white-space
white-space
The white-space property is used to describe how whitespace inside the element is handled.
/* Keyword values */ white-space: normal; white-space: nowrap; white-space: pre; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre-line; /* Global values */ white-space: inherit; white-space: initial; white-space: unset;
| Initial value | normal |
|---|---|
| Applies to | all elements |
| Inherited | yes |
| Media | visual |
| Computed value | as specified |
| Animation type | discrete |
| Canonical order | the unique non-ambiguous order defined by the formal grammar |
Syntax
The white-space property is specified as a single keyword chosen from the list of values below.
Values
normal- Sequences of whitespace are collapsed. Newline characters in the source are handled as other whitespace. Breaks lines as necessary to fill line boxes.
nowrap- Collapses whitespace as for
normal, but suppresses line breaks (text wrapping) within text. pre- Sequences of whitespace are preserved. Lines are only broken at newline characters in the source and at
<br>elements. pre-wrap- Sequences of whitespace are preserved. Lines are broken at newline characters, at
<br>, and as necessary to fill line boxes. pre-line- Sequences of whitespace are collapsed. Lines are broken at newline characters, at
<br>, and as necessary to fill line boxes.
The following table summarizes the behavior of various white-space values:
| New lines | Spaces and tabs | Text wrapping | |
|---|---|---|---|
normal | Collapse | Collapse | Wrap |
nowrap | Collapse | Collapse | No wrap |
pre | Preserve | Preserve | No wrap |
pre-wrap | Preserve | Preserve | Wrap |
pre-line | Preserve | Collapse | Wrap |
Formal syntax
normal | pre | nowrap | pre-wrap | pre-line
Examples
Basic example
code {
white-space: pre;
} Line breaks inside <pre> elements
pre {
word-wrap: break-word; /* IE 5.5-7 */
white-space: -moz-pre-wrap; /* Firefox 1.0-2.0 */
white-space: pre-wrap; /* current browsers */
} See it in action
Source:
<p> Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.</p>
CSS+Result:
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| CSS Text Module Level 3 The definition of 'white-space' in that specification. | Working Draft | Precises the breaking algorithms. |
| CSS Level 2 (Revision 1) The definition of 'white-space' in that specification. | Recommendation | Initial definition |
Browser compatibility
| Feature | Chrome | Edge | Firefox (Gecko) | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari (WebKit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic support (normal and nowrap) | 1.0 | (Yes) | 1.0 (1.7 or earlier) | 5.5[1] | 4.0 | 1.0 (85) |
pre | 1.0 | (Yes) | 1.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 (85) |
pre-wrap | 1.0 | (Yes) | 1.0 (1.7 or earlier)-moz 3.0 (1.9) | 8.0 | 8.0 | 3.0 (522) |
pre-line | 1.0 | (Yes) | 3.5 (1.9.1) | 8.0 | 9.5 | 3.0 (522) |
Support on <textarea>
| 1.0 | ? | 36 (36) | 5.5 | 4.0 | 1.0 (85) |
| Feature | Android | Edge | Firefox Mobile (Gecko) | IE Phone | Opera Mobile | Safari Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | ? | (Yes) | ? | ? | ? | ? |
[1] Internet Explorer 5.5+ supports word-wrap: break-word;.
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Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/white-space
