Can you (or @Stretch327) explain what this does as it relates to Xojo development, and why someone would want to use it? For one, I’m thinking this wouldn’t be very useful in a cross-platform project? So mainly for macOS-only (or iOS) projects?
Yes macOS or iOS only as Autolayout does not exist on Windows
Xojo would have to implement this as its not built in to Windows or Linux ui frameworks like it is on macOS & iOS
Xojo only supports autolayout & constraints on iOS
This lets you tap into the systems built in constraint solving engines to provide more dynamic sizing & positioning of layout elements
Constraints let you specific relationships between UI elements
With locking there are situations you cant handle with JUST locks
like keeping 3 buttons
- the same width
- consistently spaced across the window
when a window is resized
With autolayout & constraints this is simple
Interesting. I guess FileMaker can do element anchors on Mac and Windows since they don’t have those pesky native controls…
Yep!
FileMaker uses its own set of built-in controls—such as buttons, tab panels, sliders, and fields—that are designed to work consistently across platforms (Windows, macOS, iOS, and WebDirect). However, these controls are not always the same as the “native” controls provided by each operating system.
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FM doesnt do what autolayout does & probably has their own built in layout engine
Xojo uses the one built into iOS since it works with native controls
They could probably do the same for desktop in macOS even with non-native controls since they are all UIView based which is all thats really needed
But on Windows & Linux there isnt anything built in so Xojo would have to implement the entire layout engine etc
I seem to remember some XDC where they were looking at a cross-platform auto layout library. Don’t remember the details but I’m assuming that it wasn’t a viable option or was going to take a lot of work to get working on all targets.
Well, that makes the native discussion for Xojo coming back. No AutoLayout, no Liquid Glass…not so sure if they get it ready in time.
I am really happy, that I don’t have this problems at all. And I am more and more getting that this discussions provoked by Apple are a good way for them to show: we are the best. But at the end I have to live with the Software I get for the jobs. And I have no real chance to change this. For privat use: no question, I can vote what I want. For commercial use … it will come with the time.
I asked my Siemens colleague about their view on it, they say: apple customers can wait until we have time, before we will provide Windows updates, later then we will provide the same functionality on mac.
So I guess that is not the only company acting like this.
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FileMaker’s 90’s retro look is quite unique 
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It’s not that bad! you can make crap or art…
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Mac OS Platinum theme (Mac OS 8 & 9) is significantly more readable than today’s garbage. I will die on that hill. I’d much rather use Mac OS 9 than Tahoe.
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Oh it exists
Cassowary
But that is just the solver and not all of the other bits that need to be there to implement autolayout
App Wrapper can alter the SDK of a Xojo made application, it’s how I made the image of a Xojo made app with Liquid Glass.
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Oh I love Motif… didn’t I mentioned Geoworks earlier?
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I actually like the new design. But this is a matter of taste. And who could argue over matters of taste? 
True, one can still achieve things with Filemaker. Though now, in 2025, it is light years behind the level of usability that modern UI APIs achieve (think SwiftUI i.e.). And it has ugly performance bottlenecks one cannot work around.
same is valid for Access, Foxpro and everything else ancient legacy stuff… I stil remember Ashton Tates Framework from the 1980ies 
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access was low key bad for what people wanted to use it for from the start wasn’t it?
A shame because better sales strategy and a few restrictions (that i normally hate) could have made it less hated.
Who can forget Ashton Tates DBase framework??? Nobody. It is legendary.
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I did a webinar with Xojo in the summer of 2023 about the state of Xojo constraints and the design decisions (and omissions) that caused them to be somewhat troublesome to use in Xojo. ConstraintKit allows you to take control away from Xojos implementation and use them the way Apple intended, including Apple’s newer implementation of Anchors which are quite a bit easier to understand than the raw constraints.
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