Splitting String based on output dimensions

Thrawler

Hey Coders,

Hopefully I can get some help. I have a page that asks a user to input content, but the issue I'm stuck on is how can I have PHP take the string, split it up into multiple variables length of which would be based on an output dimension.

So for example, I have a box that is 500x500 and I want php to take the user content and split it to fit multiple 500x500 boxes.

strlen and substr will not do what I need it to do as the content could have line breaks in it.

So right now I have

	$page = substr($content, 0, strrpos(substr($content, 0, 675), ' '));
	echo nl2br($page,false);

Which will split the content at the 675 character, but also keeping the word (instead of just splitting it).

That works for just the word/character count, but when the user starts to introduce line breaks, and paragraphing it won't fit properly into the widgets.

So instead of doing a word/character count is it possible to do a string split based on the output dimension size?

The widgets themselves will never change size but the content being placed into them will change when it comes to formatting.

So does anyone have any ideas on how I can accomplish this?

johanafm

Short answer for server side is: Not possible.

Long answer: You'd need to perform a lot of computations to calculate the final output dimensions, which involves tracking every sinlge style rule that has been applied to the current element(s) in question. And knowing what the default styles are in whatever particular browser used by the user (or knowing that these can be disregarded by first applying CSS-normalization stylesheet.

Still, getting all these things right… I'd rather not.

On the other hand, since you're now only dealing with presentation, why not keep the code involved to where data is presented: the browser.

The basic principle will be rather simple. How hairy it gets depends on how complicated splitting you intend to do.

1. keep creating container elements with proper css class(es) and store them in a result array
2. Keep adding content elements to the last created container element while&#8230;
2.1 checking said container element's scrollheight and outerHeight values
2.1.a If "too much content" occurs, remove the last added content element
3. if more content elements remain -> 1.

And you'd modify 2.1.a to accomodate any other "splitting scheme" you'd want in reality. Such as splitting content-elements in two rather than moving the entire content element into a new container.

Thrawler

Splitting shouldn't be complicated at all, I originally thought this project was going to be simple and not overly complicated. What you're saying sounds a lot more complicated than I had expected. Can I PM you a picture to give you a better idea as to what I'm attempting to do? maybe that'll help you provide me with a bit more direction.

Thrawler

I can't edit the above post and I'm not at my PC to test this, but maybe someone can give me a yes or no if this will work.

Can I link the CSS I'm using for the HTML file that everything will be posted to.

Can I do a return command that'll use the CSS and check for Vertical Scroll Bars, if there is, do a substr -1 until there is none.

Would something like this work?

I apologize I'm just learning PHP

cretaceous

Do what Johanafm said - there's probably already a JQuery tool to do something like this. Sounds not unlike the principle involved in getting text to run from one column to the next like a newspaper.

johanafm

Thrawler;11034449 wrote:
I apologize I'm just learning PHP

Once again: not PHP - javascript! Else you will never get this particular feature done…

sneakyimp

What's wrong with enforcing dimensions on your output object using CSS?