Set Editing Constraints

import Foundation
import IMGLYEngine

@MainActor
func setEditingConstraints(engine: Engine) throws {
  // Demo scaffolding: a scene and page to hold the constrained blocks.
  let scene = try engine.scene.create()
  let page = try engine.block.create(.page)
  try engine.block.setWidth(page, value: 1200)
  try engine.block.setHeight(page, value: 600)
  try engine.block.appendChild(to: scene, child: page)

  try engine.editor.setGlobalScope(key: "layer/move", value: .defer)
  try engine.editor.setGlobalScope(key: "layer/resize", value: .defer)
  try engine.editor.setGlobalScope(key: "lifecycle/destroy", value: .defer)
  try engine.editor.setGlobalScope(key: "lifecycle/duplicate", value: .defer)

  // Demo scaffolding: two renderable graphic blocks, constrained independently.
  let positionLocked = try engine.block.create(.graphic)
  try engine.block.setShape(positionLocked, shape: engine.block.createShape(.rect))
  try engine.block.setFill(positionLocked, fill: engine.block.createFill(.color))
  try engine.block.setWidth(positionLocked, value: 200)
  try engine.block.setHeight(positionLocked, value: 200)
  try engine.block.appendChild(to: page, child: positionLocked)

  let deletionLocked = try engine.block.create(.graphic)
  try engine.block.setShape(deletionLocked, shape: engine.block.createShape(.rect))
  try engine.block.setFill(deletionLocked, fill: engine.block.createFill(.color))
  try engine.block.setWidth(deletionLocked, value: 200)
  try engine.block.setHeight(deletionLocked, value: 200)
  try engine.block.appendChild(to: page, child: deletionLocked)

  try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(positionLocked, key: "layer/move", enabled: false)
  try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(positionLocked, key: "layer/resize", enabled: true)

  try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(deletionLocked, key: "lifecycle/destroy", enabled: false)
  try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(deletionLocked, key: "lifecycle/duplicate", enabled: false)
  try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(deletionLocked, key: "layer/move", enabled: true)
  try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(deletionLocked, key: "layer/resize", enabled: true)

  let canMove = try engine.block.isScopeEnabled(positionLocked, key: "layer/move")
  print("layer/move enabled at block level: \(canMove)") // false

  let moveAllowed = try engine.block.isAllowedByScope(positionLocked, key: "layer/move")
  print("layer/move allowed: \(moveAllowed)") // false
}

Editing constraints let you lock specific properties of design elements while keeping others editable. The Scope system provides granular control over more than 20 editing capabilities, including movement, resizing, rotation, fill changes, text editing, and lifecycle operations. Use it to create brand templates, guided editing experiences, and form-based workflows where design integrity must be preserved while still allowing controlled personalization.

Understanding Scopes#

What are Scopes?#

A scope is a permission key that controls a specific editing capability. Each scope represents a distinct action, such as moving blocks ("layer/move"), changing fills ("fill/change"), or editing text content ("text/edit"). By enabling or disabling scopes, you control exactly what users can and cannot do with each design element.

Scopes exist at two levels:

• Block-level scopes: Per-block permissions set with setScopeEnabled(_:key:enabled:).
• Global scopes: Default behavior for all blocks set with setGlobalScope(key:value:).

These starting values depend on the editor role, which you set with setRole(_:). Under the default Creator role, every global scope is .allow, so every action is permitted and block-level scopes are not consulted. Blocks created in this role start with their block-level scopes disabled — a setting that only takes effect once a scope defers to the block level, either by switching to the Adopter role (which defers global scopes to the block level) or by deferring individual global scopes yourself, as the rest of this guide does.

Available Scope Categories#

CE.SDK groups scopes into logical categories. Retrieve the full list at runtime with engine.editor.findAllScopes().

Scope Configuration#

Global Scope Modes#

Global scopes set the default behavior for all blocks in the scene. They have three modes:

To make block-level constraints take effect under the default Creator role, defer the relevant global scopes to the block level:

try engine.editor.setGlobalScope(key: "layer/move", value: .defer)
try engine.editor.setGlobalScope(key: "layer/resize", value: .defer)
try engine.editor.setGlobalScope(key: "lifecycle/destroy", value: .defer)
try engine.editor.setGlobalScope(key: "lifecycle/duplicate", value: .defer)

Scope Resolution Priority#

When both global and block-level scopes apply, they resolve in this order:

1. Global .deny takes highest priority — the action is always denied.
2. Global .allow takes second priority — the action is always allowed.
3. Global .defer uses the block-level setting for each block.

Setting Block-Level Constraints#

Locking Position#

Prevent users from moving a block while keeping other edits available:

try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(positionLocked, key: "layer/move", enabled: false)
try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(positionLocked, key: "layer/resize", enabled: true)

Disabling layer/move locks the block’s position. Because deferring a scope makes the engine consult the block-level setting — and block-level scopes start disabled — explicitly enable layer/resize so resizing stays available. Scopes you did not defer (such as fill/change and layer/rotate) remain at their global .allow default and stay editable.

Preventing Deletion#

Protect a block from being deleted or duplicated:

try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(deletionLocked, key: "lifecycle/destroy", enabled: false)
try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(deletionLocked, key: "lifecycle/duplicate", enabled: false)
try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(deletionLocked, key: "layer/move", enabled: true)
try engine.block.setScopeEnabled(deletionLocked, key: "layer/resize", enabled: true)

Disabling lifecycle/destroy and lifecycle/duplicate keeps the block in the template. Enabling layer/move and layer/resize keeps those deferred capabilities available, so the block stays movable and resizable while it cannot be removed. Use this for essential template elements that must remain present.

Checking Scope State#

Query the block-level setting for any scope:

let canMove = try engine.block.isScopeEnabled(positionLocked, key: "layer/move")
print("layer/move enabled at block level: \(canMove)") // false

isScopeEnabled(_:key:) returns whether the scope is enabled at the block level. It does not consider the global scope.

Checking Effective Permissions#

Check the effective permission, which resolves both the block-level and global settings:

let moveAllowed = try engine.block.isAllowedByScope(positionLocked, key: "layer/move")
print("layer/move allowed: \(moveAllowed)") // false

isAllowedByScope(_:key:) returns the final permission after applying the resolution priority above. Use it when you need to know whether an action is actually permitted.

API Reference#