Tikz block title position varies depending on text size

tikzposter

tikzposter block titles (and consequently blocks) vary quite a bit in positioning and height based on the size of the title text. I would like for blocks to be horizontally aligned without needing to ensure the text in each has similar height. For example, if I have two blocks, one with a descender and one without:

\documentclass[25pt, a0paper, portrait]{tikzposter}

\title{Poster title}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

\begin{columns}
    \column{0.3}
    \block{Block A}{}
    \column{0.3}
    \block{Block g}{}
\end{columns}

\end{document}

This results in this kind of slightly offset block, even though the only thing that's different between blocks is one letter in the block title.

I have played around a bit with changing the block style to add text depth to the title, but it doesn't seem to be applied to the title node itself and has no effect.

Best Answer

Text depth is exactly the problem that you have here and one solution would be to manually add an invisible zero sized box through \vphantom{}:

\documentclass[25pt, a0paper, portrait]{tikzposter}

\title{Poster title}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

\begin{columns}
    \column{0.3}
    \block{Block A\vphantom{g}}{}
    \column{0.3}
    \block{Block g}{}
\end{columns}

\end{document}

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] line spacing in tikzposter

Actually you could just have posted the first two words of the title and not bothered with the example:-)

Bad linespacing in TeX is almost always due to changing the font size but not including the end of paragraph in the same scope, which results in the new size text being set to the original baseline.

In the cited example you need

\block[c]{Columns}{
     The page can be divided for some segment of the poster into columns of vertically aligned blocks by using the environment \cmd{ columns}.  Within this environment, a column is begun with the command, for instance, \\
     \vspace{1em}
     \cmd{\bs column\{}0.40\cmd{\}}\\
     \vspace{1em}
     for a column of blocks center aligned along a vertical line with default width of $40\%$ of the available width.
     Following this, additional blocks are created which will be aligned into this column until a new column is called
     or the environment is ended.  The current column can be used for reference by the variable \cmd{\bs colwidth}.%
\par%<<<<<<<<<<<<<<this par (or a blank line) needed here
}

Probably the definition of \block ought to provide an implicit end of paragraph, but clearly it doesn't so you need to add it explictly.

[Tex/LaTex] Bottom-aligning columns with tikzposter

I ended up solving it myself. Below is the code I used; if you put it in myposter.sty then use \usepackage[colalign]{myposter} to enable the alignment.

It works by saving the natural heights of all columns into the aux file, along with how many blocks there are. Then next compilation, for each column, it looks at the difference between the stored height and the maximum stored height, divides that by the number of blocks, and adds that much padding inside each block (at the top and bottom.)

\usepackage{letltxmacro}
\usepackage{ifthen}

\newif\ifmy@colalign
\my@colalignfalse

\DeclareOption{colalign}{
    \my@colaligntrue
}

\ProcessOptions\relax

\ifmy@colalign
    % Align the bottoms of columns

    % Declarations
    \newcounter{my@column}
    \newcounter{my@column@loop}
    \newcounter{my@block}
    \newdimen\my@columnextraspace
    \newdimen\my@maxcolheight
    \newdimen\my@colheight
    \newdimen\my@blocktopstart
    \newdimen\my@rounded

    % Store the natural height and number of blocks of the current column in the aux file
    \gdef\my@storecolheight{
        \ifnum\value{my@column} > 0 %
            \expandafter\newdimen\csname my@colheight\alph{my@column}\endcsname
            \expandafter\setlength\csname my@colheight\alph{my@column}\endcsname{\my@colheight}
            \immediate\write\@auxout{\noexpand\newlabel{my@colheight\alph{my@column}}{{\the\my@colheight}{}}}
            \immediate\write\@auxout{\noexpand\newlabel{my@numblocks\alph{my@column}}{{\the\c@my@block}}}
        \fi
    }

    \LetLtxMacro{\orig@block}{\block}

    % Replace the \block command with a version that pads each block by \my@columnextraspace
    \renewcommand{\block}[3][]{%
        \ifTP@columnEnvironment
            \my@blocktopstart=0pt\relax
            \advance\my@blocktopstart-\TP@blocktop
        \fi
        \orig@block[{#1}]{#2}{\vspace*{-0.5\my@columnextraspace}#3\vspace*{-0.5\my@columnextraspace}}
        \ifTP@columnEnvironment
            % count number of blocks
            \stepcounter{my@block}
            % keep track of the height of the current column
            \advance\my@blocktopstart\TP@blocktop
            \advance\my@colheight\my@blocktopstart
            % don't add the padding to the height
            \advance\my@colheight-\my@columnextraspace
        \fi
    }

    % Store the maximum natural height of any column in the aux file
    \gdef\my@storemaxcolheight{
        \ifnum\value{my@column} > 0 %
            \newdimen\my@maxcolheight
            \newdimen\my@colheight@loop
            \setcounter{my@column@loop}{0}
            \loop\ifnum\value{my@column@loop}<\value{my@column}
                \stepcounter{my@column@loop}
                \my@colheight@loop\csname my@colheight\alph{my@column@loop}\endcsname
                \ifnum\my@colheight@loop<\my@maxcolheight
                    \my@maxcolheight\my@colheight@loop
                \fi
            \repeat
            \immediate\write\@auxout{\noexpand\newlabel{my@maxcolheight}{{\the\my@maxcolheight}{}}}
        \fi
    }

    % Read the column height information and calculate how much extra space the current column needs per block
    \gdef\my@calcextraspace{
        \@ifundefined{r@my@maxcolheight}{%
            \my@columnextraspace=0pt\relax
        }{%
            \expandafter\my@maxcolheight\ref{my@maxcolheight}
            \expandafter\my@colheight\ref{my@colheight\alph{my@column}}
            \setcounter{my@block}{\ref{my@numblocks\alph{my@column}}}
            \my@columnextraspace\my@maxcolheight
            \advance\my@columnextraspace-\my@colheight
            \divide\my@columnextraspace by \value{my@block}
        }
    }

    % Replace \column command by a version which stores the height (of the previous column) and calls \my@calcextraspace
    \gdef\column#1{  % #1: relative width
        \ifTP@columnEnvironment
            \my@storecolheight
            \stepcounter{my@column}
            \my@calcextraspace
            \setcounter{my@block}{0}
            \my@blocktopstart0pt
            \my@colheight0pt
            % Now the normal \column command
            \normalsize
            \setlength{\TP@blocktop}{\TP@coltop}
            \setlength{\TP@colcenter}{\TP@colcenter+0.5\colwidth+\TP@colspace}
            \setlength{\colwidth}{#1\TP@visibletextwidth+#1\TP@colspace-\TP@colspace-\blocklinewidth}
            \setlength{\TP@colcenter}{\TP@colcenter+0.5\colwidth+\blocklinewidth}
        \fi
    }

    % Replace the columns environment with a version which stores the height of the final column and the max column
    \renewenvironment{columns}{
        \TP@columnEnvironmenttrue
        \setlength{\TP@colcenter}{-0.5\TP@visibletextwidth-\TP@colspace-0.5\blocklinewidth}
        \global\TP@colcenter=\TP@colcenter
        \global\TP@coltop=\TP@blocktop
        \global\TP@colbottom=\TP@blocktop
        \colwidth=0pt
    }{
        \my@storecolheight
        \my@storemaxcolheight
        \TP@columnEnvironmentfalse
        \global\TP@blocktop=\TP@colbottom
    }
\fi

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] line spacing in tikzposter

[Tex/LaTex] Bottom-aligning columns with tikzposter

Related Question