JSF 1.2 Layout Panel Component

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The Layout Panel component page separator icon is a panel that groups other components visually. The Layout Panel component is called panelLayout in the JSP code, and the associated Java class in the page bean is PanelLayout.

After you drag the Layout Panel to your page, you can add components by dropping them on the Layout Panel. The primary feature of this component is that it can be either in Grid Layout or Flow Layout, which affects how the components you drop on it are arranged. See below for more information on these two settings for the panelLayout property.

The IDE automatically adds a Layout Panel component to a new Tab Component. You see it below the tab component when you add a new tab to your page, for example, by dropping a Tab Set component on a page. If you select the Layout Panel component below the Tab component, you see the Layout Panel component's Properties window.

Layout Modes

Depending on whether you choose Grid Layout or Flow Layout for the panelLayout property, there are a number of ways to position the components in the Layout Panel.

Flow Layout

Flow Layout is the default setting for this component. Setting the panelLayout property to this value aligns components from left to right on the top line as you drop them on the panel. When no more components fit, the components are lined up left to right on the next line, proceeding down the page.

Grid Layout

Setting the panelLayout property to Grid Layout aligns components at the location where they were created on the panel. This is often called absolute positioning. If you are using snap to grid, each component is positioned relative to the nearest grid corner when it is created. If snap to grid is off, Grid Layout has no effect, and the panel acts as though it is in Flow Layout.

By default, when you drop components on the panel, they are positioned in a single column, one above the other. You can change the arrangement of the components by selecting the Panel Layout component and dragging the selection handles to change the panel's size.

See Also
Layout Panel Properties Window
Working With Components
Component Tasks: Quick Reference
About the Visual Web Palette
Tutorials

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