PathItem

Returns a point that is guaranteed to be inside the path.

Read only.

Type:

• Point

Specifies whether the path as a whole is oriented clock-wise, by looking at the path’s area. Note that self-intersecting paths and sub-paths of different orientation can result in areas that cancel each other out.

Type:

• Boolean

See also:

• path.area
• compoundPath.area

The path’s geometry, formatted as SVG style path data.

Type:

• String

Unites the geometry of the specified path with this path’s geometry and returns the result as a new path item.

Options:

• options.insert: Boolean — whether the resulting item should be inserted back into the scene graph, above both paths involved in the operation — default: true

Parameters:

• path: PathItem — the path to unite with
• options: Object — the boolean operation options — optional

Returns:

• PathItem — the resulting path item

Intersects the geometry of the specified path with this path’s geometry and returns the result as a new path item.

Options:

• options.insert: Boolean — whether the resulting item should be inserted back into the scene graph, above both paths involved in the operation — default: true
• options.trace: Boolean — whether the tracing method is used, treating both paths as areas when determining which parts of the paths are to be kept in the result, or whether the first path is only to be split at intersections, keeping the parts of the curves that intersect with the area of the second path. — default: true

Parameters:

• path: PathItem — the path to intersect with
• options: Object — the boolean operation options — optional

Returns:

• PathItem — the resulting path item

Subtracts the geometry of the specified path from this path’s geometry and returns the result as a new path item.

Options:

• options.insert: Boolean — whether the resulting item should be inserted back into the scene graph, above both paths involved in the operation — default: true
• options.trace: Boolean — whether the tracing method is used, treating both paths as areas when determining which parts of the paths are to be kept in the result, or whether the first path is only to be split at intersections, removing the parts of the curves that intersect with the area of the second path. — default: true

Parameters:

• path: PathItem — the path to subtract
• options: Object — the boolean operation options — optional

Returns:

• PathItem — the resulting path item

Excludes the intersection of the geometry of the specified path with this path’s geometry and returns the result as a new path item.

Options:

• options.insert: Boolean — whether the resulting item should be inserted back into the scene graph, above both paths involved in the operation — default: true

Parameters:

• path: PathItem — the path to exclude the intersection of
• options: Object — the boolean operation options — optional

Returns:

• PathItem — the resulting path item

Splits the geometry of this path along the geometry of the specified path returns the result as a new group item. This is equivalent to calling subtract(path) and intersect(path) and putting the results into a new group.

Options:

• options.insert: Boolean — whether the resulting item should be inserted back into the scene graph, above both paths involved in the operation — default: true
• options.trace: Boolean — whether the tracing method is used, treating both paths as areas when determining which parts of the paths are to be kept in the result, or whether the first path is only to be split at intersections. — default: true

Parameters:

• path: PathItem — the path to divide by
• options: Object — the boolean operation options — optional

Returns:

• PathItem — the resulting path item

Fixes the orientation of the sub-paths of a compound-path, assuming that non of its sub-paths intersect, by reorienting them so that they are of different winding direction than their containing paths, except for disjoint sub-paths, i.e. islands, which are oriented so that they have the same winding direction as the the biggest path.

Parameters:

• nonZero: Boolean — controls if the non-zero fill-rule is to be applied, by counting the winding of each nested path and discarding sub-paths that do not contribute to the final result — optional, default: false
• clockwise: Boolean — if provided, the orientation of the root paths will be set to the orientation specified by clockwise, otherwise the orientation of the largest root child is used. — optional

Returns:

• PathItem — a reference to the item itself, reoriented

Returns all intersections between two PathItem items as an array of CurveLocation objects. CompoundPath items are also supported.

Parameters:

• path: PathItem — the other item to find the intersections with
• include: Function — a callback function that can be used to filter out undesired locations right while they are collected. When defined, it shall return true to include a location, false otherwise. — optional

Returns:

• Array of CurveLocation objects — the locations of all intersection between the paths

See also:

• getCrossings(path)

Example:Finding the intersections between two paths

Returns all crossings between two PathItem items as an array of CurveLocation objects. CompoundPath items are also supported. Crossings are intersections where the paths actually are crossing each other, as opposed to simply touching.

Parameters:

• path: PathItem — the other item to find the crossings with

Returns:

• Array of CurveLocation objects — the locations of all crossings between the paths

See also:

• getIntersections(path)

Returns the nearest location on the path item to the specified point.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the point for which we search the nearest location

Returns:

• CurveLocation — the location on the path that’s the closest to the specified point

Returns the nearest point on the path item to the specified point.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the point for which we search the nearest point

Returns:

• Point — the point on the path that’s the closest to the specified point

Example:

Reverses the orientation of the path item. When called on CompoundPath items, each of the nested paths is reversed. On Path items, the sequence of path.segments is reversed.

Flattens the curves in path items to a sequence of straight lines, by subdividing them enough times until the specified maximum error is met.

Parameters:

• flatness: Number — the maximum error between the flattened lines and the original curves — optional, default: 0.25

Example:Flattening a circle shaped path:

Smooths the path item without changing the amount of segments in the path or moving the segments’ locations, by smoothing and adjusting the angle and length of the segments’ handles based on the position and distance of neighboring segments.

Smoothing works both for open paths and closed paths, and can be applied to the full path, as well as a sub-range of it. If a range is defined using the options.from and options.to properties, only the curve handles inside that range are touched. If one or both limits of the range are specified in negative indices, the indices are wrapped around the end of the curve. That way, a smoothing range in a close path can even wrap around the connection between the last and the first segment.

Four different smoothing methods are available:

• 'continuous' smooths the path item by adjusting its curve handles so that the first and second derivatives of all involved curves are continuous across their boundaries.

  This method tends to result in the smoothest results, but does not allow for further parametrization of the handles.

• 'asymmetric' is based on the same principle as 'continuous' but uses different factors so that the result is asymmetric. This used to the only method available until v0.10.0, and is currently still the default when no method is specified, for reasons of backward compatibility. It will eventually be removed.

• 'catmull-rom' uses the Catmull-Rom spline to smooth the segment.

