Frames & Auto-Layout
Frames are the primary container in Draftila. They group child shapes and can apply auto-layout for structured, responsive designs.
Creating Frames
- Press
Fand drag to create an empty frame - Select shapes and press
Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+Gto wrap them in a frame - Frames have a default white fill and 1280x720 size
Frame Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Clip content | When enabled, children outside the frame bounds are hidden |
| Corner radius | Uniform or per-corner, with optional corner smoothing |
| Layout guides | Add grid, column, or row guides for visual alignment |
Auto-Layout
Auto-layout turns a frame into a flex-like container that automatically arranges its children.
Enabling Auto-Layout
Set the layout mode to Horizontal or Vertical in the properties panel.
- Horizontal — Children flow left to right
- Vertical — Children flow top to bottom
Spacing and Padding
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Gap | Spacing between children on the main axis |
| Column gap | Spacing between rows when wrapping is enabled |
| Padding | Top, Right, Bottom, Left inset inside the frame |
Alignment
Main axis (justify):
- Start — Pack children to the beginning
- Center — Center children
- End — Pack children to the end
- Space Between — Distribute space evenly between children
- Space Around — Distribute space evenly around children
Cross axis (align):
- Start — Align to the start
- Center — Center on the cross axis
- End — Align to the end
- Stretch — Stretch children to fill the cross axis
Wrapping
Enable Wrap to let children flow onto the next line when they exceed the frame width (horizontal layout) or height (vertical layout). Use column gap to control spacing between rows.
Child Sizing
Children in an auto-layout frame can control how they size:
- Fixed — Uses the specified width/height
- Hug — Shrinks to fit the child's own content
- Fill — Expands to fill remaining space in the parent
You can also set min/max width and height constraints on children to limit how much they can grow or shrink.
Frame Sizing
The frame itself can also be set to:
- Fixed — Maintains a set size
- Hug — Shrinks to tightly fit all children
Layout Guides
Frames can display non-printing guide overlays:
- Grid — Even grid overlay
- Columns — Vertical column guides
- Rows — Horizontal row guides
Each guide type has configurable size, color, and visibility.