A 9-slice implementation for Phaser 3
npm install phaser3-nineslicenineslice.js in your project:
html
type="text/javascript"
src="https://github.com/jdotrjs/phaser3-nineslice/releases/download/v0.5.0/nineslice.min.js"
>
`
I used this method in the demo. The source is included in this
repository.
Getting the plugin:
npm and yarn

This is published under [phaser3-nineslice][npmjs] add can be added to your
project via:
`bash
npm:
npm install phaser3-nineslice --save
yarn:
yarn add phaser3-nineslice
`
[npmjs]: https://www.npmjs.com/package/phaser3-nineslice/
Usage
Once you've included the plugin through one of the methods above there are two
final steps to make use of it in your project:
$3
`javascript
// Assuming you use use ES6 imports...
import { Plugin as NineSlicePlugin } from 'phaser3-nineslice'
import { Scene1 } from './scene'
let phaserConfig = {
type: Phaser.AUTO,
parent: 'phaser-display',
backgroundColor: '0x9a9a9a',
width: 800,
height: 600,
plugins: {
global: [ NineSlicePlugin.DefaultCfg ],
},
scene: [ Scene1 ],
}
new Phaser.Game(phaserConfig)
`
You likely won't need to mess with it but, internally, DefaultCfg is
defined as { key: 'NineSlice', plugin: NineSlicePlugin, start: true } but any key
can be used if you need to change it.
$3
The easiest way to construct a new sliced object is to use the new
GameObjectFactory method (this.add.nineslice) or new GameObjectCreator
method (this.make.nineslice).
`javascript
create() {
this.dlg = this.add.nineslice(
110, 110, // this is the starting x/y location
340, 240, // the width and height of your object
'dlgLarge', // a key to an already loaded image
88, // the width and height to offset for a corner slice
24 // (optional) pixels to offset when computing the safe usage area
)
// ... additional scene creation code
}
`
Examining the resulting object added to your scene we can observe how the numbers
above are used.
!9-slice layout
The red lines are the slices that have been created out of the underlying
texture. The green rectangle is an area called the "safe usable area" which
represents the space that can be used to house content within this 9-slice
object. It's available as a Phaser.Geom.Retangle via .getUsableBounds
method on the 9 slice object. Whenever the object changes x/y position or
is resized an event NineSlice.EVENT.UPDATE_SAFE_BOUNDS is emitted;
[code ref][emitref].
[emitref]: ./src/NineSlice.js#L133
Spritesheets and Texture Atlases
The fifth paramater is used to specify the texture and can be provided as a
string to use a loaded texture or an object with the structure
`javascript
{
key: string,
frame: string | number,
}
`
if you would like to specify a frame within a spritesheet or atlas indicated
by key.
Non-uniform corner slices
If your texture doesn't have uniform corners you can define the width and height
offsets of each independently using a slightly more complicated format. The same
true for the safe usage area.
`javascript
this.dlg = this.add.nineslice(
110, 110, 340, 240, 'kenny',
[35, 15, 15, 15],
)
`
This results in the following texture slicing:
!9slice with non-uniform corner sizes
When an array is used it can be 1 to 4 elements and the values are assigned the
same way as when defining border offsets in CSS.
Array Length | Use | Explanation |
------------- | ---- | ----------- |
1 | [ topRightBottomLeft ] | The first (only) element is used as the value for all four sides
2 | [ topBottom, leftRight ] | The first element is used for the top and bottom, the second element is used as the for the left and right
3 | [ top, rightLeft, bottom ] | The first element is used for the top, second is used for the right and left, and the third element is used for the bottom
4 | [ top, right, bottom, left ] | Each element is assigned to a specific side
In addition to switching to an array to define the pixel offsets for the corners
our example also left out the safe area usage. In this case will be derived from
the four corner offsets as seen above by the green area. If an array is used
instead of a number it is expanded in the same way as
Resizing your 9 Slice
Directly setting the .width and .height attributes will cause scaling issues
([#1][iss1]). If you wish to change the object's size you should use .resize:
`javascript
this.dlg = this.add.nineslice(
110, 110, 340, 240, 'kenny',
[35, 15, 15, 15],
)
// ...
this.dlg.resize(400, 400)
`
If the call to resize would result in the safe area having an area of less than
0 or the corners to overlap then it will only reduce its size to that point.
[iss1]: https://github.com/jdotrjs/phaser3-nineslice/issues/1
Direct Configuration
In addition to the factory/creator methods you can construct a NineSlice directly:
`javascript
this.dlg = new NineSlice.NineSlice(
scene, // the parent scene of this objects
sliceConfig, // configures the source texture and layout of slice relative to it
positionConfig, // specifies location and dimensions of the constructed object
)
`
For details about the structure of the config objects referenced above see
NineSliceConfig and PositionConfig in types.js.
They may also be passed to .add and .make:
`javascript
this.make.nineslice(sliceConfig, positionConfig)
`
Summary
Valid arguments to .add.nineslice and .make.nineslice are:
`
Arguments =
| (NineSliceConfig, PositionConfig)
| (x: number,
y: number,
w: number,
h: number,
source: FrameSelection,
corner: OffsetConfig,
safeArea: OffsetConfig | null)
FrameSelection =
| key: string
| {
key: string,
frame: number | string,
}
OffsetConfig =
| number
| [topRightBottomLeft: number]
| [topBottom: number, rightLeft: number],
| [top: number, rightLeft: number, bottom: number],
| [top: number, right: number, bottom: number, left: number]
``