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This page covers the legacy rules that shape layout, spacing, and structure.

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Alignment rule

Use Alignment when text or graphics should line up consistently within a cell or container. The legacy support article documents six settings:
  • Left
  • Center
  • Right
  • Top
  • Middle
  • Bottom
You can apply the rule to:
  • Graphics
  • Text
  • Both
If content still does not reach the edge you expect, check whether margins are limiting the result.

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Margin rule

Use Margin when text or graphics need more or less space around them. The legacy support article notes:
  • It works for text, icons, shapes, images, and more
  • Many visual rules have their own built-in margin settings
  • Grunt uses a default margin around most elements
You can adjust:
  • Horizontal and vertical margins together
  • All four sides individually
Set margins to 0 when content should extend to the full cell boundary.

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Merge rule

Use Merge when repeated or adjacent cells should behave like one larger structural unit. The legacy support article describes these merge modes:
  • Merge adjacent cells
  • Merge similar values
  • Merge empty cells
It also documents a Direction setting to decide whether Grunt should prioritize merging by rows or by columns. Important behavior:
  • Grunt merges the structure, not the underlying data
  • The top-left cell is the displayed value after merge
  • Removing the rule restores the original structure

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Size rule

Use Size when several graphics from different rules should share the same width or height behavior. The legacy support article documents these sizing modes for width and height:
  • Fixed
  • Relative
  • Fill Cell
This is especially helpful when icons, shapes, and other rule-generated graphics should feel like one coherent system.

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Clear rule

Use Clear when earlier formatting should be intentionally removed from a specific target area. Typical use cases:
  • Reset inherited formatting for one row or column
  • Strip unwanted styling before applying new rules
  • Create exceptions inside an otherwise broad target
This behavior is inferred from the legacy rule catalog and the general way Grunt rule precedence works.

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When to combine these rules

These rules are often combined to control layout cleanly:
  • Alignment for placement
  • Margin for spacing
  • Size for graphic scale
  • Merge for structural grouping
  • Clear for exceptions
For icons, chevrons, headers, and logos, continue to Visual and logo rules.