  The optionally passed factor controls the knot parametrization of the algorithm:

  • 0.0: the standard, uniform Catmull-Rom spline
  • 0.5: the centripetal Catmull-Rom spline, guaranteeing no self-intersections
  • 1.0: the chordal Catmull-Rom spline

• 'geometric' use a simple heuristic and empiric geometric method to smooth the segment’s handles. The handles were weighted, meaning that big differences in distances between the segments will lead to probably undesired results.

  The optionally passed factor defines the tension parameter (0…1), controlling the amount of smoothing as a factor by which to scale each handle.

Options:

• options.type: String — the type of smoothing method: ‘continuous’, ‘asymmetric’, ‘catmull-rom’, ‘geometric’ — default: ‘asymmetric’
• options.factor: Number — the factor parameterizing the smoothing method — default: 0.5 for 'catmull-rom', 0.4 for 'geometric'
• options.from: Number⟋Segment⟋Curve — the segment or curve at which to start smoothing, if not the full path shall be smoothed (inclusive). This can either be a segment index, or a segment or curve object that is part of the path. If the passed number is negative, the index is wrapped around the end of the path.
• options.to: Number⟋Segment⟋Curve — the segment or curve to which the handles of the path shall be processed (inclusive). This can either be a segment index, or a segment or curve object that is part of the path. If the passed number is negative, the index is wrapped around the end of the path.

Parameters:

• options: Object — the smoothing options — optional

See also:

• segment.smooth([options])

Example:Smoothing a closed shape:

Example:

Example:Smoothing ranges of paths, using segments, curves or indices:

Fits a sequence of as few curves as possible through the path’s anchor points, ignoring the path items’s curve-handles, with an allowed maximum error. When called on CompoundPath items, each of the nested paths is simplified. On Path items, the path.segments array is processed and replaced by the resulting sequence of fitted curves.

This method can be used to process and simplify the point data received from a mouse or touch device.

Parameters:

• tolerance: Number — the allowed maximum error when fitting the curves through the segment points — optional, default: 2.5

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the method was capable of fitting curves through the path’s segment points, false otherwise

Example:Click and drag below to draw to draw a line, when you release the mouse, the is made smooth using path.simplify():

Interpolates between the two specified path items and uses the result as the geometry for this path item. The number of children and segments in the two paths involved in the operation should be the same.

Parameters:

• from: PathItem — the path item defining the geometry when factor is 0
• to: PathItem — the path item defining the geometry when factor is 1
• factor: Number — the interpolation coefficient, typically between 0 and 1, but extrapolation is possible too

Compares the geometry of two paths to see if they describe the same shape, detecting cases where paths start in different segments or even use different amounts of curves to describe the same shape, as long as their orientation is the same, and their segments and handles really result in the same visual appearance of curves.

Parameters:

• path: PathItem — the path to compare this path’s geometry with

Returns:

• Boolean — true if two paths describe the same shape, false otherwise

On a normal empty Path, the point is simply added as the path’s first segment. If called on a CompoundPath, a new Path is created as a child and the point is added as its first segment.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the point in which to start the path

Adds a straight curve to the path, from the the last segment in the path to the specified point.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the destination point of the newly added straight curve

Adds an arc from the position of the last segment in the path, passing through the specified through point, to the specified to point, by adding one or more segments to the path.

Parameters:

• through: Point — the point where the arc should pass through
• to: Point — the point where the arc should end

Example:

Example:Interactive example. Click and drag in the view below:

Adds an arc from the position of the last segment in the path to the specified point, by adding one or more segments to the path.

Parameters:

• to: Point — the point where the arc should end
• clockwise: Boolean — specifies whether the arc should be drawn in clockwise direction — optional, default: true

Example:

Example:Interactive example. Click and drag in the view below:

Adds a curve from the last segment in the path through the specified through point, to the specified destination point by adding one segment to the path.

Parameters:

• through: Point — the point through which the curve should pass
• to: Point — the destination point of the newly added curve
• time: Number — the curve-time parameter at which the through point is to be located — optional, default: 0.5

Example:Interactive example. Move your mouse around the view below:

Adds a cubic bezier curve to the path, from the last segment to the specified destination point, with the curve itself defined by two specified handles.

Parameters:

• handle1: Point — the location of the first handle of the newly added curve in absolute coordinates, out of which the relative values for segment.handleOut of its first segment are calculated
• handle2: Point — the location of the second handle of the newly added curve in absolute coordinates, out of which the relative values for segment.handleIn of its second segment are calculated
• to: Point — the destination point of the newly added curve

Adds a quadratic bezier curve to the path, from the last segment to the specified destination point, with the curve itself defined by the specified handle.

Note that Paper.js only stores cubic curves, so the handle is actually converted.

Parameters:

• handle: Point — the location of the handle of the newly added quadratic curve in absolute coordinates, out of which the relative values for segment.handleOut of the resulting cubic curve’s first segment and segment.handleIn of its second segment are calculated
• to: Point — the destination point of the newly added curve

Closes the path. When closed, Paper.js connects the first and last segment of the path with an additional curve. The difference to setting path.closed to true is that this will also merge the first segment with the last if they lie in the same location.

See also:

• path.closed

If called on a CompoundPath, a new Path is created as a child and a point is added as its first segment relative to the position of the last segment of the current path.

Parameters:

• to: Point

Adds a straight curve to the path, from the the last segment in the path to the to vector specified relatively to it.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the vector describing the destination of the newly added straight curve

Example:

Example:Drawing a spiral using lineBy:

Adds an arc from the position of the last segment in the path, passing through the specified through vector, to the specified to vector, all specified relatively to it by these given vectors, by adding one or more segments to the path.

Parameters:

• through: Point — the vector where the arc should pass through
• to: Point — the vector where the arc should end

Adds an arc from the position of the last segment in the path to the to vector specified relatively to it, by adding one or more segments to the path.

