[Resolved] Limit characters nicely

[zzz]

Hi,

I'm using the function (below) that allows me to lomit number of characters in a string of test. The problem now is that it cuts the line whenever string meets it's limit with .... It's OK, but sometimes it just chops in the mid word. How can it be modified to put ... after a word's end?

function limit_char($str, $len) { 
    if (strlen($str) > $len) 
        return substr($str, 0, $len) . "..."; 
    else 
        return $str; 
}

[travelbuff]

This is a lot of steps but should work:
use explode() to convert the sting into an array and then array_pop() or array_slice() to change the length, then implode() it back into a string.

[travelbuff]

On second thought, preg_split() would be much more efficient.

[mtmosier]

For other options I'd suggest reading through this thread. It's not exactly the same problem but it's close.

[zzz]

Originally posted by mtmosier
For other options I'd suggest reading through this thread. It's not exactly the same problem but it's close.

It's a great string indeed, but it's an open brain surgery. I'm just premed...

I suppose I need to tweak my (borrowed) function where I count the maximum number or chars like I do it now, then, instead of cutting it off with ... start looking back for a space ' ' between the words and put ... there. I think I got that right, but have no idea how to get there yet...

[mtmosier]

Well, to search backwards you can use strrpos, probably after a substr.

[tekky]

something like...

function limit_char_at_break($str, $len) { 
  if (strlen($str) > $len)
  { 
    $tmp = substr($str,$len,1);
    if (substr($tmp,-1) == ' ')
      return $tmp . "..."; 
    else //edited to clean up uneeded brackets
      for($i=1;$i<$len,$i++) //may need to start at 0 but I'm thinking 1 is right)
        if (substr($tmp,-1*$i,1) == ' ')
          return substr($tmp,0,$len-$i);
  else 
        return $str; 
}

I think that would work....

take 'abc def' as an example
limit_char_at_break('abc def', 5);

first $tmp -1 check = FALSE so we goto the for loop
$i = 1
substr('abc d',-11,1) == d so loop again
substr('abc d',-12,1) == ' ' so return substr('abc d',0,5-2) == 'abc'

[zzz]

I thought it would work for sure, but ... it didn't.

function limit_char($str, $len) {
	if (strlen($str) > $len)
	  $tmp = substr($str,$len,1);
	  if (substr($tmp,-1) == ' ')
	    return $tmp . "...";  

	  else //edited to clean up uneeded brackets 
	    for($i=1;$i<$len,$i++; ) //may need to start at 0 but I'm thinking 1 is right) 
	      if (substr($tmp,-1*$i,1) == ' ') 
	        return substr($tmp,0,$len-$i); 
	else  

	      return $str;  

}

By the way I removed { on line 3 and added ; in

for($i=1;$i<$len,$i++) 

because I was getting an error.

I have a feeling we're very close here!

[pohopo]

This should do what you need. If your string is too long it will cut at the first space it sees after your length limit...

function limit_char($str, $len) { 
    if (strlen($str) > $len) 
        return substr($str, 0, strpos($str," ",$len)) . "..."; 
    else 
        return $str; 
}

[tekky]

thats because I forgot a } and you made it worse by removing the { 😉

function limit_char($str, $len) {
	if (strlen($str) > $len)
                { //you removed
	  $tmp = substr($str,$len,1);
	  if (substr($tmp,-1) == ' ')
	    return $tmp . "...";  

	  else //edited to clean up uneeded brackets 
	    for($i=1;$i<$len,$i++; ) //may need to start at 0 but I'm thinking 1 is right) 
	      if (substr($tmp,-1*$i,1) == ' ') 
	        return substr($tmp,0,$len-$i); 
                } //i forgot
	else  

	      return $str;  

}

[tekky]

using this function will work, but in an aggregate way, which he doesnt appear to want based off his description....

ie.

$str = 'abc def ghi';
echo find_char($str,5);

would yield 'abc def' not 'abc' like he wanted

Originally posted by pohopo
This should do what you need. If your string is too long it will cut at the first space it sees after your length limit...

function limit_char($str, $len) { 
    if (strlen($str) > $len) 
        return substr($str, 0, strpos($str," ",$len)) . "..."; 
    else 
        return $str; 
}

[/B]

[pohopo]

he can use strrpos which will find the last space withen the length limit. for this to work you would need to have an if/else to see if any space exists, if not then just show the first word.

[zzz]

OK, I suppose I need to clarify what I need.

