Layout (computing)
Encyclopedia
Web browser engine
s are sometimes called layout engines.
In computing
, layout is the process of calculating the position of objects in space subject to various constraints. This functionality can be part of an application
or packaged as a reusable component
or library.
software, typesetting
software and web browser engine
s. These in turn include font layout and rendering engines, that calculate the correct position of glyphs, which can be a challenge with complex scripts. Images can also be embedded in the text.
Another form of layout is found in layout manager
s. They are part of widget toolkit
s and have the ability to automatically calculate a widget's position based on alignment constraints without the need for the programmer to specify absolute coordinates.
Graph drawing
software automatically determine the position of the vertexes and edges of a graph with various goals like minimization of the number of edge intersections, minimization of total area or production of an aesthetically pleasing result. This type of software is used for multiple purposes including visualization and as part of electronic design automation
tools for the place and route
step.
Web browser engine
A web browser engine, , is a software component that takes marked up content and formatting information and displays the formatted content on the screen. It "paints" on the content area of a window, which is displayed on a monitor or a printer...
s are sometimes called layout engines.
In computing
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
, layout is the process of calculating the position of objects in space subject to various constraints. This functionality can be part of an application
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
or packaged as a reusable component
Component-based software engineering
Component-based software engineering is a branch of software engineering that emphasizes the separation of concerns in respect of the wide-ranging functionality available throughout a given software system...
or library.
Examples
Page layout is the computation of the position of the paragraphs, sentences, words and letters of a text. This is done by desktop publishingDesktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
software, typesetting
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
software and web browser engine
Web browser engine
A web browser engine, , is a software component that takes marked up content and formatting information and displays the formatted content on the screen. It "paints" on the content area of a window, which is displayed on a monitor or a printer...
s. These in turn include font layout and rendering engines, that calculate the correct position of glyphs, which can be a challenge with complex scripts. Images can also be embedded in the text.
Another form of layout is found in layout manager
Layout manager
Layout managers are software components used in widget toolkits which have the ability to lay out widgets by their relative positions without using distance units. It is often more natural to define component layouts in this manner than to define their position in pixels or common distance units,...
s. They are part of widget toolkit
Widget toolkit
In computing, a widget toolkit, widget library, or GUI toolkit is a set of widgets for use in designing applications with graphical user interfaces...
s and have the ability to automatically calculate a widget's position based on alignment constraints without the need for the programmer to specify absolute coordinates.
Graph drawing
Graph drawing
Graph drawing is an area of mathematics and computer science combining methods from geometric graph theory and information visualization to derive two-dimensional depictions of graphs arising from applications such as social network analysis, cartography, and bioinformatics...
software automatically determine the position of the vertexes and edges of a graph with various goals like minimization of the number of edge intersections, minimization of total area or production of an aesthetically pleasing result. This type of software is used for multiple purposes including visualization and as part of electronic design automation
Electronic design automation
Electronic design automation is a category of software tools for designing electronic systems such as printed circuit boards and integrated circuits...
tools for the place and route
Place and route
Place and route is a stage in the design of printed circuit boards, integrated circuits, and field-programmable gate arrays. As implied by the name, it is composed of two steps, placement and routing. The first step, placement, involves deciding where to place all electronic components, circuitry,...
step.