Why Auto Layout creates responsive designs in Figma - Formula Trace Breakdown

Sample Data

This data shows components with and without Auto Layout and their width behavior.

Cell	Value
A1	Component
B1	Width (px)
C1	Behavior
A2	Button
B2	100
C2	Fixed width
A3	Button with Auto Layout
B3	Flexible
C3	Resizes with content
A4	Container
B4	300
C4	Fixed width
A5	Container with Auto Layout
B5	Flexible
C5	Resizes with children

Formula Trace

Auto Layout width = sum(children widths) + padding + spacing

Step 1: Children widths = 100 + 150

Step 2: Padding = 20 (left + right)

Step 3: Spacing between children = 10

Step 4: Auto Layout width = 250 + 20 + 10

Cell Reference Map

    A          B          C
1 |Component |Width (px) |Behavior
2 |Button    |100        |Fixed width
3 |Button with Auto Layout |Flexible   |Resizes with content
4 |Container |300        |Fixed width
5 |Container with Auto Layout|Flexible |Resizes with children

Arrows: Auto Layout width depends on children widths (B2, B3), padding, and spacing.

Cells B2 and B3 represent children widths feeding into Auto Layout width calculation.

Result

    A          B          C
1 |Component |Width (px) |Behavior
2 |Button    |100        |Fixed width
3 |Button with Auto Layout |Flexible   |Resizes with content
4 |Container |300        |Fixed width
5 |Container with Auto Layout|280      |Resizes with children

Cell B5 shows Auto Layout container width calculated as 280px.

The Auto Layout container width (B5) adjusts to 280px based on children widths, padding, and spacing, showing responsiveness.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does Auto Layout width depend on?

A Fixed width set manually

B Only padding size

C Sum of children widths plus padding and spacing

D Only spacing between children

Key Result

Auto Layout width = sum of children widths + padding + spacing