Move Images - iOS | IMG.LY Docs

import Foundation
import IMGLYEngine

@MainActor
func moveImages(engine: Engine) async throws {
  // Demo scaffolding: a scene with two image blocks on a single page so we can
  // demonstrate every positioning API against real, renderable content.
  let scene = try engine.scene.create()
  let baseURL = try engine.guidesBaseURL

  let page = try engine.block.create(.page)
  try engine.block.setWidth(page, value: 800)
  try engine.block.setHeight(page, value: 600)
  try engine.block.appendChild(to: scene, child: page)

  let imageBlock = try makeImageBlock(
    engine: engine,
    url: baseURL.appendingPathComponent("ly.img.image/images/sample_1.jpg"),
    width: 240,
    height: 200,
  )
  try engine.block.appendChild(to: page, child: imageBlock)

  let secondImage = try makeImageBlock(
    engine: engine,
    url: baseURL.appendingPathComponent("ly.img.image/images/sample_2.jpg"),
    width: 240,
    height: 200,
  )
  try engine.block.appendChild(to: page, child: secondImage)
  try engine.block.setPositionX(secondImage, value: 460)
  try engine.block.setPositionY(secondImage, value: 350)

  try engine.block.setPositionX(imageBlock, value: 150)
  try engine.block.setPositionY(imageBlock, value: 100)

  try await engine.captureGuide(page, label: "after-set-position")

  let xPosition = try engine.block.getPositionX(imageBlock)
  let yPosition = try engine.block.getPositionY(imageBlock)
  _ = (xPosition, yPosition)

  try engine.block.setPositionXMode(imageBlock, mode: .percent)
  try engine.block.setPositionYMode(imageBlock, mode: .percent)
  try engine.block.setPositionX(imageBlock, value: 0.5)
  try engine.block.setPositionY(imageBlock, value: 0.5)

  try await engine.captureGuide(page, label: "after-percent")

  let xMode = try engine.block.getPositionXMode(imageBlock)
  let yMode = try engine.block.getPositionYMode(imageBlock)
  _ = (xMode, yMode)

  let currentX = try engine.block.getPositionX(imageBlock)
  try engine.block.setPositionX(imageBlock, value: currentX + 0.05)

  // Switch back to absolute mode before grouping so the group below uses pixel
  // coordinates. The reader sees the explicit mode flip once and then keeps
  // working in absolute units.
  try engine.block.setPositionXMode(imageBlock, mode: .absolute)
  try engine.block.setPositionYMode(imageBlock, mode: .absolute)
  try engine.block.setPositionX(imageBlock, value: 120)
  try engine.block.setPositionY(imageBlock, value: 80)
  try engine.block.setPositionX(secondImage, value: 420)
  try engine.block.setPositionY(secondImage, value: 80)

  if try engine.block.isGroupable([imageBlock, secondImage]) {
    let group = try engine.block.group([imageBlock, secondImage])
    try engine.block.setPositionX(group, value: 80)
    try engine.block.setPositionY(group, value: 200)
  }

  try await engine.captureGuide(page, label: "hero")

  try engine.block.setTransformLocked(imageBlock, locked: true)
}

@MainActor
private func makeImageBlock(
  engine: Engine,
  url: URL,
  width: Float,
  height: Float,
) throws -> DesignBlockID {
  let block = try engine.block.create(.graphic)
  try engine.block.setShape(block, shape: engine.block.createShape(.rect))
  let fill = try engine.block.createFill(.image)
  try engine.block.setURL(fill, property: "fill/image/imageFileURI", value: url)
  try engine.block.setFill(block, fill: fill)
  try engine.block.setContentFillMode(block, mode: .cover)
  try engine.block.setWidth(block, value: width)
  try engine.block.setHeight(block, value: height)
  return block
}

Position images on the canvas using absolute pixel coordinates or percentage-based positioning for responsive layouts.

Two images repositioned and grouped on a single page after switching between absolute and percentage position modes.

6 mins

estimated time

GitHub

Position images on the canvas using coordinates that start at the top-left corner (0, 0). X increases to the right, Y increases downward. Values are relative to the parent block, which simplifies nested layouts.

Position Coordinates#

Coordinates originate at the top-left (0, 0) of the parent container. Use absolute mode for fixed pixel values or percentage mode (0.0 to 1.0) for responsive layouts that adapt to parent size changes.