Parameters:

• to: Point — the vector where the arc should end
• clockwise: Boolean — specifies whether the arc should be drawn in clockwise direction — optional, default: true

Adds a curve from the last segment in the path through the specified through vector, to the specified to vector, all specified relatively to it by these given vectors, by adding one segment to the path.

Parameters:

• through: Point — the vector through which the curve should pass
• to: Point — the destination vector of the newly added curve
• time: Number — the curve-time parameter at which the through point is to be located — optional, default: 0.5

Adds a cubic bezier curve to the path, from the last segment to the to the specified to vector, with the curve itself defined by two specified handles.

Parameters:

• handle1: Point — the location of the first handle of the newly added curve
• handle2: Point — the location of the second handle of the newly added curve
• to: Point — the destination point of the newly added curve

Adds a quadratic bezier curve to the path, from the last segment to the specified destination point, with the curve itself defined by the specified handle.

Note that Paper.js only stores cubic curves, so the handle is actually converted.

Parameters:

• handle: Point — the handle of the newly added quadratic curve out of which the values for segment.handleOut of the resulting cubic curve’s first segment and segment.handleIn of its second segment are calculated
• to: Point — the destination point of the newly added curve

Creates a path item from the given SVG path-data, determining if the data describes a plain path or a compound-path with multiple sub-paths.

Parameters:

• pathData: String — the SVG path-data to parse

Returns:

• Path⟋CompoundPath — the newly created path item

Creates a path item from the given segments array, determining if the array describes a plain path or a compound-path with multiple sub-paths.

Parameters:

• segments: Array of Number[] objects[] — the segments array to parse

Returns:

• Path⟋CompoundPath — the newly created path item

Creates a path item from the given object, determining if the contained information describes a plain path or a compound-path with multiple sub-paths.

Parameters:

• object: Object — an object containing the properties describing the item to be created

Returns:

• Path⟋CompoundPath — the newly created path item

The unique id of the item.

Read only.

Type:

• Number

The class name of the item as a string.

Values:

• 'Group', 'Layer', 'Path', 'CompoundPath', 'Shape', 'Raster', 'SymbolItem', 'PointText'

Type:

• String

The name of the item. If the item has a name, it can be accessed by name through its parent’s children list.

Type:

• String

Example:

The path style of the item.

Type:

• Style

Example:Applying several styles to an item in one go, by passing an object to its style property:

Example:Copying the style of another item:

Example:Applying the same style object to multiple items:

Specifies whether the item is locked. When set to true, item interactions with the mouse are disabled.

Default:

• false

Type:

• Boolean

Example:

Specifies whether the item is visible. When set to false, the item won’t be drawn.

Default:

• true

Type:

• Boolean

Example:Hiding an item:

The blend mode with which the item is composited onto the canvas. Both the standard canvas compositing modes, as well as the new CSS blend modes are supported. If blend-modes cannot be rendered natively, they are emulated. Be aware that emulation can have an impact on performance.

Values:

• 'normal', 'multiply', 'screen', 'overlay', 'soft-light', 'hard- light', 'color-dodge', 'color-burn', 'darken', 'lighten', 'difference', 'exclusion', 'hue', 'saturation', 'luminosity', 'color', 'add', 'subtract', 'average', 'pin-light', 'negation', 'source-over', 'source-in', 'source-out', 'source-atop', 'destination-over', 'destination-in', 'destination-out', 'destination-atop', 'lighter', 'darker', 'copy', 'xor'

Default:

• 'normal'

Type:

• String

Example:Setting an item's blend mode:

The opacity of the item as a value between 0 and 1.

Default:

• 1

Type:

• Number

Example:Making an item 50% transparent:

Specifies whether the item is selected. This will also return true for Group items if they are partially selected, e.g. groups containing selected or partially selected paths.

Paper.js draws the visual outlines of selected items on top of your project. This can be useful for debugging, as it allows you to see the construction of paths, position of path curves, individual segment points and bounding boxes of symbol and raster items.

Default:

• false

Type:

• Boolean

See also:

• project.selectedItems
• segment.selected
• curve.selected
• point.selected

Example:Selecting an item:

Specifies whether the item defines a clip mask. This can only be set on paths and compound paths, and only if the item is already contained within a clipping group.

Default:

• false

Type:

• Boolean

A plain javascript object which can be used to store arbitrary data on the item.

Type:

• Object

Example:

var path = new Path();
path.data.remember = 'milk';

Example:

var path = new Path();
path.data.malcolm = new Point(20, 30);
console.log(path.data.malcolm.x); // 20

Example:

var path = new Path();
path.data = {
    home: 'Omicron Theta',
    found: 2338,
    pets: ['Spot']
};
console.log(path.data.pets.length); // 1

Example:

var path = new Path({
    data: {
        home: 'Omicron Theta',
        found: 2338,
        pets: ['Spot']
    }
});
console.log(path.data.pets.length); // 1

The item’s position within the parent item’s coordinate system. By default, this is the rectangle.center of the item’s bounds rectangle.

Type:

• Point

Example:Changing the position of a path:

Example:Changing the x coordinate of an item's position:

The item’s pivot point specified in the item coordinate system, defining the point around which all transformations are hinging. This is also the reference point for position. By default, it is set to null, meaning the rectangle.center of the item’s bounds rectangle is used as pivot.

Default:

• null

Type:

• Point

The bounding rectangle of the item excluding stroke width.

Type:

• Rectangle

The bounding rectangle of the item including stroke width.

Type:

• Rectangle

The bounding rectangle of the item including handles.

Type:

• Rectangle

The bounding rectangle of the item without any matrix transformations.

Typical use case would be drawing a frame around the object where you want to draw something of the same size, position, rotation, and scaling, like a selection frame.

Type:

• Rectangle

The current rotation angle of the item, as described by its matrix. Please note that this only returns meaningful values for items with applyMatrix set to false, meaning they do not directly bake transformations into their content.

Type:

• Number

The current scale factor of the item, as described by its matrix. Please note that this only returns meaningful values for items with applyMatrix set to false, meaning they do not directly bake transformations into their content.

Type:

• Point

The item’s transformation matrix, defining position and dimensions in relation to its parent item in which it is contained.

