Spacing between items in Figma - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to set equal spacing between items in a Figma frame.

Figma

frame.layoutMode = [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ASTACK

BVERTICAL

CGRID

DHORIZONTAL

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using VERTICAL instead of HORIZONTAL for side-by-side spacing.

Confusing GRID with spacing between items.

Setting layoutMode to HORIZONTAL arranges items side by side with spacing.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to set the spacing between items to 20 pixels.

Figma

frame.itemSpacing = [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A20

B10

C30

D40

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the wrong number for spacing.

Confusing spacing with padding.

Setting itemSpacing to 20 adds 20 pixels between items.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to properly set spacing between items.

Figma

frame.itemSpacing = [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A20

B30

C50

D40

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using comparison operator == instead of assignment =.

Forgetting to assign a value.

Use a single equals sign = to assign itemSpacing, not ==.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to set vertical layout and spacing of 15 pixels between items.

Figma

frame.layoutMode = [1]
frame.itemSpacing = [2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AVERTICAL

BHORIZONTAL

C15

D20

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing horizontal and vertical layout values.

Using wrong spacing value.

Use VERTICAL for vertical layout and 15 for spacing in pixels.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to set horizontal layout, spacing 25 pixels, and padding 10 pixels.

Figma

frame.layoutMode = [1]
frame.itemSpacing = [2]
frame.padding = [3]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AVERTICAL

B25

C10

DHORIZONTAL

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Confusing padding with spacing.

Using vertical layout instead of horizontal.

Set layoutMode to HORIZONTAL, itemSpacing to 25 pixels, and padding to 10 pixels.

Practice

1. What does the Spacing between items property control in Figma's Auto Layout?

easy

A. The gap between child elements inside an Auto Layout frame

B. The padding inside each child element

C. The border thickness of the Auto Layout frame

D. The color of the background inside the frame

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Auto Layout frames

   Auto Layout frames arrange child elements automatically in a row or column.

2. Step 2: Identify what spacing controls

   The Spacing between items sets the gap between these child elements, not padding or borders.

3. Final Answer:

   The gap between child elements inside an Auto Layout frame -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Spacing between items = gap between children [OK]

Hint: Spacing between items = gap between children inside Auto Layout [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing spacing with padding inside elements
• Thinking spacing changes border or background
• Mixing spacing with alignment properties

2. Which of the following is the correct way to set spacing between items to 20 pixels in Figma's Auto Layout panel?

easy

A. Type 20 in the 'Spacing between items' input box

B. Set padding to 20 pixels on all sides

C. Change the frame's width to 20 pixels

D. Add a 20 pixel margin to each child element

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate spacing input

   In Auto Layout, the 'Spacing between items' input box controls the gap between children.

2. Step 2: Set spacing value

   Typing 20 sets the gap to 20 pixels exactly.

3. Final Answer:

   Type 20 in the 'Spacing between items' input box -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Set spacing by typing value in spacing box [OK]

Hint: Set spacing by typing number in spacing input box [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing spacing with padding or margin
• Trying to resize frame instead of spacing
• Adding margin to children instead of spacing

3. Given an Auto Layout frame with three child rectangles each 50px wide, and spacing between items set to 10px, what is the total width of the frame if padding is 0?

medium

A. 180 pixels

B. 150 pixels

C. 170 pixels

D. 160 pixels

Solution

1. Step 1: Calculate total width of children

   3 rectangles x 50px each = 150px total width.

2. Step 2: Calculate total spacing between items

   There are 2 gaps between 3 items, each 10px, so 2 x 10px = 20px.

3. Step 3: Add children width and spacing

   Total width = 150px + 20px = 170px.

4. Final Answer:

   170 pixels -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   3x50 + 2x10 = 170 [OK]

Hint: Total width = sum of children + (count-1)*spacing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Counting spacing gaps equal to number of items
• Forgetting to add spacing gaps
• Adding padding when it's zero

4. You set spacing between items to 15px but notice the gaps are still very small. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The frame has padding set that overrides spacing

B. The child elements have fixed width smaller than spacing

C. You forgot to enable Auto Layout on the frame

D. The Auto Layout direction is vertical, but you expect horizontal spacing

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand spacing direction

   Spacing between items applies along the Auto Layout direction (horizontal or vertical).

2. Step 2: Check Auto Layout direction

   If direction is vertical, spacing controls vertical gaps, not horizontal.

3. Step 3: Identify mismatch

   If you expect horizontal gaps but direction is vertical, spacing won't affect horizontal gaps.

4. Final Answer:

   The Auto Layout direction is vertical, but you expect horizontal spacing -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Spacing follows layout direction [OK]

Hint: Spacing applies along layout direction only [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring Auto Layout direction
• Confusing padding with spacing
• Not enabling Auto Layout at all

5. You want to create a dashboard layout with 4 cards in a row, each 200px wide, with 30px spacing between cards and 40px padding inside the frame on left and right. What should be the total width of the Auto Layout frame?

hard

A. 880 pixels

B. 970 pixels

C. 860 pixels

D. 900 pixels

Solution

1. Step 1: Calculate total width of cards

   4 cards x 200px each = 800px total width.

2. Step 2: Calculate total spacing between cards

   There are 3 gaps between 4 cards, each 30px, so 3 x 30px = 90px.

3. Step 3: Calculate total padding

   Padding on left and right = 40px + 40px = 80px.

4. Step 4: Add all widths

   Total width = 800px + 90px + 80px = 970px.

5. Final Answer:

   970 pixels -> Option B

6. Quick Check:

   4x200 + 3x30 + 2x40 = 970 [OK]

Hint: Total width = cards + spacing gaps + left+right padding [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Counting wrong number of spacing gaps
• Forgetting to add both left and right padding
• Mixing padding with margin