Specifying predefined schematic attributes to manage container margins

When you have container node schematic features in your schematic diagrams, there is a set of predefined attributes that can be configured to manage the size of the margin between the container boundary and the content. By default, without any specific configuration, the distance between this boundary and the symbol used to display the nearest related node is one pixel. But, by configuring the ContainerMarginUnit, ContainerMarginSymbolsFlag, ContainerMargin, ContainerBottomMargin, ContainerTopMargin, ContainerLeftMargin, and ContainerRightMargin predefined attributes on the node schematic feature class that implements the containers, this margin size is customizable.

Managing the margin size units

The ContainerMarginUnit predefined attribute can be configured to specify the margin size unit.

• When this attribute value is 0 (default), any margin distance will be interpreted in pixels.
• With ContainerMarginUnit = 1, the distance will be interpreted in the same unit as the system unit specified for the diagram template with which the container node schematic feature class is associated.
• When the ContainerMarginUnit is 2, the margin size will correspond to a percentage of the container size.

By default, without specifying this ContainerMarginUnit attribute, any ContainerMargin, ContainerBottomMargin, ContainerTopMargin, ContainerLeftMargin, or ContainerRightMargin attribute value that may be specified will be interpreted in pixels.

Managing the margin size computing mode

The ContainerMarginSymbolsFlag predefined attribute indicates whether the specified margin sizes are expected to take the symbol size into account.

• When this attribute returns 0, the specified margin size doesn't include the nearest node symbol size—that is, the margin size corresponds to a distance A between the center of the nearest nodes and the container boundary. This implies that even when the symbol sizes are increased, the container size doesn't increase.
• With any other value (default mode), the specified margin size includes the nearest node symbol size—that is, the margin size corresponds to a distance B between the symbol boundary of the nearest nodes and the container boundary. In that case, when the symbol sizes are increased, the container size also increases.

Managing the margin sizes

Five predefined attributes can be configured to fix the margin size:

• The ContainerMargin predefined attribute can be configured to uniformly fix the bottom, top, right, and left margin size.
• The ContainerTopMargin predefined attribute determines the top margin size.
• The ContainerBottomMargin predefined attribute is the one to use to fix the bottom margin size.
• The ContainerRightMargin predefined attribute fixes the size of the margin at the right.
• The ContainerLeftMargin predefined attribute concerns the margin size at the left.

Tipp:

To specify different margins at the top, bottom, left side, and right side, you may configure the ContainerTopMargin, ContainerBottomMargin, ContainerLeftMargin, and ContainerRightMargin predefined attributes. But, if you want to configure the same margin at the top and bottom and another same margin for the right and left side, only three predefined attributes may be configured—you can configure the ContainerMargin predefined attribute, then only configure the ContainerLeftMargin and ContainerRightMargin predefined attributes; the ContainerMargin being in this case automatically applied for the top and bottom margin.