BackgroundPattern

The **backgroundPattern** specifies the pattern used to draw an object's background.Syntax:

```
set the backgroundPattern of <object> to {<patternNumber> | <imageID> | empty}

```

Examples:

```
set the backgroundPattern of this card to 544

```

```
set the backgroundPattern of me to the ID of image "Fill"

```

Use the **backgroundPattern** property to specify the pattern used for
the background on which an image appears, or the pattern used to draw
an object(glossary).

Pattern images can be color or black-and-white.

```
To be used as a pattern on Mac OS
systems, an image must be 128x128 pixels or less, and both its

```

height and width must be a power of 2, however, in LiveCode
version 2.7, this restriction was partially lifted and the engine will
tile rectangular regions correctly with arbitrarily sized background
patterns.To be used on Windows and Unix systems, height and
width must be divisible by 8. To be used as a fully cross-platform
pattern, both an image's dimensions should be one of 8, 16, 32, 64, or

The **backgroundPattern** of controls is drawn starting
at the control's upper left corner: if the
control(keyword) is moved, the pattern does not shift.

Setting the **backgroundPattern** of an object(glossary) to empty allows
the **backgroundPattern** of the object's owner to show through. Use the
effective keyword to find out what pattern is used for the
object(glossary), even if its own **backgroundPattern** is empty.

The setting of the **backgroundPattern** property has different effects,
depending on the object type:

* The **backgroundPattern** of a stack or card fills the entire [[stack

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 window]], as well as determining the **backgroundPattern** of each
 object(glossary) in the stack or card that does not have its own
 **backgroundPattern**.

```

```
On Mac OS, OS X, and Windows
systems, if the backgroundColor and **backgroundPattern** of all

```

objects in the object hierarchy is empty, the background
set by the system is used.

* The **backgroundPattern** of a group determines the

```
 **backgroundPattern** of each object(glossary) in the group that
 does not have its own **backgroundPattern**.

```

* The **backgroundPattern** of a button(keyword) fills the area inside

```
 the button's outline. If the button's style is
 "checkbox", the **backgroundPattern** fills the checkbox. If the
 button's style is "radioButton", the
 **backgroundPattern** has no effect. If the button(keyword) is a
 tabbed button, the **backgroundPattern** fills the tab area and the
 frontmost tab, but does not affect the other tabs.

```

```
If the lookAndFeel is set to

```

"Appearance Manager", standard and rectangle buttons
are drawn by the operating system if the backgroundColor and
**backgroundPattern** of the button(keyword) is empty. Otherwise, the
button(keyword) is drawn by LiveCode. If the lookAndFeel is
"Appearance Manager", button menus whose menuMode is
set to "option" or "comboBox" are always drawn by the operating
system, and the setting of the **backgroundPattern** does not affect
them.

* The **backgroundPattern** of a field(keyword) fills the area inside

```
 the field's outline and (if the field(keyword) is a
 scrolling field(keyword)) the arrow boxes at the ends of the
 scrollbar. If you set the **backgroundPattern** of a chunk of a
 field(keyword) (on Unix systems), only that chunk is affected.

```

* The **backgroundPattern** of a scrollbar fills the arrow boxes at the

```
 ends of the scrollbar.

```

* The **backgroundPattern** of a graphic(keyword) is displayed inside

```
 the graphic's border if the
 graphic's fill property is true. If the
 graphic's fill is false, the setting of the
 **backgroundPattern** has no effect.

```

* The **backgroundPattern** of an EPS object fills the

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 object's rectangle.

```

* The **backgroundPattern** of an image, audio clip, video clip, or

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 player has no effect.

```

If an object's **backgroundPattern** is set, the pattern is shown instead
of the color specified by backgroundColor.

Changes:
The ability to use the system background pattern was introduced in
version 1.1. In previous versions, if the backgroundColor and
backgroundPattern of all objects in the object hierarchy was empty, a
light gray color was used.

See also: graphic (object),button (object),field (object),stack (object),control (object),metal (property),pixels (property),opaque (property),patterns (property),width (property),height (property),style (property),**backgroundPattern** (property),lookAndFeel (property),menuMode (property),foregroundPattern (property),backgroundColor (property),owner (property),shadowPattern (property),