[OT] Poll: What does it mean for 1 rect to be 'within' a certain distance of another rect?

[Paul Dupuis]

Sean,

Thank you. I had Googles a few solutions (but missed this one: 
https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/2724537/finding-the-clear-spacing-distance-between-two-rectangles 
- which I really like so thanks!) but I say that some were solving for 
center distances and some for edges and some for other things, which is 
what in part led to my original questions of:

What is the most common way people think of the distance between 2 
rects? I suppost my question presumes there is a "most' common way or a 
'more' common way that some others of the many you mentioned.

 From my Googling and this poll, I am seeing a slight favorite of people 
most commonly thinking of the distance between rects as being between 
the nearest edges or vertices.

On 2/15/2021 6:21 PM, Sean Cole (Pi) via use-livecode wrote:
> Hi,
> No point reinventing the wheel..
>
> Lots of other way. Distance between two near or far edges. distance between
> corners, distance to centers, or area median, area of space between,
> overal usage area minus the area used by the two rectangles. Math is fun.
> Keeps us in business.
>
> Google (distance between two rectangles):
>
> https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4978323/how-to-calculate-distance-between-two-rectangles-context-a-game-in-lua
>
> https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/2724537/finding-the-clear-spacing-distance-between-two-rectangles
>
> https://www.wyzant.com/resources/answers/583373/finding-the-distance-between-two-rectangles
>
> https://www.programmersought.com/article/44554760896/
>
> etc
>
> On Mon, 15 Feb 2021 at 22:53, Paul Dupuis via use-livecode <
> use-livecode at lists.runrev.com> wrote:
>
>> This is an Off Topic informal poll of sorts, but related to LiveCode as
>> I am writing a LiveCode expression to determine if 2 arbitrary
>> rectangles (r1,r2) are with some distance d (in px) of one another. In
>> considering this problem, the questions comes up: What is meant by
>> rectangles being within a distance d of one another. What is the 'd'
>> measured from?
>>
>> center to center? Easiest is many ways, but I don't think this is what
>> most people would think of.
>>
>> adjacent edge to adjacent edge? This is harder (I think), but I think
>> this is what more people intuitively think of. To me, implicit in the
>> visual concept of 2 rects being within some distance of one another is
>> that they are NOT overlapping, but that some gap exists between the
>> nearest adjacent edges?
>>
>> Something else? What does 2 rects  being 'within' d pixels of one
>> another mean to you, if not one of the two above options?
>>
>> Maybe there is a exact mathematical definition of what 2 rectangles
>> being within distance d of one another is, but, if there is, I am
>> unfamiliar with it.
>>
>>
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