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Understanding Origin Points and Anchors

Origin points and anchors help you to precisely align and place objects on templates and controls and objects on data entry forms.

Each object or control has a unique origin point and anchor that are configured separately from those of other objects or controls. For simplicity, the following content uses objects on a template to describe origin points and anchors, but it also applies to controls and objects on a data entry form.

In the following images, the red boxes illustrate the origin point and anchor options and are for visual aid only. They do not appear on the actual template or object.

ClosedOrigin Point

The origin point is any one of nine points on your template design area that BarTender uses to position objects. You can select the origin point for an object by using the Advanced Position Settings dialog. That object is then positioned on the template relative to the origin point. The available origin point options are shown as red boxes on the following image. Top Left is the default.

If the template is elliptical or has rounded corners, the nine origin points are at the center and around the perimeter of an invisible rectangle whose lines intersect the template at its highest, lowest, rightmost, and leftmost points.

When you design a page template, the origin point is relative to the entire page rather than to a printed label on the page. For more information about page templates, refer to Creating a Page Template.

ClosedAnchor

The anchor is any one of nine points on your object that BarTender uses to position objects relative to the origin point. You can configure the anchor on the object's Position property page. The available anchor options are shown as red boxes on the following image. Top Left is the default.

For barcode objects, there are no anchors in the human readable area.

If the object is elliptical, has rounded corners, or is a shape other than a rectangle, the nine possible anchors are at the center and around the perimeter of an invisible rectangle whose lines intersect the object at its highest, lowest, rightmost, and leftmost points.

If you use the Snap to Object or Ruler feature to help you move objects on your template, the anchor might be reset. For more information, refer to Object Snapping.

Using Origin Points and Anchors to Position Objects

BarTender uses an object's anchor to position the object relative to its origin point. The object's x-coordinate and y-coordinate, as configured on the object's Position property page, determine how the object is positioned. The x-coordinate is the distance of the object's anchor right or left from the origin point. The y-coordinate is the distance of the object's anchor up or down from the origin point.

Negative values for the x-coordinate and y-coordinate are supported. For more information about how negative values affect an object's position relative to the origin point, refer to Position Property Page.

When you update the positioning of origin points and anchors, BarTender automatically updates the x-coordinate and y-coordinate to values that reflect the object's current position rather than moving the object based on the new setting.

Example

The following image shows a 1 x 2 inch template. Based on the following settings for its anchor and origin point, the object's anchor is placed downward one-half inch and rightward one-half inch from the origin point (which is the upper left corner of the template):

The following images show that the object is placed at one-quarter inch from the top and left edge of the template. There are several ways to configure this positioning. For example, you can use either of the following methods to place the object in this location: 

For a line object, the anchor is always the center point of the line. You are not required to specify the position of a line in terms of the x-coordinate and y-coordinate of the anchor relative to the origin point. You have the option of using the x-coordinate and y-coordinate of one or the other end point of the line (relative to the origin point).