Tips for automatically displaying user text based on its natural direction

Looking for a way to properly display user inputted text in Unicode based on its general direction, rather than defaulting to left-to-right. An issue arises when dealing with Arabic text as shown below, where the English word (4th) is split apart:

اُردو کا بعض اوقات ہندی کے ساتھ موازنہ کیا جاتا ہے. اُردو اور ہندی میں بُنیادی فرق یہ ہے کہ اُردو نستعلیق رسم الخط میں لکھی جاتی ہے اور عربی و فارسی الفاظ استعمال کرتی ہے. جبکہ ہندی دیوناگری رسم الخط میں لکھی جاتی ہے اور سنسکرت الفاظ زیادہ استعمال کرتی ہے. کچھ ماہرینِ لسانیات اُردو اور ہندی کو ایک ہی زبان کی دو معیاری صورتیں گردانتے ہیں. تاہم، دوسرے اِن کو معاش اللسانی تفرّقات کی بنیاد پر الگ سمجھتے ہیں۔ بلکہ حقیقت یہ ہے کہ ہندی ، اُردو سے نکلی۔اسی طرح اگر اردو اور ھندی زبان کو ایک سمجھا جاۓ تو یہ دنیا کی چوتھی (4th) بڑی زبان ہے۔

Is there a method in CSS or HTML that can automatically adjust the text flow direction? I came across this article from W3C, which explains how to set text direction manually, but not an automatic solution.

Answer №1

The challenge arises from the fact that sometimes the bidirectional algorithm struggles to automatically detect the natural direction of text flow, requiring additional hints for accuracy. This issue is discussed in detail in Unicode controls vs. markup for bidi support.

The Unicode bidirectional algorithm utilizes the directional properties of each character to determine text directionality. However, there are instances where manual intervention is needed to correctly interpret objects within text containing a mix of Arabic or Hebrew characters with other scripts. At times, overriding the bidirectional algorithm's effect may be necessary.

To address this, you can manually enhance the text by inserting the U+202A ʟᴇғᴛ-ᴛᴏ-ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴇᴍʙᴇᴅᴅɪɴɢ and U+202C ᴘᴏᴘ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛᴛɪɴɡ characters as demonstrated below:

Occasionally, Urdu is compared with Hindi. The fundamental difference between Urdu and Hindi lies in the script used; Urdu is written in Nastaleeq calligraphy and incorporates Arabic and Persian words, whereas Hindi is written in Devanagari script and uses more Sanskrit words. Some linguists consider Urdu and Hindi two standardized forms of the same language. Nevertheless, others perceive them as distinct languages based on linguistic differences. Indeed, Hindi is distinct from Urdu. Similarly, if Urdu and Hindi were considered one language, it would rank as the world's fourth-largest language.

...‪(4th)‬...

Alternatively, HTML5 offers the <bdi> element, while HTML4 provides the option of using a <span>.

...<bdi dir="ltr">(4th)</bdi>...

...<span dir="ltr">(4th)</span>...

For further insights into the bidirectional algorithm, refer to What you need to know about the bidi algorithm and inline markup.

If the text originates from a user input, addressing such challenges may be limited. Treating it as faulty user input akin to a typo might be the most pragmatic approach.

Answer №2

This question may be tricky, but it is well-documented and deserves an upvote for that.

I encountered the same issue when I attempted this solution. I came across an article suggesting that using dojo could help with this problem. The link below seems to be mobile-based and might provide a good starting point for you.

Answer №3

Isn't it possible that the browser automatically switches between rtl and ltr based on the visitor's preference? I'm not completely certain about this, but it seems likely.

While this may not directly answer your question, you might find it interesting to know that in CSS3, there is a new value for the text-align property called start. According to W3C standards, this will align to the start edge of the line box. Therefore, if the visitor prefers rtl, it will align right and vice versa.

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