Template:Nowrap begin/doc

Template page

This template prevents word wraps (line breaks) in text and links with spaces in. It is designed to handle the really tricky wrapping cases where you need full control. It works similarly to {{nowrap}} and {{nowraplinks}}. This template takes no parameters; instead, it works in tandem with {{nowrap end}}.

Helper templates

This template has a number of helper templates which allows you to tell the web browser exactly where line breaks may occur:

Note: These helper templates may only be used in sections surrounded by {{nowrap begin}} and {{nowrap end}} or they may cause weird behaviour of your page.

  • {{wrap}} – Marks where a wrap may occur.

Usage

{{nowrap begin}}

[[Salt]] and{{wrap}} [[Pepper]] and{{wrap}} [[Curry]]
and{{wrap}} [[Saffron]].{{wrap}}
[[Salt]] and{{wrap}} [[Pepper]] and{{wrap}} [[Curry]]
and{{wrap}} [[Saffron]].

{{nowrap end}}

It will render something like this:

Salt and Pepper and Curry and
Saffron. Salt and Pepper and
Curry and Saffron.

But it will not render like this:

Salt and Pepper and Curry
and Saffron. Salt and Pepper
and Curry and Saffron.

To make your code readable and easy to edit, you can put each wrappable "line" on its own line. And let's use some dots too. Like this:

{{nowrap begin}}

[[Salt]] and [[Pepper]]{{·}}{{wrap}}
[[Pepper]] and [[Curry]]{{·}}{{wrap}}
[[Curry]] and [[Saffron]]{{·}}{{wrap}}
[[Saffron]] and [[Salt]]

{{nowrap end}}

It will render something like this:

Salt and Pepper · Pepper and Curry ·
Curry and Saffron · Saffron and Salt

But it will not render like this:

Salt and Pepper · Pepper
and Curry · Curry and Saffron
· Saffron and Salt

Examples

Here are the above examples in actual running code in a table. Try dragging the width of your web browser window so it becomes smaller and smaller and watch how the line wrapping behaves:

Salt and Pepper and Curry and Saffron. Salt and Pepper and Curry and Saffron.

Salt and Pepper · Pepper and Curry · Curry and Saffron · Saffron and Salt

An example demonstrating all the helper templates:

Salt Pepper Curry · Saffron · Salt • Pepper • Curry – Saffron – Salt | Pepper | Curry · Saffron · Salt

Salt Pepper Curry · Saffron · Salt • Pepper • Curry – Saffron – Salt | Pepper | Curry · Saffron · Salt

Technical details

The actual code that does the job is this HTML+CSS code:

<span class="nowrap"> Text and links <span class="wrap"> </span> More text and links </span>

{{·}} and the other helper templates should not have any spaces or newlines before them or they will render two spaces before the dot. They tolerate anything from no to several spaces and even a newline after them and they will still only render one space after the dot. If a wrap occurs then the wrap will come after the dot, even if there are spaces before the helper template.

The {{·}} causes problems if inside sections of bolded and/or italicised text. Do end the bold text before the {{·}} and continue the bold text after it to avoid the problems. {{}} and the other helper templates only have this problem if the section is bolded and italicised at the same time.

See also

  • {{nowrap}} prevents wrapping within a single template (i.e. not suitable for relatively complex or lengthy content).
  • {{nowraplinks}} ... {{nowraplinks end}} prevents wraps inside links while allowing wraps between links and in normal text. Very useful for link lists and easy to use.
  • {{nowrap begin}} ... {{nowrap end}} prevents wraps in both text and links. For the trickier wrapping cases when you need full control, for instance in very complex link lists.
  • {{word joiner}} prevents wraps for both two adjacent characters.
  • {{avoid wrap}} prevents wraps unless the space is too narrow to display the text on one line.
    • {{inline block}} does the same and allows further style customization, but does not automatically add the "avoidwrap" CSS class.
  • {{spaces}} produces multiple non-breaking spaces (or a single one).
  • {{wrap}} can be used to provide a (brief) exception within a no-wrapping area.
    • {{normalwraplink}} allows links to wrap when they otherwise would not.
  • {{·}} and {{•}}, spaced and wrap-sensitive interpunct (dot) and bullet.
  • Help:Line-break handling, OODA WIKI's how-to guide about word wrapping and line breaks.
    • In particular, to avoid line wrapping when quoting a passage such as a poem or computer code, see Template:Quote § Line breaks – e.g. Template:Blockquote with "poem" tag.