Type:

• Matrix

The item’s global transformation matrix in relation to the global project coordinate space. Note that the view’s transformations resulting from zooming and panning are not factored in.

Read only.

Type:

• Matrix

The item’s global matrix in relation to the view coordinate space. This means that the view’s transformations resulting from zooming and panning are factored in.

Read only.

Type:

• Matrix

Controls whether the transformations applied to the item (e.g. through transform(matrix), rotate(angle), scale(scale), etc.) are stored in its matrix property, or whether they are directly applied to its contents or children (passed on to the segments in Path items, the children of Group items, etc.).

Default:

• true

Type:

• Boolean

The project that this item belongs to.

Read only.

Type:

• Project

The view that this item belongs to.

Read only.

Type:

• View

The layer that this item is contained within.

Read only.

Type:

• Layer

The item that this item is contained within.

Type:

• Item

Example:

var path = new Path();

// New items are placed in the active layer:
console.log(path.parent == project.activeLayer); // true

var group = new Group();
group.addChild(path);

// Now the parent of the path has become the group:
console.log(path.parent == group); // true

Example:Setting the parent of the item to another item

var path = new Path();

// New items are placed in the active layer:
console.log(path.parent == project.activeLayer); // true

var group = new Group();
path.parent = group;

// Now the parent of the path has become the group:
console.log(path.parent == group); // true

// The path is now contained in the children list of group:
console.log(group.children[0] == path); // true

Example:Setting the parent of an item in the constructor

var group = new Group();

var path = new Path({
    parent: group
});

// The parent of the path is the group:
console.log(path.parent == group); // true

// The path is contained in the children list of group:
console.log(group.children[0] == path); // true

The children items contained within this item. Items that define a name can also be accessed by name.

Please note: The children array should not be modified directly using array functions. To remove single items from the children list, use item.remove(), to remove all items from the children list, use item.removeChildren(). To add items to the children list, use item.addChild(item) or item.insertChild(index, item).

Type:

• Array of Item objects

Example:Accessing items in the children array:

Example:Accessing children by name:

Example:Passing an array of items to item.children:

The first item contained within this item. This is a shortcut for accessing item.children[0].

Read only.

Type:

• Item

The last item contained within this item.This is a shortcut for accessing item.children[item.children.length - 1].

Read only.

Type:

• Item

The next item on the same level as this item.

Read only.

Type:

• Item

The previous item on the same level as this item.

Read only.

Type:

• Item

The index of this item within the list of its parent’s children.

Read only.

Type:

• Number

The color of the stroke.

Type:

• Color⟋null

Example:Setting the stroke color of a path:

The width of the stroke.

Type:

• Number

Example:Setting an item's stroke width:

The shape to be used at the beginning and end of open Path items, when they have a stroke.

Values:

• 'round', 'square', 'butt'

Default:

• 'butt'

Type:

• String

Example:A look at the different stroke caps:

The shape to be used at the segments and corners of Path items when they have a stroke.

Values:

• 'miter', 'round', 'bevel'

Default:

• 'miter'

Type:

• String

Example:A look at the different stroke joins:

The dash offset of the stroke.

Default:

• 0

Type:

• Number

Specifies whether the stroke is to be drawn taking the current affine transformation into account (the default behavior), or whether it should appear as a non-scaling stroke.

Default:

• true

Type:

• Boolean

Specifies an array containing the dash and gap lengths of the stroke.

Default:

• []

Type:

• Array of Numbers

Example:

The miter limit of the stroke. When two line segments meet at a sharp angle and miter joins have been specified for item.strokeJoin, it is possible for the miter to extend far beyond the item.strokeWidth of the path. The miterLimit imposes a limit on the ratio of the miter length to the item.strokeWidth.

Default:

• 10

Type:

• Number

The fill color of the item.

Type:

• Color⟋null

Example:Setting the fill color of a path to red:

The fill-rule with which the shape gets filled. Please note that only modern browsers support fill-rules other than 'nonzero'.

Values:

• 'nonzero', 'evenodd'

Default:

• 'nonzero'

Type:

• String

The shadow color.

Type:

• Color⟋null

Example:Creating a circle with a black shadow:

The shadow’s blur radius.

Default:

• 0

Type:

• Number

The shadow’s offset.

Default:

• 0

Type:

• Point

The color the item is highlighted with when selected. If the item does not specify its own color, the color defined by its layer is used instead.

Type:

• Color⟋null

Item level handler function to be called on each frame of an animation. The function receives an event object which contains information about the frame event:

Type:

• Function⟋null

Options:

• event.count: Number — the number of times the frame event was fired
• event.time: Number — the total amount of time passed since the first frame event in seconds
• event.delta: Number — the time passed in seconds since the last frame event

See also:

• view.onFrame

Example:Creating an animation:

The function to be called when the mouse button is pushed down on the item. The function receives a MouseEvent object which contains information about the mouse event. Note that such mouse events bubble up the scene graph hierarchy and will reach the view, unless they are stopped with event.stopPropagation() or by returning false from the handler.

Type:

• Function⟋null

See also:

• view.onMouseDown

Example:Press the mouse button down on the circle shaped path, to make it red:

Example:Press the mouse on the circle shaped paths to remove them:

The function to be called when the mouse position changes while the mouse is being dragged over the item. The function receives a MouseEvent object which contains information about the mouse event. Note that such mouse events bubble up the scene graph hierarchy and will reach the view, unless they are stopped with event.stopPropagation() or by returning false from the handler.

Type:

• Function⟋null

See also:

• view.onMouseDrag

Example:Press and drag the mouse on the blue circle to move it:

The function to be called when the mouse button is released over the item. The function receives a MouseEvent object which contains information about the mouse event. Note that such mouse events bubble up the scene graph hierarchy and will reach the view, unless they are stopped with event.stopPropagation() or by returning false from the handler.

Type:

• Function⟋null

See also:

• view.onMouseUp

Example:Release the mouse button over the circle shaped path, to make it red:

The function to be called when the mouse clicks on the item. The function receives a MouseEvent object which contains information about the mouse event. Note that such mouse events bubble up the scene graph hierarchy and will reach the view, unless they are stopped with event.stopPropagation() or by returning false from the handler.

