Docking

Docking actions anchor shapes to the edges of your slide, perfect for creating headers, footers, sidebars, and consistent margins.

How Docking Works

Unlike regular alignment (which aligns shapes to each other), docking aligns shapes to the slide boundaries:

• Dock Left: Moves shapes to the left edge of the slide (x = 0)
• Dock Right: Moves shapes to the right edge of the slide
• Dock Top: Moves shapes to the top edge of the slide (y = 0)
• Dock Bottom: Moves shapes to the bottom edge of the slide

Dock Actions

Dock Left

Anchors shapes to the left edge of the slide.

Use Case:

• Left sidebars
• Left-aligned logos
• Navigation menus
• Consistent left margins

How to Use:

1. Select shapes to dock
2. Click "Dock Left"
3. Shapes move to the left edge (x = 0)

Example:

Before:         After:
   ▢            ▢
     ▢          ▢
       ▢        ▢

All shapes now have their left edge at x = 0 (the slide's left boundary).

Dock Right

Anchors shapes to the right edge of the slide.

Use Case:

• Right sidebars
• Right-aligned page numbers
• Call-out boxes
• Contact information panels

How to Use:

1. Select shapes to dock
2. Click "Dock Right"
3. Shapes move to the right edge

Example:

Before:         After:
▢                    ▢
  ▢                  ▢
    ▢                ▢

All shapes now have their right edge at the slide's right boundary.

Dock Top

Anchors shapes to the top edge of the slide.

Use Case:

• Headers
• Title bars
• Top navigation
• Consistent top margins

How to Use:

1. Select shapes to dock
2. Click "Dock Top"
3. Shapes move to the top edge (y = 0)

Example:

Before:         After:
                ▢ ▢ ▢
▢
  ▢
    ▢

All shapes now have their top edge at y = 0 (the slide's top boundary).

Dock Bottom

Anchors shapes to the bottom edge of the slide.

Use Case:

• Footers
• Page numbers
• Copyright notices
• Bottom navigation

How to Use:

1. Select shapes to dock
2. Click "Dock Bottom"
3. Shapes move to the bottom edge

Example:

Before:         After:
▢
  ▢
    ▢           
                ▢ ▢ ▢

All shapes now have their bottom edge at the slide's bottom boundary.

Common Patterns

Creating Headers

A typical header layout:

1. Create text box for title
2. Dock Top (anchor to top of slide)
3. If you have multiple header elements:
   - Select all
   - Dock Top
   - Distribute Horizontal (for even spacing)

Result: Professional header that spans the top of your slide.

Building Sidebars

A typical sidebar layout:

1. Create shapes for sidebar content
2. Dock Left (anchor to left edge)
3. Align Center (center items within sidebar)
4. Distribute Vertical (even spacing)

Result: Clean sidebar with evenly-spaced elements.

Footers with Multiple Elements

1. Create footer text boxes (logo, page number, date)
2. Dock Bottom (anchor all to bottom)
3. Dock Left on logo (align to left corner)
4. Dock Right on page number (align to right corner)
5. Align Center on date (center in footer)

Result: Professional three-part footer.

Full-Width Banners

1. Create a rectangle shape
2. Dock Left (anchor left edge)
3. Dock Right (anchor right edge)
4. Dock Top (or Bottom)

Result: Banner that spans the full width of the slide.

Advanced Techniques

Maintaining Margins

If you want shapes near edges but not touching:

1. Dock shapes to desired edge
2. Use arrow keys to nudge shapes inward
3. Or use Get Position on a reference shape

Docking Groups

You can dock grouped shapes:

1. Group shapes that should stay together
2. Dock the group
3. The entire group moves as one unit

This is perfect for complex headers or sidebars that contain multiple elements.

Responsive Layouts

Create layouts that adapt to different slide sizes:

1. Dock key elements (header, sidebar, footer)
2. Use Stretch actions to fill remaining space
3. Works on different slide aspect ratios

Corner Positioning

To position shapes in corners:

Top-Left Corner:

Dock Left → Dock Top

Top-Right Corner:

Dock Right → Dock Top

Bottom-Left Corner:

Dock Left → Dock Bottom

Bottom-Right Corner:

Dock Right → Dock Bottom

Combining with Other Actions

Dock + Distribute

Create evenly-spaced edge-aligned layouts:

Dock Left → Distribute Vertical = Sidebar menu
Dock Top → Distribute Horizontal = Top navigation

Dock + Stretch

Create full-width or full-height elements:

Dock Left + Stretch Right = Full-width banner
Dock Top + Stretch Bottom = Full-height sidebar

Learn more about Stretch actions →

Dock + Get/Set

Apply consistent docking to multiple slides:

1. Dock shape on first slide
2. Get Position
3. Go to other slides
4. Select shapes
5. Set Position

Result: Consistent positioning across all slides.

Docking vs. Alignment

When to Use Docking:

• You need shapes at specific slide positions
• Creating page layouts (headers, footers)
• Consistent margins across slides

When to Use Alignment:

• You're arranging shapes relative to each other
• Position depends on content
• Creating flexible layouts

Tips & Best Practices

1. Dock First, Style Later

Best workflow for edge-aligned elements:

1. Dock shapes to position them
2. Then apply styling (colors, fonts, etc.)

2. Use Docking for Consistency

Docking ensures elements are in the same position across slides—perfect for:

• Company logos
• Page numbers
• Headers and footers

3. Combine Dock Actions

Don't be afraid to use multiple dock actions:

Dock Top + Dock Left = Top-left corner
Dock Bottom + Dock Right = Bottom-right corner

4. Create Master Layouts

Set up docked elements on your master slide for automatic application to all slides.

FAQ

Q: Can I dock shapes with a margin from the edge?

A: Dock first, then use arrow keys to nudge the shape inward, or use Get/Set Position with a reference shape.

Q: What happens if I dock a very wide shape with Dock Top?

A: The shape will anchor its top edge to the top of the slide. If it extends beyond the slide, you may need to resize it or use Stretch actions.

Q: Can I dock to horizontal or vertical centers of the slide?

A: Docking only works with edges. For centering on the slide, use a combination of Align Center and Align Middle.

Q: Does docking work with grouped shapes?

A: Yes! Docking treats a group as a single shape and docks the entire group.

What's Next?