E-STUDIO: Frame [22716]

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Frame

The Frame tab is used by visual display objects to define a rectangular area on the screen as the display area. The rectangular area defined by the coordinates is referred to as a “Frame.”

 

 

The Size fields set the size of the frame either in pixels, or as a percentage of the entire display area. In most cases, the display area refers to the entire screen. However, in the case of sub- objects used to compose SlideState objects on the Slide object, the display area refers to the Frame defined by the SlideState. For example, if the SlideState object sets the width of the Frame to 50%, the 50% setting refers to the screen size (e.g., in an 800x600 resolution, the 50% Frame width would translate to 400 pixels). If a sub-object on that SlideState sets the Frame width to 50%, this setting refers to the display area defined by the SlideState object, or 50% of the 400 pixels, translating to 200 pixels, or 25% of the entire screen. The values for the Width and Height fields may be chosen from the available options in the dropdown boxes, or a value may be entered directly. To indicate the value as a percentage of the entire display area, include the “%“ symbol after the value. Otherwise, the values will be assumed to be pixel coordinates.
 

Field	Possible Values	Description
Width	Numeric values in pixels (e.g., "10"), Relative values (e.g., 10%), Attribute references.	Sets the width of the display area to a percentage of the x (horizontal) resolution, or to a fixed pixel size.
Height	Numeric values in pixels (e.g., "10"), Relative values (e.g., 10%), Attribute references.	Sets the height of the display area to a percentage of the y(vertical) resolution, or to a fixed pixel size.

The Position fields (X, Y, XAlign, YAlign) allow the positioning of the defined frame in the display area in relation to an anchor point. This allows the user to define areas on the display to aid in the placement of stimuli. The X and Y coordinates may be entered directly, or chosen from the available options in the dropdown boxes. To indicate the value as a percentage of the entire display area, include the “%” symbol after the value. Otherwise, any numeric values entered will assumed to be pixel coordinates (0,0 = the upper left corner of the screen).

Field	Possible Values	Description
X	Positions (Left, Center, Right), Numeric string values (e.g., “10”), Relative values (e.g., “10%”), Attribute references.	Sets the anchor position along the horizontal axis.
Y	Positions (Top, Center, Bottom), Numeric string values (e.g., “10”), Relative values (e.g., “10%”), Attribute references.	Sets the anchor position along the vertical axis.
XAlign	Left, Center, Right	Determines the horizontal positioning of the defined frame in relation to the X and Y anchor position.
YAlign	Top, Center, Bottom	Determines the vertical positioning of the defined frame in relation to the X and Y anchor position.

The XAlign and YAlign fields then allow the positioning of the frame in relation to the X and Y coordinates. For example, the figures below display a circle drawn at the anchor position designated by the X and Y properties (in this case, both X and Y are set to “center”), and a rectangle indicating the Frame area. Setting both the XAlign and YAlign fields to “center” would position the frame so that it is centered on the anchor position (Figure 1). The “left” option in the XAlign field paired with the “top” option in the YAlign field would result in the Frame being positioned on the screen such that the top left corner of the frame was positioned on the anchor coordinates (Figure 2). The “left” and “center” options in the XAlign and YAlign fields respectively would result in the configuration illustrated by Figure 3.

 

Figure 1. XAlign and YAlign set to "center"	Figure 2. XAlign set to "left," YAlign set to "top"	Figure 3. XAlign set to "left," YAlign set to "center"

 

The Border fields define the appearance of the border drawn around the defined display area. Border options will be available for some E-Prime Sub-Objects. The border is drawn from the outside edge inward, thus a Frame size of 100% can still display a border. The color of the border may be chosen from the available options in the dropdown box in the BorderColor field, or by specifying RGB values (e.g., 255,255,255). The BorderWidth may be set as a positive numeric value, or by using an attribute reference.
 

Field	Possible Values	Description
BorderColor	Color value (RGB values), Specific color strings (e.g., black, maroon, lime), Attribute references.	Sets the color of the border to be drawn around the display area.
BorderWidth	Numeric values in pixels (e.g., "10"), Relative values (e.g., 10%), Attribute references.	Sets the width of the border.