I'm trying to write a function that determines whether the text has overflowed (to determine whether I should show a tooltip). How can I handle text ellipsis removing the overflow?

I have:

const isTextOverflowing = (element) => element.scrollWidth > element.clientWidth;

This works in all cases apart from when the text is truncated with ellipsis and is the same number of characters with and without ellipsis and so the text element's scrollWidth equals the clientWidth (and incorrectly returns false).

Note: I add ellipsis to overflowing text with this css className:

clampTextInOneLine: {
    textOverflow: "ellipsis",
    whiteSpace: "nowrap",
    overflow: "hidden",
  },

I'm trying to write a function that determines whether the text has overflowed (to determine whether I should show a tooltip). How can I handle text ellipsis removing the overflow?

I have:

const isTextOverflowing = (element) => element.scrollWidth > element.clientWidth;

This works in all cases apart from when the text is truncated with ellipsis and is the same number of characters with and without ellipsis and so the text element's scrollWidth equals the clientWidth (and incorrectly returns false).

Note: I add ellipsis to overflowing text with this css className:

clampTextInOneLine: {
    textOverflow: "ellipsis",
    whiteSpace: "nowrap",
    overflow: "hidden",
  },

• javascript
• css
• reactjs
• overflow
• ellipsis

Share Improve this question Follow asked Jan 17 at 18:09 zeena patelzeena patel 1122 bronze badges 4

• Please give an example of the text in the failing case, perhaps with a small html example incorporating the code you have already posted. Use the snippet editor (<> button) . – James Commented Jan 17 at 18:48
• Maybe you could make the element visibility: hidden; and take away the text-overflow setting; then perform your test; then revert the setting and set visibility back again. It'd require a layout however so it might be a visible "blink" – Pointy Commented Jan 17 at 19:02
• What browser are you testing in? – Grinn Commented Jan 17 at 19:36
• you are to test scrollWidth before text-overflow is applied.In other word:, test if it overflows. if it does, apply a class with the text-overflow rules and manage/create your tooltip from there – G-Cyrillus Commented Jan 17 at 21:23

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1 Answer 1

Sorted by: Reset to default 0

You can select the node's contents, which gives the correct size even when they are truncated by the parent element:

const isTruncated = (element: Element): boolean => {
  const range = document.createRange();
  range.selectNodeContents(element);
  const elementRect = element.getBoundingClientRect();
  const rangeRect = range.getBoundingClientRect();

  return (
    rangeRect.height > elementRect.height || rangeRect.width > elementRect.width
  );
};