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Positioning

Positioning in Merlin allows you to arrange multiple data structures and text elements in a grid layout. You can specify the grid size and position elements using coordinates or named positions.

Grid Layout​

Use the page AxB command to create a grid layout with A columns and B rows:

array numbers = {
    value: [1, 2, 3]
    color: ["blue", "green", "red"]
    below: "belowNumbers"
    above: "Prime Number Sequence"
}

text belowNumbers = {
    value: "These are the first three prime numbers."
}

page 2x1
show numbers (0, 0)
show belowNumbers (1, 0)

Position Methods​

Named Positioning​

Use descriptive position names for easier layout:

  • Quarters: top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right (or tl, tr, bl, br)
  • Halves: top, bottom, left, right
  • Single: center (occupies one cell in center)
array numbers = {
    value: [1, 2, 3]
    color: ["blue", "green", "red"]
}
graph myGraph = {
    nodes: [n1,n2,n3]
    edges: [n1-n2,n2-n3,n3-n1]
}
text randomText = {
    value: ["This graph forms a triangle,", "each node connected to the others.", "It's a simple cyclic graph."]
    color: ["#222222", "#0055aa", "#007700"]
}
text randomTextToo = {
    value: "Prime numbers and graphs—fundamental math concepts!"
    color: "#cc0000"
}


page 2x2
show numbers top-right
show randomText bottom-right
show myGraph left

Coordinate Positioning​

Use (col, row) coordinates where (0, 0) is the top-left cell:

graph myGraph = {
    nodes: [n1, n2, n3]
    edges: [n1-n2, n2-n3, n3-n1]
    below: "Triangle Graph"
}

text description = {
    value: ["This graph forms a triangle,", "each node connected to the others.", "It's a simple cyclic graph."]
    color: ["#222222", "#0055aa", "#007700"]
}

text bottomLeft = {
    value: "Bottom Left"
}

page 2x2
show myGraph (0, 0)
show description (1, 1)
show bottomLeft (0, 1)

Range Positioning​

You can also specify ranges, e.g. (a..b, c..d) and span columns a to b and rows c to d:

array numbers = {
	value: [2, 3, 5, 7, 11]
	color: ["blue", "green", "red", "orange", "purple"]
	above: "Prime Numbers"
}

text mainText = {
	value: "Prime numbers and graphs—fundamental math concepts!"
	fontSize: 15
	color: "#cc0000"
}

graph triangle = {
	nodes: [A, B, C]
	edges: [A-B, B-C, C-A]
	below: "Triangle Graph"
}

page 4x4
show numbers (0..3, 0)
show triangle (0, 1..2)
show mainText bottom-right

Auto Layout​

If no grid size is specified, Merlin automatically determines the optimal layout:

array small = {
    value: [1, 2, 3]
    color: ["red", "green", "blue"]
}

text label = {
    value: "Auto-positioned elements"
    fontSize: 14
    color: "gray"
    align: "center"
    width: 200
    height: 25
}

page
show small
show label

Best Practices​

Grid Planning​

  • Plan your grid size based on the number of elements
  • Use 2x2, 3x2, or 4x3 for common layouts
  • Consider element relationships when positioning

Position Strategy​

  • Use named positions (top-left, center) for simple layouts
  • Use coordinates (x, y) for precise control
  • Use ranges (0..2, 1) for spanning multiple cells