Positioning Images#

Set the image’s coordinates with setPositionX(_:value:) and setPositionY(_:value:). Both setters take a Float interpreted in the current position mode — absolute design units when the mode is .absolute (pixels on a default DesignUnit.px scene), or 0.0–1.0 fractions of the parent’s size when the mode is .percent.

try engine.block.setPositionX(imageBlock, value: 150)
try engine.block.setPositionY(imageBlock, value: 100)

Getting Current Position#

Read the current coordinates with getPositionX(_:) and getPositionY(_:). Each returns a Float interpreted in the block’s current position mode (absolute pixels or a 0.0–1.0 fraction).

let xPosition = try engine.block.getPositionX(imageBlock)
let yPosition = try engine.block.getPositionY(imageBlock)

Configuring Position Modes#

Each axis carries its own mode. Use setPositionXMode(_:mode:) and setPositionYMode(_:mode:) with PositionMode.absolute or PositionMode.percent. Read the current mode back with getPositionXMode(_:) and getPositionYMode(_:).

let xMode = try engine.block.getPositionXMode(imageBlock)
let yMode = try engine.block.getPositionYMode(imageBlock)

The Percentage Positioning section below shows how to flip both axes to .percent and use fractional values.

Percentage Positioning#

Switch the modes to .percent and use values from 0.0 to 1.0. The example centers the image on the page by placing its anchor at the midpoint of the parent on both axes.

try engine.block.setPositionXMode(imageBlock, mode: .percent)
try engine.block.setPositionYMode(imageBlock, mode: .percent)
try engine.block.setPositionX(imageBlock, value: 0.5)
try engine.block.setPositionY(imageBlock, value: 0.5)

Percentage positioning adapts automatically when the parent block’s dimensions change, keeping the image’s relative placement stable across responsive scenes.

Relative Positioning#

Move an image relative to its current position by reading the current coordinate and adding an offset. Because position values are interpreted in the current mode, the offset uses the same units — pixels in .absolute mode, fractions in .percent mode.

let currentX = try engine.block.getPositionX(imageBlock)
try engine.block.setPositionX(imageBlock, value: currentX + 0.05)

Positioning Groups#

To move several images together while preserving their relative positions, group them and move the group block. Confirm the blocks can be grouped first with isGroupable(_:), then call group(_:) and position the returned group ID like any other block.

if try engine.block.isGroupable([imageBlock, secondImage]) {
  let group = try engine.block.group([imageBlock, secondImage])
  try engine.block.setPositionX(group, value: 80)
  try engine.block.setPositionY(group, value: 200)
}

Locking Transforms#

Lock move, scale, and rotate on a block with setTransformLocked(_:locked:). Subsequent calls to setPositionX, setPositionY, setWidth, setHeight, and the matching mode setters throw an EngineError whose catalogCode is EngineErrorCode.blockPositionLocked (or EngineErrorCode.blockTransformLockedResize) until the block is unlocked.

try engine.block.setTransformLocked(imageBlock, locked: true)

Troubleshooting#

Image Not Moving#

Check whether transforms are locked using isTransformLocked(_:). Verify the image block exists and that target coordinates fall within the parent’s bounds.

Unexpected Position Values#

Read the mode with getPositionXMode(_:) and getPositionYMode(_:). Pixel values in .absolute mode and 0.0–1.0 fractions in .percent mode look very different — a value of 0.5 is half a pixel in one and the middle of the parent in the other.

Positioned Outside Visible Area#

Confirm the parent block’s width and height. Coordinates originate at the top-left, not the center, so a position equal to the parent’s size lands the block’s anchor flush against the parent’s far edge.

Percentage Positioning Not Responsive#

Both axes need to be in .percent mode for fractional values to be interpreted as percentages. Set the mode on each axis before assigning the percent value, and keep the value between 0.0 and 1.0.

API Reference#

Methods#

Method	Description
`engine.block.setPositionX(_:value:)`	Set the X coordinate of a block
`engine.block.setPositionY(_:value:)`	Set the Y coordinate of a block
`engine.block.getPositionX(_:)`	Read the current X coordinate
`engine.block.getPositionY(_:)`	Read the current Y coordinate
`engine.block.setPositionXMode(_:mode:)`	Set the position mode for the X axis
`engine.block.setPositionYMode(_:mode:)`	Set the position mode for the Y axis
`engine.block.getPositionXMode(_:)`	Read the X axis position mode
`engine.block.getPositionYMode(_:)`	Read the Y axis position mode
`engine.block.isGroupable(_:)`	Check whether a set of blocks can be grouped
`engine.block.group(_:)`	Group blocks into a single movable parent
`engine.block.setTransformLocked(_:locked:)`	Lock or unlock move, scale, and rotate on a block
`engine.block.isTransformLocked(_:)`	Read the transform lock state

Enums#

Enum	Cases	Description
`PositionMode`	`.absolute`, `.percent`, `.auto`	How a position value is interpreted on its axis

Next Steps#

Lock Content — Restrict editing with the scope-based permission system
Replace Colors — Modify image colors programmatically
Image Fills — Apply images as fills to shapes
Gradient Fills — Create gradient backgrounds and effects
Crop Images — Frame your subject and remove unwanted edges