How to implement Read More and Read Less with dotdotdot?

Question

Using the jQuery dotdotdot plugin, I would like to have both a More and Less button to show and hide entire content of a <div> when there is a lot of text to display. The More button is working just fine, but I haven't yet figured out a way to return the <div> to it's original display. Note that this is not just about how to use dotdotdot to expand a truncated string because it incorporates the Less button re-truncate a long string.

Here is my code:

$(function() {
    $("div.ellipsis-text").dotdotdot({
        after: 'a.more',
        callback: dotdotdotCallback
    });
    $("div.ellipsis-text").find("a").click(function() {
        if ($(this).text() == "More") {
            var div = $(this).closest('div.ellipsis-text');
            div.trigger('destroy').find('a.more').hide();
            div.css('max-height', '');
            $("a.less", div).show();
        }
        else {
            $(this).text("More");
            $(this).closest('div.ellipsis-text').css("max-height", "50px").dotdotdot({ after: "a", callback: dotdotdotCallback });
        }
    });

    function dotdotdotCallback(isTruncated, originalContent) {
        if (!isTruncated) {
         $("a", this).remove();   
        }
    }
});

It seems that the click event handler for the <div>'s anchor tags is getting removed, I am never able to reach the event handler after the More button is clicked.

Solution found:

Updated code:

$(function() {
    $("div.ellipsis-text").dotdotdot({
        after: 'a.more',
        callback: dotdotdotCallback
    });
    $("div.ellipsis-text").on('click','a',function() {
        if ($(this).text() == "More") {
            var div = $(this).closest('div.ellipsis-text');
            div.trigger('destroy').find('a.more').hide();
            div.css('max-height', '');
            $("a.less", div).show();
        }
        else {
            $(this).hide();
            $(this).closest('div.ellipsis-text').css("max-height", "50px").dotdotdot({ after: "a.more", callback: dotdotdotCallback });
        }
    });

    function dotdotdotCallback(isTruncated, originalContent) {
        if (!isTruncated) {
         $("a", this).remove();   
        }
    }
});

Thanks, guys!

possible duplicate of [jQuery dotdotdot expand truncate text onclick](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/19015945/jquery-dotdotdot-expand-truncate-text-onclick) — kenorb, Mar 18 '15 at 11:57

Ehsan Sajjad · Accepted Answer · 2014-08-07T17:28:21.327

Change this:

$("div.ellipsis-text").find("a").click(function() {

to this:

$("div.ellipsis-text").on('click','a',function() {

UPDATED CODE:

$(function () {
    $("div.ellipsis-text").dotdotdot({
        after: 'a.more',
        callback: dotdotdotCallback
    });
    $("div.ellipsis-text").on('click', 'a', function () {

        if ($(this).text() == "More") {
            var div = $(this).closest('div.ellipsis-text');
            div.trigger('destroy').find('a.more').hide();
            div.css('max-height', '');
            $("a.less", div).show();
        } else {

            $(this).closest('div.ellipsis-text').css("max-height", "50px").dotdotdot({
                after: "a",
                callback: dotdotdotCallback
            });
        }
    });

    function dotdotdotCallback(isTruncated, originalContent) {
        if (!isTruncated) {
            $("a", this).remove();
        }
    }
});

the second way is to use single a tag and just toggle its text this way:

HTML:

    <div class='ellipsis-text'>"But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 

<a class='more' href='#'>More</a>

 </div>

JQUERY:

$(function () {
    $("div.ellipsis-text").dotdotdot({
        after: 'a.more',
        callback: dotdotdotCallback
    });
    $("div.ellipsis-text").on('click', 'a', function () {

        if ($(this).text() == "More") {
            var div = $(this).closest('div.ellipsis-text');
            div.trigger('destroy')
            div.css('max-height', '');
            $(this).text("Less");

        } else {
            $(this).text("More")
            $(this).closest('div.ellipsis-text').css("max-height", "50px").dotdotdot({
                after: "a",
                callback: dotdotdotCallback
            });
        }
    });

    function dotdotdotCallback(isTruncated, originalContent) {
        if (!isTruncated) {
            $("a", this).remove();
        }
    }
});

score 8 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

I'm a bit late to this party but I thought you might enjoy this code.

