Reposition or translate an object
Repositioning and translating are two different ways in Microsoft® Expression Blend to move an object:
- Repositioning an object changes only the object's alignment, and margins (if the container is a Grid), or the top and left properties (if the container object is a Canvas).
- Translating applies a transform to the object that moves the object from the initial X, Y, and Z (three-dimensional objects only) coordinates to the destination coordinates. The result is an offset from the original position. Offsetting objects is useful when you have more than one object in the same position on the artboard and you want to distribute the objects in a particular direction. For example, if you have a stack of circular shapes that you want to span out horizontally in a straight line on the artboard, you can specify values in increasing increments for the X property in the Translate tab under Transform in the Properties panel.
To reposition an object
- Select the object that you want to reposition, by using either the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool and then clicking the object on the artboard.
- Do one of the following:
- In the Properties panel, under Layout, enter values in the HorizontalAlignment, VerticalAlignment, or Margin boxes, or any combination. These property changes might make it necessary to change the values in the Height or Width boxes as well.
- On the artboard, move your pointer over the object until the cursor changes to an arrow with a smaller four-directional arrow , and then drag the pointer to move the object. Hold the SHIFT key if you want to constrain the movement to the X or the Y plane as you reposition it.
To translate or offset an object
- Select the object that you want to offset, by using either the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool and then clicking the object on the artboard.
- In the RenderTransform category under
Transform in the Properties panel, click
the Translate
tab.
For information about the RenderTransform and LayoutTransform transform categories, see Transforming objects. - Enter the desired values, in pixels (or, device-independent units which are approximately 1/96 inch), in the boxes for the X, Y, and
Z (only for three-dimensional objects)
properties.
It is not possible to translate an object freely on the artboard by using handles on the object's bounding box unless you are modifying your object in a trigger or an animation timeline.