Type:

• Function⟋null

See also:

• view.onClick

Example:Click on the circle shaped path, to make it red:

Example:Click on the circle shaped paths to remove them:

The function to be called when the mouse double clicks on the item. The function receives a MouseEvent object which contains information about the mouse event. Note that such mouse events bubble up the scene graph hierarchy and will reach the view, unless they are stopped with event.stopPropagation() or by returning false from the handler.

Type:

• Function⟋null

See also:

• view.onDoubleClick

Example:Double click on the circle shaped path, to make it red:

Example:Double click on the circle shaped paths to remove them:

The function to be called repeatedly while the mouse moves over the item. The function receives a MouseEvent object which contains information about the mouse event. Note that such mouse events bubble up the scene graph hierarchy and will reach the view, unless they are stopped with event.stopPropagation() or by returning false from the handler.

Type:

• Function⟋null

See also:

• view.onMouseMove

Example:Move over the circle shaped path, to change its opacity:

The function to be called when the mouse moves over the item. This function will only be called again, once the mouse moved outside of the item first. The function receives a MouseEvent object which contains information about the mouse event. Note that such mouse events bubble up the scene graph hierarchy and will reach the view, unless they are stopped with event.stopPropagation() or by returning false from the handler.

Type:

• Function⟋null

See also:

• view.onMouseEnter

Example:When you move the mouse over the item, its fill color is set to red. When you move the mouse outside again, its fill color is set back to black.

Example:When you click the mouse, you create new circle shaped items. When you move the mouse over the item, its fill color is set to red. When you move the mouse outside again, its fill color is set back to black.

The function to be called when the mouse moves out of the item. The function receives a MouseEvent object which contains information about the mouse event. Note that such mouse events bubble up the scene graph hierarchy and will reach the view, unless they are stopped with event.stopPropagation() or by returning false from the handler.

Type:

• Function⟋null

See also:

• view.onMouseLeave

Example:Move the mouse over the circle shaped path and then move it out of it again to set its fill color to red:

Sets the properties of the passed object literal on this item to the values defined in the object literal, if the item has property of the given name (or a setter defined for it).

Parameters:

• props: Object

Returns:

• Item — the item itself

Example:Setting properties through an object literal

Clones the item within the same project and places the copy above the item.

Options:

• insert: undefined — specifies whether the copy should be inserted into the scene graph. When set to true, it is inserted above the original — default: true
• deep: undefined — specifies whether the item’s children should also be cloned — default: true

Parameters:

• options: Object — optional, default: { insert: true, deep: true }

Returns:

• Item — the newly cloned item

Example:Cloning items:

Copies the content of the specified item over to this item.

Parameters:

• source: Item — the item to copy the content from

Copies all attributes of the specified item over to this item. This includes its style, visibility, matrix, pivot, blend-mode, opacity, selection state, data, name, etc.

Parameters:

• source: Item — the item to copy the attributes from
• excludeMatrix: Boolean — whether to exclude the transformation matrix when copying all attributes

Rasterizes the item into a newly created Raster object. The item itself is not removed after rasterization.

Options:

• resolution: Number — the desired resolution to be used when rasterizing, in pixels per inch (DPI). If not specified, the value of view.resolution is used by default. — default: view.resolution
• raster: Raster — specifies a raster to be reused when rasterizing. If the raster has the desired size already, then the underlying canvas is reused and no new memory needs to be allocated. If no raster is provided, a new raster item is created and returned instead. — default: null
• insert: Boolean — specifies whether the raster should be inserted into the scene graph. When set to true, it is inserted above the rasterized item. — default: true

Parameters:

• options: Object — the rasterization options — optional, default: {}

Returns:

• Raster — the reused raster or the newly created raster item

Example:Rasterizing an item:

Checks whether the item’s geometry contains the given point.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the point to check for

Returns:

• Boolean

Example:Click within and outside the star below Create a star shaped path:

Parameters:

• rect: Rectangle — the rectangle to check against

Returns:

• Boolean

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item to check against

Returns:

• Boolean

Performs a hit-test on the item and its children (if it is a Group or Layer) at the location of the specified point, returning the first found hit.

The options object allows you to control the specifics of the hit- test and may contain a combination of the following values:

Options:

• options.tolerance: Number — the tolerance of the hit-test — default: paperScope.settings.hitTolerance
• options.class: Function — only hit-test against a specific item class, or any of its sub-classes, by providing the constructor function against which an instanceof check is performed: Group, Layer, Path, CompoundPath, Shape, Raster, SymbolItem, PointText, …
• options.match: Function — a match function to be called for each found hit result: Return true to return the result, false to keep searching
• options.fill: Boolean — hit-test the fill of items — default: true
• options.stroke: Boolean — hit-test the stroke of path items, taking into account the setting of stroke color and width — default: true
• options.segments: Boolean — hit-test for segment.point of Path items — default: true
• options.curves: Boolean — hit-test the curves of path items, without taking the stroke color or width into account
• options.handles: Boolean — hit-test for the handles (segment.handleIn / segment.handleOut) of path segments.
• options.ends: Boolean — only hit-test for the first or last segment points of open path items
• options.position: Boolean — hit-test the item.position of of items, which depends on the setting of item.pivot
• options.center: Boolean — hit-test the rectangle.center of the bounding rectangle of items (item.bounds)
• options.bounds: Boolean — hit-test the corners and side-centers of the bounding rectangle of items (item.bounds)
• options.guides: Boolean — hit-test items that have Item#guide set to true
• options.selected: Boolean — only hit selected items

Parameters:

• point: Point — the point where the hit-test should be performed (in global coordinates system).
• options: Object — optional, default: { fill: true, stroke: true, segments: true, tolerance: settings.hitTolerance }

Returns:

• HitResult — a hit result object describing what exactly was hit or null if nothing was hit

Performs a hit-test on the item and its children (if it is a Group or Layer) at the location of the specified point, returning all found hits.

