Expanding columns

Expanding columns are used by grid FDFs to enlarge a table to fill its containing cell. When the width of the containing cell changes, the width of the FDF with expanding columns also changes. The change in table width is distributed among the expanding columns of the table, so the columns remain proportional based on their defined widths. For example, if expanding column 1 has a defined width of 100 pixels and column 2 has a defined width of 200 pixels, column 2 remains twice as wide as column 1 as the containing cell is made narrower or wider. A column is set to Expanding in the Layout Editor.

Restrictions

If a containing cell has a static width, a table with expanding columns also has a static width. Also, when rendering for email, all columns are static, whether or not the Expanding setting is selected. And when a layout contains expanding cells, the Last Column Width-Greedy setting on FDFs using the layout is assumed to be false and is ignored.

If expanding columns are in a repeated layout of a vertically oriented (growing horizontally) grid, the expanding columns are not honored. Instead, they behave as static width columns, using the defined width. The reason is that the column growth happens in the same dimension (horizontally) as the collection growth.

Floating regions

Unlike main regions, floating regions do not have a usable containing cell that restricts the size of the table. Instead, when expanding columns are used in a floating region, its size is restricted by the region/viewport it is placed against. The default card for the region determines whether the floating region is expanding.

A floating region is placed in the X dimension against another region or the viewport by specifying a point (left, center, or right) on the floating region to be placed against a point (left, center, or right) on the reference region or viewport. The point to be placed is the anchor point.

When a floating region contains expanding columns, the non-anchored edge of the placed floating region is aligned with the corresponding edge of the reference region. If the anchor point is either left or right, only one edge of the placed floating region is aligned with the reference region. If the anchor point is center, both edges of the placed floating region are aligned. This alignment happens during placement, horizontal scrolling, and after the size of the floating region or viewport has changed in the X dimension. The size of the floating region can change only when the viewport is resized.

This table shows the behavior of a placed expanding floating region:

Placement Placed Region

TopLeft

LeftMiddle

BottomLeft

Placed Region

TopCenter

CenterMiddle

BottomCenter

Placed Region

TopRight

RightMiddle

BottomRight

Reference Region

TopLeft

LeftMiddle

BottomLeft

Left Edge

Starts at the left edge of the reference region, then the offset is added.

Right Edge

Expands to the right edge of the reference region. If the right edge is to the left of the left edge, the region will have a width of zero.

Left and Right Edge

Extends to the width of the reference region, regardless of the offset.

Left Edge

Expands to the left edge of the reference region. If the left edge is to the right of the right edge, the region will have a width of zero.

Right Edge

Starts at the left edge of the reference region, then the offset is added.

Reference Region

TopCenter

CenterMiddle

BottomCenter

Left Edge

Starts at the center of the reference region, then the offset is added.

Right Edge

Expands to the right edge of the reference region. If the right edge is to the left of the left edge, the region will have a width of zero.

Left and Right Edge

Extends to the width of the reference region, regardless of the offset.

Left Edge

Expands to the left edge of the reference region. If the left edge is to the right of the right edge, the region will have a width of zero.

Right Edge

Starts at the center of the reference region, then the offset is added.

Reference Region

TopRight

RightMiddle

BottomRight

Left Edge

Starts at the right edge of the reference region, then the offset is added.

Right Edge

Expands to the right edge of the reference region. If the right edge is to the left of the left edge, the region will have a width of zero.

Left and Right Edge

Extends to the width of the reference region, regardless of the offset.

Left Edge

Expands to the left edge of the reference region. If the left edge is to the right of the right edge, the region will have a width of zero.

Right Edge

Starts at the right edge of the reference region, then the offset is added.