Also on jsfiddle.net/fo4z05qp

var bindReadMore = function(){
    $('.read-more').on('click', function(e) {
        e.preventDefault();
        var parent = $(this).parent();
        parent.trigger("destroy");
        parent.removeClass('truncable-txt--is-truncated');
        parent.addClass('truncable-txt--is-not-truncated');
        bindReadLess(); // bind click on "less"
    });
};

var bindReadLess = function(){
    $('.read-less').on('click', function(e) {
        e.preventDefault();
        var parent = $(this).parent();
        truncateIfNeeded(parent); // Re-initialize ellipsis
    });
};

var truncateIfNeeded = function(jqueryTag){
    var $selectionToTruncate = jqueryTag || $('.truncable-txt');
    
    $selectionToTruncate.dotdotdot({
        ellipsis: '...',
        watch   : true,
        wrap    : 'letter',
        height  : 20 * 3, // max number of lines
        after   : '.read-more',
        callback: function( isTruncated, orgContent ) {
            var $currentReadMore = $(this).find('.read-more');
            var $currentReadLess = $(this).find('.read-less');
            
            if( isTruncated ){
                $(this).addClass('truncable-txt--is-truncated');
            }
            bindReadMore(); // bind click on "read more"
        },
    });
};

$(function() {
    truncateIfNeeded(); // Initialize ellipsis
});

.trigger-js {
    cursor: pointer;
    cursor: hand;
}
.read-less,
.read-more {
    display: none;
}

.read-more__txt,
.read-less__txt {
    text-decoration: underline;
}

/* [1] downwards arrow, fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2193/index.htm */
.read-more::after {
    margin-left: 4px;
    content: '\2193'; /* [1] */
}
/* [2] upwards arrow, fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2191/index.htm */
.read-less::after {
    margin-left: 4px;
    content: '\2191'; /* [2] */
}

.truncable-txt--is-truncated .read-more,
.truncable-txt--is-not-truncated .read-less {
    display: inline-block;
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.11.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://rawgit.com/BeSite/jQuery.dotdotdot/master/src/js/jquery.dotdotdot.min.js"></script>
<p class="truncable-txt">Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum
    <span class="read-more trigger-js">&nbsp;<a class="read-more__txt">more</a></span>
    <span class="read-less trigger-js">&nbsp;<a class="read-less__txt">less</a></span>
</p>

<p class="truncable-txt">Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum
    <span class="read-more trigger-js">&nbsp;<a class="read-more__txt">more</a></span>
    <span class="read-less trigger-js">&nbsp;<a class="read-less__txt">less</a></span>
</p>

Resources

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 07 '14 at 17:04

Ehsan Sajjad's answer is correct but you also have a bug that you start with a more and a less button but rename the Less button to More instead of hiding it. I modified the JS on the Fiddle to this and now it appears to work correctly.

$(function() {
    $("div.ellipsis-text").dotdotdot({
        after: 'a.more',
        callback: dotdotdotCallback
    });
    $("div.ellipsis-text").on('click','a',function() {
        if ($(this).text() == "More") {
            var div = $(this).closest('div.ellipsis-text');
            div.trigger('destroy').find('a.more').hide();
            div.css('max-height', '');
            $("a.less", div).show();
        }
        else {
            $(this).hide();
            $(this).closest('div.ellipsis-text').css("max-height", "50px").dotdotdot({ after: "a.more", callback: dotdotdotCallback });
        }
    });

    function dotdotdotCallback(isTruncated, originalContent) {
        if (!isTruncated) {
         $("a", this).remove();   
        }
    }
});

yes i saw that as well, but i can't figure out what has happened to my pc that i can'r save and update any fiddle, issue is update and save button are not visisble on my pc — Ehsan Sajjad, Aug 07 '14 at 17:05
@EhsanSajjad 90% sure that's the solution your problem: do NOT use internet explorer ;) — Adriano, Mar 18 '15 at 08:35

How to implement Read More and Read Less with dotdotdot?

3 Answers3

UPDATED CODE:

HTML:

JQUERY:

Resources

Linked