The options object allows you to control the specifics of the hit- test. See hitTest(point[, options]) for a list of all options.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the point where the hit-test should be performed (in global coordinates system).
• options: Object — optional, default: { fill: true, stroke: true, segments: true, tolerance: settings.hitTolerance }

Returns:

• Array of HitResult objects — hit result objects for all hits, describing what exactly was hit or null if nothing was hit

See also:

• hitTest(point[, options]);

Checks whether the item matches the criteria described by the given object, by iterating over all of its properties and matching against their values through matches(name, compare).

See project.getItems(options) for a selection of illustrated examples.

Parameters:

• options: Object⟋Function — the criteria to match against

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item matches all the criteria, false otherwise

See also:

• getItems(options)

Checks whether the item matches the given criteria. Extended matching is possible by providing a compare function or a regular expression. Matching points, colors only work as a comparison of the full object, not partial matching (e.g. only providing the x-coordinate to match all points with that x-value). Partial matching does work for item.data.

See project.getItems(options) for a selection of illustrated examples.

Parameters:

• name: String — the name of the state to match against
• compare: Object — the value, function or regular expression to compare against

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item matches the state, false otherwise

See also:

• getItems(options)

Fetch the descendants (children or children of children) of this item that match the properties in the specified object. Extended matching is possible by providing a compare function or regular expression. Matching points, colors only work as a comparison of the full object, not partial matching (e.g. only providing the x- coordinate to match all points with that x-value). Partial matching does work for item.data.

Matching items against a rectangular area is also possible, by setting either options.inside or options.overlapping to a rectangle describing the area in which the items either have to be fully or partly contained.

See project.getItems(options) for a selection of illustrated examples.

Options:

• options.recursive: Boolean — whether to loop recursively through all children, or stop at the current level — default: true
• options.match: Function — a match function to be called for each item, allowing the definition of more flexible item checks that are not bound to properties. If no other match properties are defined, this function can also be passed instead of the options object
• options.class: Function — the constructor function of the item type to match against
• options.inside: Rectangle — the rectangle in which the items need to be fully contained
• options.overlapping: Rectangle — the rectangle with which the items need to at least partly overlap

Parameters:

• options: Object⟋Function — the criteria to match against

Returns:

• Array of Item objects — the list of matching descendant items

See also:

• matches(options)

Fetch the first descendant (child or child of child) of this item that matches the properties in the specified object. Extended matching is possible by providing a compare function or regular expression. Matching points, colors only work as a comparison of the full object, not partial matching (e.g. only providing the x- coordinate to match all points with that x-value). Partial matching does work for item.data. See project.getItems(match) for a selection of illustrated examples.

Parameters:

• options: Object⟋Function — the criteria to match against

Returns:

• Item — the first descendant item matching the given criteria

See also:

• getItems(options)

Exports (serializes) the item with its content and child items to a JSON data string.

Options:

• options.asString: Boolean — whether the JSON is returned as a Object or a String — default: true
• options.precision: Number — the amount of fractional digits in numbers used in JSON data — default: 5

Parameters:

• options: Object — the serialization options — optional

Returns:

• String — the exported JSON data

Imports (deserializes) the stored JSON data into this item. If the data describes an item of the same class or a parent class of the item, the data is imported into the item itself. If not, the imported item is added to this item’s item.children list. Note that not all type of items can have children.

Parameters:

• json: String — the JSON data to import from

Returns:

• Item

Exports the item with its content and child items as an SVG DOM.

Options:

• options.bounds: String⟋Rectangle — the bounds of the area to export, either as a string (‘view’, content’), or a Rectangle object: 'view' uses the view bounds, 'content' uses the stroke bounds of all content — default: ‘view’
• options.matrix: Matrix — the matrix with which to transform the exported content: If options.bounds is set to 'view', paper.view.matrix is used, for all other settings of options.bounds the identity matrix is used. — default: paper.view.matrix
• options.asString: Boolean — whether a SVG node or a String is to be returned — default: false
• options.precision: Number — the amount of fractional digits in numbers used in SVG data — default: 5
• options.matchShapes: Boolean — whether path items should tried to be converted to SVG shape items (rect, circle, ellipse, line, polyline, polygon), if their geometries match — default: false
• options.embedImages: Boolean — whether raster images should be embedded as base64 data inlined in the xlink:href attribute, or kept as a link to their external URL. — default: true

Parameters:

• options: Object — the export options — optional

Returns:

• SVGElement⟋String — the item converted to an SVG node or a String depending on option.asString value

Converts the provided SVG content into Paper.js items and adds them to the this item’s children list. Note that the item is not cleared first. You can call item.removeChildren() to do so.

Options:

• options.expandShapes: Boolean — whether imported shape items should be expanded to path items — default: false
• options.onLoad: Function — the callback function to call once the SVG content is loaded from the given URL receiving two arguments: the converted item and the original svg data as a string. Only required when loading from external resources.
• options.onError: Function — the callback function to call if an error occurs during loading. Only required when loading from external resources.
• options.insert: Boolean — whether the imported items should be added to the item that importSVG() is called on — default: true
• options.applyMatrix: Boolean — whether the imported items should have their transformation matrices applied to their contents or not — default: paperScope.settings.applyMatrix

Parameters:

• svg: SVGElement⟋String — the SVG content to import, either as a SVG DOM node, a string containing SVG content, or a string describing the URL of the SVG file to fetch.
• options: Object — the import options — optional

Returns:

• Item — the newly created Paper.js item containing the converted SVG content

Imports the provided external SVG file, converts it into Paper.js items and adds them to the this item’s children list. Note that the item is not cleared first. You can call item.removeChildren() to do so.

Parameters:

• svg: SVGElement⟋String — the URL of the SVG file to fetch.
• onLoad: Function — the callback function to call once the SVG content is loaded from the given URL receiving two arguments: the converted item and the original svg data as a string. Only required when loading from external files.

