VerticalLayoutGroup

VerticalLayoutGroup is a component in the Unity game engine's UI system, specifically within the RectTransform system. Its primary purpose is to arrange child RectTransforms vertically. When added to a GameObject with a RectTransform, it automatically positions and sizes its direct children.

The VerticalLayoutGroup component automatically manages the vertical spacing and alignment of its child elements. It offers several properties to customize this behavior. Padding can be applied to the top, bottom, left, and right edges of the group itself, affecting the space between the group's border and its children. Spacing defines the gap between individual child elements.

Control over child alignment is also provided. This allows developers to specify how children should be aligned within the vertical space allocated to them. For example, children can be aligned to the top, middle, or bottom of their respective areas.

Another key feature is the ability to control how children resize. Options exist to force children to stretch to fill the available width or height, or to maintain their own preferred sizes. This component is essential for creating dynamic and responsive UIs where elements need to be neatly stacked and adjusted based on screen size or content changes. It works in conjunction with other layout components like HorizontalLayoutGroup and GridLayoutGroup for more complex UI arrangements.