[css-overflow-4] Custom ellipsis character

[chrishtr]

css-ui-3 specifies that UAs use the ellipsis character for ellipsis when text-overflow: ellipsis is specified. It seems there is demand for allowing a custom character, to handle for example scripts that are not western.

Has this idea been proposed before? I can't find an open issue for it.

[astearns]

There used to be a <string> value that I think was meant to be an alternate character, and according to the www-style archives Firefox had an implementation.

https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2011Jun/0329.html

I also found a mention that some languages use a 6-dot ellipsis?

https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2008Aug/0008.html

[chrishtr]

Is block-ellipsis also relevant? https://drafts.csswg.org/css-overflow-3/#propdef-block-ellipsis

[Crissov]

Some people would probably also prefer an arrow, chevron or triangle pointing in the block progression or line direction. Not to mention texts like “TBC”, “continues”, “[trunc.]”, “More” or “Read more”.

[SebastianZ]

... and according to the www-style archives Firefox had an implementation.

Not only had but still has, see https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/text-overflow#Examples.

Actually, I am surprised it isn't in the specification anymore. Previously it was defined here:

https://www.w3.org/TR/2003/CR-css3-text-20030514/#text-overflow-ellipsis

Sebastian

[MatsPalmgren]

It's specced in css-overflow-4. Firefox supports [ clip | ellipsis | <string> ]{1,2} and we shipped that years ago.

[SebastianZ]

Oh, right! How could I miss that? So I guess this issue can be closed, right?

Sebastian

[chrishtr]

Yes, I think so.