Returns:

• Item — the newly created Paper.js item containing the converted SVG content

Adds the specified item as a child of this item at the end of the its children list. You can use this function for groups, compound paths and layers.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item to be added as a child

Returns:

• Item — the added item, or null if adding was not possible

Inserts the specified item as a child of this item at the specified index in its children list. You can use this function for groups, compound paths and layers.

Parameters:

• index: Number — the index at which to insert the item
• item: Item — the item to be inserted as a child

Returns:

• Item — the inserted item, or null if inserting was not possible

Adds the specified items as children of this item at the end of the its children list. You can use this function for groups, compound paths and layers.

Parameters:

• items: Array of Item objects — the items to be added as children

Returns:

• Array of Item objects — the added items, or null if adding was not possible

Inserts the specified items as children of this item at the specified index in its children list. You can use this function for groups, compound paths and layers.

Parameters:

• index: Number
• items: Array of Item objects — the items to be appended as children

Returns:

• Array of Item objects — the inserted items, or null if inserted was not possible

Inserts this item above the specified item.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item above which it should be inserted

Returns:

• Item — the inserted item, or null if inserting was not possible

Inserts this item below the specified item.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item below which it should be inserted

Returns:

• Item — the inserted item, or null if inserting was not possible

Sends this item to the back of all other items within the same parent.

Brings this item to the front of all other items within the same parent.

Adds it to the specified owner, which can be either a Item or a Project.

Parameters:

• owner: Project⟋Layer⟋Group⟋CompoundPath — the item or project to add the item to

Returns:

• Item — the item itself, if it was successfully added

Clones the item and adds it to the specified owner, which can be either a Item or a Project.

Parameters:

• owner: Project⟋Layer⟋Group⟋CompoundPath — the item or project to copy the item to

Returns:

• Item — the new copy of the item, if it was successfully added

If this is a group, layer or compound-path with only one child-item, the child-item is moved outside and the parent is erased. Otherwise, the item itself is returned unmodified.

Parameters:

• options:

Returns:

• Item — the reduced item

Removes the item and all its children from the project. The item is not destroyed and can be inserted again after removal.

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item was removed, false otherwise

Replaces this item with the provided new item which will takes its place in the project hierarchy instead.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item that will replace this item

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item was replaced, false otherwise

Removes all of the item’s children (if any).

Returns:

• Array of Item objects — an array containing the removed items

Removes the children from the specified start index to and excluding the end index from the parent’s children array.

Parameters:

• start: Number — the beginning index, inclusive
• end: Number — the ending index, exclusive — optional, default: children.length

Returns:

• Array of Item objects — an array containing the removed items

Reverses the order of the item’s children

Specifies whether the item has any content or not. The meaning of what content is differs from type to type. For example, a Group with no children, a TextItem with no text content and a Path with no segments all are considered empty.

Parameters:

• recursively: Boolean — whether an item with children should be considered empty if all its descendants are empty — optional, default: false

Returns:

• Boolean

Checks whether the item has a fill.

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item has a fill, false otherwise

Checks whether the item has a stroke.

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item has a stroke, false otherwise

Checks whether the item has a shadow.

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item has a shadow, false otherwise

Checks if the item contains any children items.

Returns:

• Boolean — true it has one or more children, false otherwise

Checks whether the item and all its parents are inserted into scene graph or not.

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item is inserted into the scene graph, false otherwise

Checks if this item is above the specified item in the stacking order of the project.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item to check against

Returns:

• Boolean — true if it is above the specified item, false otherwise

Checks if the item is below the specified item in the stacking order of the project.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item to check against

Returns:

• Boolean — true if it is below the specified item, false otherwise

Checks whether the specified item is the parent of the item.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item to check against

Returns:

• Boolean — true if it is the parent of the item, false otherwise

Checks whether the specified item is a child of the item.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item to check against

Returns:

• Boolean — true it is a child of the item, false otherwise

Checks if the item is contained within the specified item.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item to check against

Returns:

• Boolean — true if it is inside the specified item, false otherwise

Checks if the item is an ancestor of the specified item.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item to check against

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item is an ancestor of the specified item, false otherwise

Checks if the item is an a sibling of the specified item.

Parameters:

• item: Item — the item to check against

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item is aa sibling of the specified item, false otherwise

Checks whether the item is grouped with the specified item.

Parameters:

• item: Item

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the items are grouped together, false otherwise

Translates (moves) the item by the given offset views.

Parameters:

• delta: Point — the offset to translate the item by

Rotates the item by a given angle around the given center point.

Angles are oriented clockwise and measured in degrees.

Parameters:

• angle: Number — the rotation angle
• center: Point — optional, default: item.position

See also:

• matrix.rotate(angle[, center])

Example:Rotating an item:

Example:Rotating an item around a specific point:

Scales the item by the given value from its center point, or optionally from a supplied point.

Parameters:

• scale: Number — the scale factor
• center: Point — optional, default: item.position

Example:Scaling an item from its center point:

Example:Scaling an item from a specific point:

Scales the item by the given values from its center point, or optionally from a supplied point.

Parameters:

• hor: Number — the horizontal scale factor
• ver: Number — the vertical scale factor
• center: Point — optional, default: item.position

Example:Scaling an item horizontally by 300%:

Shears the item by the given value from its center point, or optionally by a supplied point.

Parameters:

• shear: Point — the horizontal and vertical shear factors as a point
• center: Point — optional, default: item.position

See also:

• matrix.shear(shear[, center])

Shears the item by the given values from its center point, or optionally by a supplied point.

Parameters:

• hor: Number — the horizontal shear factor
• ver: Number — the vertical shear factor
• center: Point — optional, default: item.position

See also:

• matrix.shear(hor, ver[, center])

Skews the item by the given angles from its center point, or optionally by a supplied point.

Parameters:

• skew: Point — the horizontal and vertical skew angles in degrees
• center: Point — optional, default: item.position

See also:

• matrix.shear(skew[, center])

Skews the item by the given angles from its center point, or optionally by a supplied point.

Parameters:

• hor: Number — the horizontal skew angle in degrees
• ver: Number — the vertical sskew angle in degrees
• center: Point — optional, default: item.position

See also:

• matrix.shear(hor, ver[, center])

Transform the item.

