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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/ProwlEngine/Prowl.Paper/llms.txt

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Every element in Prowl.Paper is styled through a fluent chain of method calls on ElementBuilder. All styling methods return this, so you can compose any number of properties in a single expression. Styles are re-applied every frame — Paper evaluates them top to bottom, and later calls override earlier ones, which is the mechanism that makes state-driven overrides (hover, active, etc.) work naturally.

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Background

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Solid color

Paper.Box("Panel")
    .BackgroundColor(Color.FromArgb(255, 30, 32, 36));

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Gradients

Paper supports three gradient types. All coordinate parameters are relative to the element’s own rectangle (0.0 = start edge, 1.0 = end edge), so gradients scale automatically with the element. 
Paper.Box("Hero")
    .BackgroundLinearGradient(
        x1: 0f, y1: 0f,   // top-left
        x2: 0f, y2: 1f,   // bottom-left
        color1: Color.FromArgb(255, 69, 135, 235),
        color2: Color.FromArgb(255, 66, 68, 72));
To remove a gradient that was set earlier in the chain: 
.ClearBackgroundGradient()

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Background image

Pass any texture object that your renderer backend recognises. The texture is stretched to fill the element’s layout rectangle. 
Paper.Box("Avatar")
    .Size(64)
    .Rounded(32)
    .BackgroundImage(myTexture);
Remove the image with .ClearBackgroundImage().

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Border

Paper.Box("Card")
    .BorderColor(Color.FromArgb(120, 69, 135, 235))
    .BorderWidth(2);
Both properties default to transparent / 0, so you only need to set the ones you want. Borders are rendered inside the element’s bounds.

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Corner rounding

// All four corners
.Rounded(8)

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Box shadow

Paper.Box("Elevated")
    .BackgroundColor(cardBackground)
    .BoxShadow(offsetX: 0, offsetY: 4, blur: 12, spread: 0,
               color: Color.FromArgb(160, 0, 0, 0));
You can also construct a BoxShadow value ahead of time and pass it directly: 
var shadow = new BoxShadow(0, 4, 12, 0, Color.FromArgb(160, 0, 0, 0));
.BoxShadow(shadow)

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Backdrop blur (frosted glass)

BackdropBlur blurs whatever is rendered behind the element. Combine it with a translucent BackgroundColor for a classic frosted-glass panel. 
Paper.Box("FrostPanel")
    .BackgroundColor(Color.FromArgb(80, 255, 255, 255))
    .BackdropBlur(12f);
Backdrop blur requires a renderer backend that supports the effect. On backends without support the property is silently ignored.

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Text styling

TextColor sets the foreground color for any text rendered inside the element. The remaining text properties control typography: 
Paper.Box("Label")
    .TextColor(Color.FromArgb(255, 226, 232, 240))
    .FontSize(14f)
    .LetterSpacing(0.5f)
    .WordSpacing(2f)
    .LineHeight(1.4f)
    .TabSize(4)
    .Text("Hello, Paper!", myFont);
MethodDescription
TextColor(Color)Foreground color for text inside the element
FontSize(float)Font size in pixels (default 16)
LetterSpacing(float)Extra space between characters in pixels (default 0)
WordSpacing(float)Extra space between words in pixels (default 0)
LineHeight(float)Line-height multiplier relative to font size (default 1.0)
TabSize(int)Number of spaces a tab character expands to (default 4)

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Transforms

All transform properties operate around a configurable origin point (default: element center, i.e. 0.5, 0.5). 
Paper.Box("Spinning")
    .TransformOrigin(0.5f, 0.5f) // already the default
    .Rotate(animatedAngle)
    .Scale(1.05f);
MethodDescription
TranslateX(float) / TranslateY(float)Pixel offset along X or Y
Translate(float x, float y)Offset on both axes at once
ScaleX(float) / ScaleY(float)Per-axis scale factor
Scale(float)Uniform scale on both axes
Scale(float x, float y)Independent per-axis scale
Rotate(float degrees)Rotation in degrees
SkewX(float) / SkewY(float)Shear angles
Skew(float x, float y)Both axes at once
TransformOrigin(float x, float y)Pivot point (0–1 normalised)
Transform(Transform2D)Apply a raw 2D transform matrix directly
Transform properties can be transitioned just like visual ones — see Transitions.

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StyleTemplate — reusable styles

A StyleTemplate stores a snapshot of style calls that you can apply to many elements. This is the foundation for Paper’s theming system. 
// Define once (e.g. during initialisation)
var cardStyle = new StyleTemplate()
    .BackgroundColor(cardBackground)
    .Rounded(8)
    .BoxShadow(0, 2, 6, 0, Color.FromArgb(100, 0, 0, 0));

// Apply wherever you need it
Paper.Box("Card1").Style(cardStyle);
Paper.Box("Card2").Style(cardStyle);

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Creating derived templates

var elevatedCard = cardStyle.Clone()
    .BoxShadow(0, 8, 24, 0, Color.FromArgb(180, 0, 0, 0))
    .Scale(1.02f);
ApplyTo lets you push one template’s properties into another template: 
baseTemplate.ApplyTo(specialTemplate); // specialTemplate now inherits base properties

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Registering named styles

Register a template by name on the Paper instance so it can be referenced by string later: 
gui.RegisterStyle("card", cardStyle);

// Then on any element:
Paper.Box("MyCard").Style("card");
DefineStyle combines creation and registration in one call: 
gui.DefineStyle("badge")
    .Rounded(99)
    .BackgroundColor(primaryColor)
    .Padding(4, 8, 0, 0);
Styles can inherit from previously registered styles by name: 
gui.DefineStyle("badge-error", inheritFrom: "badge")
    .BackgroundColor(Color.Red);

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StyleFamilyBuilder — base + state variants

CreateStyleFamily registers a base template plus optional per-state overrides (hover, focused, active) under a shared name prefix. Paper’s ApplyStyleWithStates then picks the right variant automatically based on the element’s current interaction state. 
gui.CreateStyleFamily("button")
    .Base(new StyleTemplate()
        .Height(40)
        .Rounded(8)
        .BackgroundColor(Color.FromArgb(50, 0, 0, 0))
        .Transition(GuiProp.BackgroundColor, 0.2f)
        .Transition(GuiProp.ScaleX, 0.1f)
        .Transition(GuiProp.ScaleY, 0.1f))
    .Hovered(new StyleTemplate()
        .BackgroundColor(Color.FromArgb(100, primaryColor))
        .Rounded(12))
    .Active(new StyleTemplate()
        .Scale(0.95f)
        .BackgroundColor(Color.FromArgb(150, primaryColor)))
    .Register();

// Usage
Paper.Box("SubmitBtn").Style("button");
Transitions placed in the base template apply to every state change. Put them in the base rather than in each state override so they fire in both directions (on enter and on leave).
You can also register style families manually via RegisterStyleFamily if you prefer to build the templates separately: 
gui.RegisterStyleFamily(
    baseName:     "card",
    baseStyle:    baseTemplate,
    hoveredStyle: hoveredTemplate,
    activeStyle:  activeTemplate);
Named pseudo-state styles follow the convention "name:hovered", "name:focused", and "name:active", which you can also register individually with RegisterStyle.

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