I have long line of text. Say I need to limit it no more then 50 chars. I want it to get to my limit and find a space between words to cut it off and put .... Now, it's fine with me if there is a small deviation. Let's say I have a break between word after char 53. And the word preceding that break is really long. Instead of drastically shrtening this line it is OK to put ... after char53, but i'm afraid this is a whole new layer of code.

I've tried both codes:

function limit_char($str, $len) {  

    if (strlen($str) > $len)  

        return substr($str, 0, strpos($str," ",$len)) . "...";  

    else  

        return $str;  

}

Worked well, but on one line abbreaviated it entirely to ....

function limit_char($str, $len) { 
    if (strlen($str) > $len) 
                { //you removed 
      $tmp = substr($str,$len,1); 
      if (substr($tmp,-1) == ' ') 
        return $tmp . "...";   

      else //edited to clean up uneeded brackets 
        for($i=1;$i<$len,$i++; ) //may need to start at 0 but I'm thinking 1 is right) 
          if (substr($tmp,-1*$i,1) == ' ')  

            return substr($tmp,0,$len-$i);  

                } //i forgot 
    else   

          return $str;   

}

For some reason hangs my entire page and then loads the following error:

Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded in page.php on line 39

Line 39 is:

if (substr($tmp,-1*$i,1) == ' ')

[zzz]

last space within limit will do... How will it look with if/else?

[tekky]

this should return (atleast it appears to) the closest string to the length specified w/o breaking words (it will either remove a word or add a word to get the closest to the desired length regardless of if its +/- that length)

<?php
function limit_char($str,$len)
{
	//this will always return the first word at minimum
	$arr = explode(' ', $str);
	$cnt = count($arr);
	$return = '';
	if ($len > strlen($str)) //if len is longer then str return full str
		return(trim($str));
	if (substr($str,$len,1) == ' ' || substr($str,$len+1,1) == ' ') //simple check to see if len is at or just before a space
		return(trim(substr($str,0,$len+1)) . '...');
	//we dont do the opposite check for just after a space due to short words following the break
	for($i=0;$i<$cnt;$i++)
	{
		if ($i > 0)
		{
			$wlen = strlen($arr[$i]); //current word len
			$rlen = strlen($return); //current return string length + 1 space
			if (($wlen+$rlen) > $len) //next word puts us over the limit
				if ($len - $rlen < $rlen+$wlen-$len) //if current return closer to len then return+ next word..
					return(trim($return) . '...');
				else //adding next word will be closer to len then the current return value
					return($return . $arr[$i] . '...');
			else
				$return .= $arr[$i] . ' '; //next word still under len, add it
			next;
		}
		else
		{
			$return .= $arr[$i] . ' ';
		}
		if (strlen($return) == $len || strlen($return) > $len) //see if first word puts us at or above the limit
			return(trim($return) . '...');
	}
}
echo 'strlen=32<br />';
for($j=0;$j<32;$j++)
	echo "len=$j " . limit_char('abc def ghi jklmno pqr stu vwxyz',$j) . '<br />';
?>

[zzz]

Wow.

This looks like a bullet-proof design! My concern however with the size of the function. Say I have 100 results per page drawn dynamically from a db via a while loop. Won't it slow me down dramatically if I decide to parse each line through this code?

Just a thought, I haven't tried it yet. Thanks for the great ideas.

[tekky]

no idea, give it a try and time it 😉

[zzz]

Well, what do you know, it worked pretty darn good without seemingly slowing anything.

Now, I noticed another issue: it doesn't ignore strings that are shorter then specified limit.

Is there a way of setting upper limit, perhaps? The point of using this fuction for me to avoid wrapping of the line.

[tekky]

Originally posted by zzz
Well, what do you know, it worked pretty darn good without seemingly slowing anything.

Now, I noticed another issue: it doesn't ignore strings that are shorter then specified limit.

Is there a way of setting upper limit, perhaps? The point of using this fuction for me to avoid wrapping of the line.

great to hear, and do you mean ignore as in just completely scrap the line, return nothing?

  if ($len > strlen($str)) //if len is longer then str return full str 
        return(trim($str).'...'); 

that right there says if char_limit('short string', 25); return 'short string...'

if thats now how you want shorter then $len handled, just modify that one line there 😉

[zzz]

It did return short line but appended ...

For example I had a line that only have a one word:

Example.

After running it through the function I got

Example....