within a parent table column, to ensure that the rotated content will fit, even if the parent column is too narrow.

A name can be given to the block in order to make it easier to determine which block is being started and ended using the blockStart() and blockEnd() routines and to determine which block object is being formatted.

PI: blocknoskipshow

Returns true when block headers and footers are being skipped (using mode 2), then by default any changes to the showstring counters are also skipped/ignored.

PI: blocknumcols

Returns the number of columns in the current block.

PI: blockobeyfitb

Returns true if the block depth is to take into account the fParagraph.fitDescenders property of the last paragraph within the block.

PI: blockorient

Returns the value relating to how a table is rotated. This property is used to rotate a block 90 degrees counter clockwise. This is a particularly useful function if the block is too wide for the frame. Using orientation you can rotate a block so that it is presented in a landscape view that fits the dimensions of the frame.

PI: blockpadb

Returns the amount of padding at the bottom of the block.

PI: blockpadl

Returns the amount of padding left of the block.

PI: blockpadr

Returns the amount of padding right of the block.

PI: blockpadt

Returns the amount of padding at the top of the block.

PI: blockposreset

Returns the current value of the property.

PI:

Returns true if the current block is in pre-scan mode.

PI: blockprogression

Returns 1 if the columns flow from right to left. Default is 0.

By default only the regions for the top level block are editable during formatting. This property returns whether the regions for the desired block are read only.

PI: blockreshow

Returns the current value of the property. When a block overflows a page and headers and footers etc. are inserted then by default the showstring counters flow through from the main body of the block. If resetCounters is non-zero, then when 3B2 re-inserts the header, the showstring counters are put back to the values that they had when the header was first encountered and stored. The header is then formatted and then the counters are restored to the value they had ready for the rest of the body of the block.

N.B. This includes restoring the value of the show string counters for the current page number. So within the header the page number being displayed will be the page on which the header was defined.

When using column and frame references there is a potential clash with any block headers and particularly when using resetCounters = 1. The column and frame references are inserted within the context of the header, so will pick up the header's show string counters, will modify those counters for the duration of the header, and then those changes will be discarded for the main body of the block and any text afterwards. To add more flexibility in this situation, from version 8.10s, resetCounters can also take the value 2. When setting resetCounters = 2, the header is still formatted within its original context and counters, but the frame and column references get given the counters from the main body of the block, and any changes they make are then carried over into the main body of the block after the header finishes.

Added num[,slot] option from version 8.11q, which only applies if num is non-zero. slot is allowed to take a value from 1-5 which has two corresponding effects:

The point of these options is to allow the header to pick up the counters it had when it was originally defined so that it formats as expected; but also to allow the header to make changes within the body of the block - ie to increment a count for each header displayed. The expected use is that for any counter changes that the header needs to make for the body of the block, the following actions will be done:

PI: blockbotr

Returns true if the bottom rules are forced to be displayed.

PI: blocktopr

Returns true if the top rules are forced to be displayed.

PI: blockrules

Returns the current block rules.

PI: blocksimcol

Returns the current value of the property. Blocks default to simulateColumns = 2 unless numColumns is set explicitly, at which point they use simulateColumns = 1 instead. The basic principle is that if the block is being used to define columns, then they will be treated as such.

Setting simulateColumns = 1 allows normal non-slim tables to also simulate column tops at the top of each cell and when breaking and hence also allows fParagraph::topDrop to be used.

When specifying simulateColumns = 2 it works in the same way as simulateColumns = 1 but only applies to cells that are themselves at the top of a frame column. See marginColumnTop and marginDropTop for definition of what is at the top of a frame column and note that the use of simulateColumns allows this definition to cascade down a series of nested blocks.

PI: blockskipegut

Returns true if there is a gutter defined for the end of the block and this is to be ignored.

PI: blockacrossmode

Returns true if Arbortext APP will try and fit the block columns within the frame columns whilst avoiding the frame gutters.

PI: blockacross

Returns true if the table will break across columns within the frame.

PI: blockacross

Returns the number of columns to span across.

PI: blockspanframe

Returns true if the table will break across all columns.

PI: blockspanparents

Returns true if the block is spanning its parents.

PI: blockspread

Returns the current value of spreadColumns. If true, the columns will all be expanded in proportion to their widths to make up the shortfall.

PI: blockvjabs

Returns true if any block's vertical margins specified are absolute limits to how much stretch can be applied.

PI: blockvjforce

Returns true if the text in a block is set to fill the full column depth.

PI: blockvjmgut

Returns the space between rows of the table.

PI: blockvjpgut

Returns the priority for space between rows of the table.

PI: blockvjforcelimit

Returns true if there is less than the specified height left at the bottom of the column, then vjLimit will cause the whole block to VJ.

PI: blockvjmbot

Returns the space below the table.

PI: blockvjpbot

Returns the priority for space below the table.

PI: blockvjmctop

Returns the space above the table when the table is the first thing in a column. Otherwise the default value is returned.

PI: blockvjpctop

Returns the priority for the space above the table when the table is the first thing in a column.

PI: blockvjmrow

Returns the space below the text in the row.

PI: blockvjmrowb

Returns the space below the text in each cell, but above any bottom cell rules.

PI: blockvjprowb

Returns the priority for the space below the text in each cell, but above any bottom cell rules.

PI: blockvjprow

Returns the priority for space below the text in the row.

PI: blockvjmrowt

Returns the space below any top rules in a cell, but above the text.

PI: blockvjprowt

Returns the priority for the space below any top rules in a cell, but above the text.

PI: blockvjmrbot

Returns the space between the last row of the table and the table bottom rules.

PI: blockvjprbot

Returns the priority for the space between the last row of the table and the table bottom rules.

PI: blockvjmrctop

Returns the space between the table top rule and the first row when the table is the first thing in a column.

PI: blockvjprctop

Returns the priority for the space between the table top rule and the first row when the table is the first thing in a column.

PI: blockvjmrtop

Returns the space between the table top rule and the first row when the table is not the first thing in a column.

PI: blockvjprtop

Returns the priority for the space between the table top rule and the first row when the table is not the first thing in a column.

PI: blockvjmtop

Returns the space above the table when the table is not the first thing in a column.

PI: blockvjptop

Returns the priority for the space above the table when the table is not the first thing in a column.

PI: blockwidth

Returns the width of the current block. NOTE: If value = 0, nothing will be returned.

PI: blockwidthflex

Returns the value of the property. Setting widthFlex = false allows the block to stick with the width that it started with.