Definition of Vertical Alignment

Vertical alignment is the state or act of lining items up, one above each other. The exact meaning of this concept varies depending on the context. Verical alignment has applications in a wide range of fields and subjects and can take on greatly differing meanings from place to place.

Desktop Publishing

In desktop publishing software, such as Adobe PageMaker or Serif PagePlus, vertical alignment refers to the position of objects on a page. Vertical alignment can be applied to two or more objects to center them vertically in relation to each other, so that the center of each object is found in the same plane extending between the two sides of the page.

Web Design

In the field of web design, vertical alignment means much the same thing that it does in desktop publishing, except that the designer's canvas is now a page of CSS elements rather than a document to be printed. The CSS property \"vertical-align\" is often used as follows:

img { vertical-align:center GO }

This aligns the image vertically with the middle of its parent element.

Windows Programming

In the Microsoft Windows API, vertical alignment is a property of framework elements, as well as an enumeration, both dealing with the positioning of controls in relation to their parent controls. In Visual Basic, for example, this is used as follows:

Dim thisButton1 As New Button() thisButton1.VerticalAlignment = Windows.VerticalAlignment.Top thisButton1.Content = \"Button on Top!\"

The button named \"thisButton1\" would be placed at the top of the screen, or else the top of the button's parent object.

Education

Within educational systems, vertical alignment is the relationship between textbooks, curricula, teacher instruction, student achievement and other such categories. Rigorous standards are required to ensure the elements are vertically aligned, and thus work smoothly together toward a common goal. Vertical alignment plays into the continuance of education from grade to grade, as well as in the use of standardized tests.

Road Construction and Engineering

Vertical alignment in the field of roadway design is the upward and downward slope of a road, as opposed to horizontal twists and turns. Road engineers must design vertical alignment so that it does not result in grades too steep for vehicles to travel upon, nor forms too sharp an angle upon rising or dipping.