Parameters:

• matrix: Matrix — the matrix by which the item shall be transformed

Converts the specified point from global project coordinate space to the item’s own local coordinate space.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the point to be transformed

Returns:

• Point — the transformed point as a new instance

Converts the specified point from the item’s own local coordinate space to the global project coordinate space.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the point to be transformed

Returns:

• Point — the transformed point as a new instance

Converts the specified point from the parent’s coordinate space to item’s own local coordinate space.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the point to be transformed

Returns:

• Point — the transformed point as a new instance

Converts the specified point from the item’s own local coordinate space to the parent’s coordinate space.

Parameters:

• point: Point — the point to be transformed

Returns:

• Point — the transformed point as a new instance

Transform the item so that its bounds fit within the specified rectangle, without changing its aspect ratio.

Parameters:

• rectangle: Rectangle
• fill: Boolean — optional, default: false

Example:Fitting an item to the bounding rectangle of another item's bounding rectangle:

Example:Fitting an item to the bounding rectangle of another item's bounding rectangle with the fill parameter set to true:

Example:Fitting an item to the bounding rectangle of the view

Attaches an event handler to the item.

Parameters:

• type: String — the type of event: ‘frame’, mousedown’, ‘mouseup’, ‘mousedrag’, ‘click’, ‘doubleclick’, ‘mousemove’, ‘mouseenter’, ‘mouseleave’
• function: Function — the function to be called when the event occurs, receiving a MouseEvent or Event object as its sole argument

Returns:

• Item — this item itself, so calls can be chained

Example:Change the fill color of the path to red when the mouse enters its shape and back to black again, when it leaves its shape.

Attaches one or more event handlers to the item.

Parameters:

• object: Object — an object containing one or more of the following properties: frame, mousedown, mouseup, mousedrag, click, doubleclick, mousemove, mouseenter, mouseleave

Returns:

• Item — this item itself, so calls can be chained

Example:Change the fill color of the path to red when the mouse enters its shape and back to black again, when it leaves its shape.

Example:When you click the mouse, you create new circle shaped items. When you move the mouse over the item, its fill color is set to red. When you move the mouse outside again, its fill color is set black.

Detach an event handler from the item.

Parameters:

• type: String — the type of event: ‘frame’, mousedown’, ‘mouseup’, ‘mousedrag’, ‘click’, ‘doubleclick’, ‘mousemove’, ‘mouseenter’, ‘mouseleave’
• function: Function — the function to be detached

Returns:

• Item — this item itself, so calls can be chained

Detach one or more event handlers to the item.

Parameters:

• object: Object — an object containing one or more of the following properties: frame, mousedown, mouseup, mousedrag, click, doubleclick, mousemove, mouseenter, mouseleave

Returns:

• Item — this item itself, so calls can be chained

Emit an event on the item.

Parameters:

• type: String — the type of event: ‘frame’, mousedown’, ‘mouseup’, ‘mousedrag’, ‘click’, ‘doubleclick’, ‘mousemove’, ‘mouseenter’, ‘mouseleave’
• event: Object — an object literal containing properties describing the event

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the event had listeners, false otherwise

Check if the item has one or more event handlers of the specified type.

Parameters:

• type: String — the type of event: ‘frame’, mousedown’, ‘mouseup’, ‘mousedrag’, ‘click’, ‘doubleclick’, ‘mousemove’, ‘mouseenter’, ‘mouseleave’

Returns:

• Boolean — true if the item has one or more event handlers of the specified type, false otherwise

Removes the item when the events specified in the passed options object occur.

Options:

• options.move: undefined — {Boolean) remove the item when the next tool.onMouseMove event is fired.
• options.drag: undefined — {Boolena) remove the item when the next tool.onMouseDrag event is fired.
• options.down: undefined — {Boolean) remove the item when the next tool.onMouseDown event is fired.
• options.up: undefined — {Boolean) remove the item when the next tool.onMouseUp event is fired.

Parameters:

• options: Object

Example:Click and drag below:

Removes the item when the next tool.onMouseMove event is fired.

Example:Move your mouse below:

Removes the item when the next tool.onMouseDown event is fired.

Example:Click a few times below:

Removes the item when the next tool.onMouseDrag event is fired.

Example:Click and drag below:

Removes the item when the next tool.onMouseUp event is fired.

Example:Click a few times below:

Tween item between two states.

Options:

• options.duration: Number — the duration of the tweening
• options.easing: Function⟋String — an easing function or the type of the easing: ‘linear’ ‘easeInQuad’ ‘easeOutQuad’ ‘easeInOutQuad’ ‘easeInCubic’ ‘easeOutCubic’ ‘easeInOutCubic’ ‘easeInQuart’ ‘easeOutQuart’ ‘easeInOutQuart’ ‘easeInQuint’ ‘easeOutQuint’ ‘easeInOutQuint’ — default: ‘linear’
• options.start: Boolean — whether to start tweening automatically — default: true

Parameters:

• from: Object — the state at the start of the tweening
• to: Object — the state at the end of the tweening
• options: Object⟋Number — the options or the duration

Returns:

• Tween

Example:Tween fillColor:

Example:Tween rotation:

Tween item to a state.

Parameters:

• to: Object — the state at the end of the tweening
• options: Object⟋Number — the options or the duration

Returns:

• Tween

See also:

• item.tween(from, to, options)

Example:Tween a nested property with relative values

Tween item.

Parameters:

• options: Object⟋Number — the options or the duration

Returns:

• Tween

See also:

• item.tween(from, to, options)

Example:Start an empty tween and just use the update callback:

Tween item to a state.

Parameters:

• to: Object — the state at the end of the tweening
• options: Object⟋Number — the options or the duration

Returns:

• Tween

See also:

• item.tween(to, options)

Tween item from a state to its state before the tweening.

Parameters:

• from: Object — the state at the start of the tweening
• options: Object⟋Number — the options or the duration

Returns:

• Tween

See also:

• item.tween(from, to, options)

Example:Tween fillColor from red to the path's initial fillColor: