html5-canvas Text Justified text

Example

This example renders justified text. It adds extra functionality to the CanvasRenderingContext2D by extending its prototype or as a global object justifiedText (optional see Note A).

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Example rendering.

_{Code to render this image is in the usage examples at the bottom.}

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The Example

The function as a anonymous immediately invoked function.

(function(){
    const FILL = 0;        // const to indicate filltext render
    const STROKE = 1;
    const MEASURE = 2;
    var renderType = FILL; // used internal to set fill or stroke text
    
    var maxSpaceSize = 3; // Multiplier for max space size. If greater then no justificatoin applied
    var minSpaceSize = 0.5; // Multiplier for minimum space size
    var renderTextJustified = function(ctx,text,x,y,width){
        var words, wordsWidth, count, spaces, spaceWidth, adjSpace, renderer, i, textAlign, useSize, totalWidth;
        textAlign = ctx.textAlign; // get current align settings
        ctx.textAlign = "left";
        wordsWidth = 0;
        words = text.split(" ").map(word => {
            var w = ctx.measureText(word).width;                
            wordsWidth += w;
            return {
                width : w,
                word : word,
            };
        });
        // count = num words, spaces = number spaces, spaceWidth normal space size
        // adjSpace new space size >= min size. useSize Resulting space size used to render
        count = words.length;
        spaces = count - 1;
        spaceWidth = ctx.measureText(" ").width;
        adjSpace = Math.max(spaceWidth * minSpaceSize, (width - wordsWidth) / spaces);
        useSize = adjSpace > spaceWidth * maxSpaceSize ? spaceWidth : adjSpace;
        totalWidth = wordsWidth + useSize * spaces
        if(renderType === MEASURE){ // if measuring return size
            ctx.textAlign = textAlign;
            return totalWidth;
        }
        renderer = renderType === FILL ? ctx.fillText.bind(ctx) : ctx.strokeText.bind(ctx); // fill or stroke
        switch(textAlign){
            case "right":
                x -= totalWidth;
                break;
            case "end":
                x += width - totalWidth;
                break;
            case "center": // intentional fall through to default
                x -= totalWidth / 2;                     
            default:
        }
        if(useSize === spaceWidth){ // if space size unchanged
            renderer(text,x,y);
        } else {
            for(i = 0; i < count; i += 1){
                renderer(words[i].word,x,y);
                x += words[i].width;
                x += useSize;
            }
        }
        ctx.textAlign = textAlign;
    }
    // Parse vet and set settings object.
    var justifiedTextSettings = function(settings){
        var min,max;
        var vetNumber = (num, defaultNum) => {
            num = num !== null && num !== null && !isNaN(num) ? num : defaultNum;
            if(num < 0){
                num = defaultNum;
            }
            return num;
        }
        if(settings === undefined || settings === null){
            return;
        }
        max = vetNumber(settings.maxSpaceSize, maxSpaceSize);
        min = vetNumber(settings.minSpaceSize, minSpaceSize);
        if(min > max){
            return;
        }
        minSpaceSize = min;
        maxSpaceSize = max;
    }
    // define fill text
    var fillJustifyText = function(text, x, y, width, settings){
        justifiedTextSettings(settings);
        renderType = FILL;
        renderTextJustified(this, text, x, y, width);
    }
    // define stroke text
    var strokeJustifyText = function(text, x, y, width, settings){
        justifiedTextSettings(settings);
        renderType = STROKE;
        renderTextJustified(this, text, x, y, width);
    }
    // define measure text
    var measureJustifiedText = function(text, width, settings){
        justifiedTextSettings(settings);
        renderType = MEASURE;
        return renderTextJustified(this, text, 0, 0, width);
    }
    // code point A
    // set the prototypes
    CanvasRenderingContext2D.prototype.fillJustifyText = fillJustifyText;
    CanvasRenderingContext2D.prototype.strokeJustifyText = strokeJustifyText;
    CanvasRenderingContext2D.prototype.measureJustifiedText = measureJustifiedText;  
    // code point B
    
    // optional code if you do not wish to extend the CanvasRenderingContext2D prototype
    /* Uncomment from here to the closing comment
    window.justifiedText = {
        fill : function(ctx, text, x, y, width, settings){
            justifiedTextSettings(settings);
            renderType = FILL;
            renderTextJustified(ctx, text, x, y, width);
        },
        stroke : function(ctx, text, x, y, width, settings){
            justifiedTextSettings(settings);
            renderType = STROKE;
            renderTextJustified(ctx, text, x, y, width);
        },
        measure : function(ctx, text, width, settings){
            justifiedTextSettings(settings);
            renderType = MEASURE;
            return renderTextJustified(ctx, text, 0, 0, width);
        }
    }
    to here*/
})();

Note A: If you do not wish to extend the CanvasRenderingContext2D prototype Remove from the example all code between // code point A and // code point B and uncomment the code marked /* Uncomment from here to the closing comment

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How to use

Three functions are added to the CanvasRenderingContext2D and are available to all 2D context objects created.

• ctx.fillJustifyText( text, x, y, width, [settings]);
• ctx.strokeJustifyText( text, x, y, width, [settings]);
• ctx.measureJustifiedText( text, width, [settings]);

Fill and stroke text function fill or stroke text and use the same arguments. measureJustifiedText will return the actual width that text would be rendered at. This may be equal, less, or greater than the argument width depending on current settings.

Note: Arguments inside [ and ] are optional.

Function arguments

• text: String containing the text to be rendered.

• x, y: Coordinates to render the text at.

• width: Width of the justified text. Text will increase/decrease spaces between words to fit the width. If the space between words is greater than maxSpaceSize (default = 6) times normal spacing will be used and the text will not fill the required width. If the spacing is less than minSpaceSize (default = 0.5) time normal spacing then the min space size is used and the text will overrun the width requested

• settings: Optional. Object containing min and max space sizes.

The settings argument is optional and if not included text rendering will use the last setting defined or the default (shown below).

Both min and max are the min and max sizes for the [space] character separating words. The default maxSpaceSize = 6 means that when the space between characters is > 63 * ctx.measureText(" ").width text will not be justified. If text to be justified has spaces less than minSpaceSize = 0.5 (default value 0.5) * ctx.measureText(" ").width the spacing will be set to minSpaceSize * ctx.measureText(" ").width and the resulting text will overrun the justifying width.

The following rules are applied, min and max must be numbers. If not then the associate values will not be changed. If minSpaceSize is larger than maxSpaceSize both input setting are invalid and min max will not be changed.

Example setting object with defaults

settings = { 
    maxSpaceSize : 6;   // Multiplier for max space size. 
    minSpaceSize : 0.5; // Multiplier for minimum space size
};

NOTE: These text functions introduce a subtle behaviour change for the textAlign property of the 2D context. 'Left', 'right', 'center' and 'start' behave as is expected but 'end' will not align from the right of the function argument x but rather from the right of x + width

Note: settings (min and max space size) are global to all 2D context objects.

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USAGE Examples

var i = 0;
text[i++] = "This text is aligned from the left of the canvas."; 
text[i++] = "This text is near the max spacing size"; 
text[i++] = "This text is way too short."; 
text[i++] = "This text is too long for the space provied and will overflow#";
text[i++] = "This text is aligned using 'end' and starts at x + width"; 
text[i++] = "This text is near the max spacing size"; 
text[i++] = "This text is way too short."; 
text[i++] = "#This text is too long for the space provied and will overflow";
text[i++] = "This is aligned with 'center' and is placed from the center"; 
text[i++] = "This text is near the max spacing size"; 
text[i++] = "This text is way too short."; 
text[i++] = "This text is just too long for the space provied and will overflow";

// ctx is the 2d context
// canvas is the canvas

ctx.clearRect(0,0,w,h);
ctx.font = "25px arial";
ctx.textAlign = "center"
var left = 20;
var center = canvas.width / 2;
var width = canvas.width-left*2;
var y = 40;
var size = 16;
var i = 0;
ctx.fillText("Justified text examples.",center,y);
y+= 40;
ctx.font = "14px arial";
ctx.textAlign = "left"
var ww = ctx.measureJustifiedText(text[0], width);
var setting = {
    maxSpaceSize : 6,
    minSpaceSize : 0.5
}
ctx.strokeStyle = "red"
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.moveTo(left,y - size * 2);
ctx.lineTo(left, y + size * 15);
ctx.moveTo(canvas.width - left,y - size * 2);
ctx.lineTo(canvas.width - left, y + size * 15);
ctx.stroke();
ctx.textAlign = "left";
ctx.fillStyle = "red";
ctx.fillText("< 'left' aligned",left,y - size)
ctx.fillStyle = "black";
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], left, y, width, setting);  // settings is remembered
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], left, y+=size, width);
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], left, y+=size, width);
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], left, y+=size, width);
y += 2.3*size;
ctx.fillStyle = "red";
ctx.fillText("< 'end' aligned from x plus the width -------------------->",left,y - size)
ctx.fillStyle = "black";
ctx.textAlign = "end";
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], left, y, width);
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], left, y+=size, width);
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], left, y+=size, width);
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], left, y+=size, width);

y += 40;
ctx.strokeStyle = "red"
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.moveTo(center,y - size * 2);
ctx.lineTo(center, y + size * 5);
ctx.stroke();
ctx.textAlign = "center";
ctx.fillStyle = "red";
ctx.fillText("'center' aligned",center,y - size)
ctx.fillStyle = "black";
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], center, y, width);
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], center, y+=size, width);
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], center, y+=size, width);
ctx.fillJustifyText(text[i++], center, y+=size, width);