Table of Contents

Object Sizing & Spatial Scaling

Precise object sizing and proportion control are essential for building balanced, readable homescreen themes in Total Launcher. Every canvas object, whether a standalone app icon, static or dynamic text label, shape container, or complex layout, can be resized, padded, and proportioned using multiple interactive and numeric tools.

Understanding how canvas boundary resizing interacts with inner content scaling (such as font point sizes, icon dimensions, and frame margins) ensures designs remain crisp, properly aligned, and adaptable across varying screen resolutions.

Overview of Sizing Controls

Total Launcher provides three distinct methods for modifying the size and proportions of an object:

Sizing Methods Comparison

Sizing Method Target Control Primary Use Case
Corner / Midpoint Handles
☛ Tap & drag
Object Bounding Frame Quick canvas scaling, expanding container touch boundaries, and visual layout alignment.

When an object is selected in Edit Mode, a highlighted bounding box appears surrounded by blue anchor nodes:

  • Location: Enter Edit Mode > Tap the target object to reveal bounding guides.
  • Corner Handles (Diagonal Resizing): - Dragging any of the four corner nodes expands or shrinks both the width and height simultaneously.
  • Midpoint Handles (Horizontal / Vertical Stretching): - Dragging top or bottom nodes alters the vertical height; dragging left or right nodes alters the horizontal width independently.
  • Touch Boundary vs. Visual Size: - Expanding the bounding box enlarges the interactive touch-target area on the screen. For vector shapes and backgrounds, the graphic expands to fill the boundary; for icon shortcuts, the icon remains centered within the enlarged touch zone unless internal scaling properties are adjusted.
Interactive Node Resizing and Bounding Box Handles
Sizing Method Target Control Primary Use Case
Numeric & Coordinate Entry
☛ Direct dialog entry
Pixel Width, Height, Coordinates Pixel-perfect symmetry, standardizing card dimensions, and aligning adjacent panels.
Content Sizing (Icons / Text) Icon Size, Font Size, Scale X Adjusting inner element visibility without expanding the outer frame boundary.
Default Graphic Emphasis Condensed Label
Icon: 180
Font: 0
Scale X: 100%
Icon: 240
Font: 30
Scale X: 100%
Icon: 140
Font: 40
Scale X: 75%
Inner Margins (Padding) Top, Bottom, Left, Right Offsets Scaling graphics proportionally or positioning text asymmetrically within a container.

Resizing the outer boundary does not always resize the graphic or text inside. Total Launcher separates the container boundaries from the rendered content:

Sizing Graphic Icons
  • Location: Select object > Tap (Options) > Icon
  • Icon size: - Scales the visual graphic dimensions independently of the touch boundary (e.g., standard baseline values range from 100 to 250).
  • Icon padding: - Increases or decreases the inner clearance around the icon graphic within its bounding slot.
Sizing Typography & Labels
  • Location: Select object > Tap (Options) > Label
  • Font size: - Controls text point size (Range: 0 to 115).
    • 0 (Dynamic Auto-Fit): Automatically calculates the ideal font size based on available row height and bounding frame space (equivalent to a baseline of approximately 60).
    • 1 to 59: Enforces a fixed, smaller point size below the auto-fit baseline.
    • 60 to 115: Enforces an enlarged, fixed point size above the standard baseline.
  • Scale X (%): - Stretches (101%200%) or condenses (50%99%) text horizontally to fit long names across single lines.

For shape objects, background containers, and graphic frames, inner Margins act as a proportional scaler:

  • Location: Select object > Tap (Options) > Margins (or Background > Margins)
Margin Scaling Behavior
  • Positive Margins (Shrink / Inset): - Increasing margin numbers (e.g., setting Left, Top, Right, Bottom to 20) pushes the graphic inward toward the center, effectively shrinking the rendered image while preserving the full touch-target boundary.
  • Uniform Margins: - Applying identical values across all four edges scales the graphic up or down without distorting its aspect ratio.
  • Asymmetrical Margins: - Entering different values on specific edges offsets the graphic to make room for accompanying text labels or secondary indicators.

Object Sizing using Margins


5. Do's and Don'ts Sizing Guide