code: def area(self, by_spec=False):
          
          if not isinstance(self.ref_cell, Cell):
              return dict() if by_spec else 0
          if self.magnification is None:
              return self.ref_cell.area(by_spec)
          else:
              if by_spec:
                  factor = self.magnification**2
                  cell_area = self.ref_cell.area(True)
                  for kk in cell_area.keys():
                      cell_area[kk] *= factor
                  return cell_area
              else:
                  return self.ref_cell.area() * self.magnification**2
docs: Calculate the total area of the referenced cell with the
          magnification factor included.
  
          Parameters
          ----------
          by_spec : bool
              If ``True``, the return value is a dictionary with the areas
              of each individual pair (layer, datatype).
  
          Returns
          -------
          out : number, dictionary
              Area of this cell.