Manually controlling line breaks in HTML text

When collaborating with designers, they often have strong opinions about word wrapping in the final HTML page. If I am working on a fixed layout (non-responsive) and the designer is not satisfied with how the text wraps, there are several options available:

  • Adjust the padding-right
  • Insert manual line breaks using <br>
  • Add non-breaking spaces using &nbsp; to prevent breaking lines (especially for orphan control)

In my situation, I am designing for a specific mobile device so I have knowledge of the screen size and ability to manipulate fonts. Meeting the satisfaction of the designers is crucial.

A recurring problem arises when the text or layout is updated later on, and remnants of the previous word wrap concerns cause issues that require fixing.

I am seeking suggestions for a strategy that:

  1. Allows for complete and specific control over word wrapping as needed;
  2. Does not complicate maintenance in the future

I am open to procedural, algorithmic (JavaScript), or CSS-based recommendations to address this challenge.

javascripthtmlcssword-wrap

Answer №1

My chosen strategy is revealed here and only time will unveil its maintainability.

  1. Leave the text content untouched
  2. Enhance wrapping by applying CSS classes that alter the text flow without using attributes like width or padding which are already controlling layout

Specifically:

.tighten {
    letter-spacing: -0.011em;
}
.loosen {
    letter-spacing: 0.011em;
}
.hyphenate {
    -webkit-hyphens: auto;
    -webkit-hyphenate-limit-after: 4;
    -webkit-hyphenate-limit-before: 4;
}

These subtle changes in spacing can significantly impact wrap. I have multiple variations of these classes to adjust spacing as needed for better wrapping.

In extreme cases, I utilize the hyphenate class (specifically targeting iOS).

In future updates, when modifying text within a div, simply remove the tighten, loosen, or hyphenate class from that div to check for any wrap issues. If problems persist, the trial-and-error process of determining the best class for optimal appearance begins again.

Answer №2

Employ the <pre> element to incorporate preformatted text.

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

Use the slide bar to adjust the Angular filter value

I am diving into my very first AngularJS project and I must admit, I have zero experience with Angular. On my HTML page, I have implemented a slider bar with two handles to set a minimum and maximum value. Here is the snippet of code where this functionali ...

javascriptangularjsfilter

JavaScript is failing to execute the DELETE SQL transaction

I've been attempting to clear out my html5 local sql database, but for some reason, it's not working as expected. Below is the code I'm using, and no matter what I try, the alert always shows that the length is greater than 0. Any ideas why ...

javascriptsqlhtml

Having trouble getting a value from a textbox to PHP using jQuery - can anyone lend a hand?

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.5b1.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jqueryui/1.8.7/jquery-ui.min.js"></script> <input type="text" id= ...

phpjavascriptjqueryajax

React slick does not display arrows when there are 4 or more photos

I am facing an issue where the next and previous arrows are not appearing when I have 4 or more photos on react-slick. However, they show up fine when there are 3 or fewer photos. You can view my code at this link: https://codesandbox.io/s/wyyrl6zz3l ...

javascriptreactjssliderreact-slick

The comparison between "rxjs-tslint" and "rxjs-tslint-rules" npm packages

Previously, I utilized the rxjs-tslint-rules package to identify RxJS-related issues in my projects. This package was included in the devDependencies section of my projects' package.json files. Now, there is a new rxjs-tslint package that introduces ...

javascriptangulartypescriptrxjstslint

Iterating through textboxes and buttons to trigger actions in JavaScript

Having an issue with JavaScript (or jQuery) where I can successfully input text and click a button on a page using the following script: document.getElementsByName('code')[0].value='ads0mx0'; document.getElementsByName('event&a ...

javascriptjqueryhtml

I am currently facing an issue where the code provided in the Puppeteer documentation is not functioning correctly due to an Un

I followed the code example on the Puppeteer documentation website but unfortunately, it's not working for me. I have Puppeteer 3.0.0 installed via npm. const puppeteer = require('puppeteer'); (async () => { const browser = await pup ...

javascriptnpmpuppeteer

Using Jquery and css to toggle and display active menu when clicked

I am trying to create a jQuery dropdown menu similar to the Facebook notification menu. However, I am encountering an issue with the JavaScript code. Here is my JSFiddle example. The problem arises when I click on the menu; it opens with an icon, similar ...

javascriptjqueryhtmlcss

What is the best way to extract data from a table and transmit it to the server using AngularJS?

I'm attempting to extract all the content from a table in HTML. Is it possible to retrieve all rows from one side and send them in a post request to the server? I've been struggling to figure out how to do this. Do I need to bind each row using n ...

javascriptjsonangularjs

Implementing a pop-up notification at the center of the display for empty fields

I am currently working on a task that requires me to display a pop-up message at the top-middle of the screen stating "please fill in all fields before submitting". This custom box should be stylable using CSS. Although the solution seems simple, I am str ...

javascripthtmlcsspopupwindow

Utilizing conditional statements like if/else and for loops within a switch statement in JavaScript allows for

I am currently developing a request portal that involves dynamic checkboxes, labels, and textboxes that are dependent on an option list. As a beginner in javascript, I am facing challenges with creating conditional statements. I have managed to make progr ...

javascriptjqueryhtmlcssswitch-statement

Ways to customize CSS styles for a single page?

<head> <link href="index.css" rel="stylesheet"> <style> #amor_di_mundo{ color:#ffffff; } </style> </head> <body> <div id='divL'> <div id='amor_di_mundo'>Amor di Mundo</div> <di ...

htmlcss

Address properties that are undefined before they cause an error

Is there a smart way to manage undefined properties and/or identifiers on an object before they result in failure/returning undefined? Can we intercept access to a non-defined property and address it without resorting to try/catch blocks? var myObj = { ...

javascriptevent-handling

Position the image in the exact center both vertically and horizontally

I am trying to center a list of images both vertically and horizontally within their respective li. I want to achieve this using jQuery. How can I align the images in the center of each li element both horizontally and vertically? You can view a demo at c ...

jqueryhtmlcss

The way an event can be outrun or vanish due to another event

let bar = new function(){ $scope.MessageSpan="Item added successfully";} When the Add button is clicked, the above function is invoked. However, if I want to hide this message when any other button is clicked, I would have to update the span text for all ...

javascriptangularjs

Transforming a text file into an array using fs in Node.js

My text file contains the following: {"date":"2013/06/26","statement":"insert","nombre":1} {"date":"2013/06/26","statement":"insert","nombre":1} {"date":"2013/06/26","statement":"select","nombre":4} Is there a way to convert the text file contents ...

javascriptnode.js

develop a real-time website availability tracker using Node.js

I am interested in developing an uptime monitor using NodeJS and MongoDB. The plan is to set up a cron job in NodeJS that will collect data and store it in MongoDB. Specifically, if the response status code of a website is not equal to 200, then that infor ...

javascriptnode.jsmongodbmongoose

Show User-Specific Information Using DataTable

After conducting extensive research, I have been unable to find a suitable example to reference. My goal is to customize my DataTable so that it only displays data relevant to the currently logged-in user (admin accounts will have access to all data). I am ...

javascriptjqueryasp.net-mvcdatatables

Ways to format the direct descendant of a multi-level list?

Check out my nested ul list: <ul> <li> <a href="/"></a> </li> <li> <a href="/"> </a> &l ...

htmlcsssassscss-mixins

Positioning children within a div element

Howdy! I have a neat little setup with two divs stacked on top of each other, each containing child elements. My goal is to hide the first div and have the second div seamlessly take its place while keeping the child elements in their original position. C ...

css