Truncate a string to first n characters of a string and add three dots if any characters are removed

Question

How can I get the first n characters of a string in PHP? What's the fastest way to trim a string to a specific number of characters, and append '...' if needed?

http://theunixshell.blogspot.in/2012/12/print-first-80-characters-in-line.html — Vijay, Apr 17 '14 at 14:13
Try This Link, May help You... http://stackoverflow.com/a/26098951/3944217 — Edwin Thomas, Sep 29 '14 at 11:46
Here is a good comparison of multiple techniques: [Truncate a multibyte String to n chars](https://stackoverflow.com/a/58354552/2943403). — mickmackusa, Apr 16 '22 at 10:21

score 667 · Accepted Answer · edited Sep 08 '14 at 18:05

667

//The simple version for 10 Characters from the beginning of the string
$string = substr($string,0,10).'...';

Update:

Based on suggestion for checking length (and also ensuring similar lengths on trimmed and untrimmed strings):

$string = (strlen($string) > 13) ? substr($string,0,10).'...' : $string;

So you will get a string of max 13 characters; either 13 (or less) normal characters or 10 characters followed by '...'

Update 2:

Or as function:

function truncate($string, $length, $dots = "...") {
    return (strlen($string) > $length) ? substr($string, 0, $length - strlen($dots)) . $dots : $string;
}

Update 3:

It's been a while since I wrote this answer and I don't actually use this code any more. I prefer this function which prevents breaking the string in the middle of a word using the wordwrap function:

function truncate($string,$length=100,$append="&hellip;") {
  $string = trim($string);

  if(strlen($string) > $length) {
    $string = wordwrap($string, $length);
    $string = explode("\n", $string, 2);
    $string = $string[0] . $append;
  }

  return $string;
}

edited Sep 08 '14 at 18:05

Emil Vikström

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answered Jul 01 '10 at 21:30

Brendan Bullen

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19

might be best to replace with ellipsis ( … ) rather than 3 dots ( ... ) – Keith Apr 14 '13 at 22:01
3

I love this, but I changed it and use the following to remove whitespace at the end: $string = substr(trim($string),0,10).'...'; That way you get something like "I like to..." instead of "I like to ...". – Kenton de Jong Jul 26 '13 at 20:32
39

"hellip" - took me sometime to understand we were not talking about satan's ip adress – Lucas Bernardo de Sousa Mar 27 '15 at 13:49
3

Update 3 is the most helpful. – milkovsky May 26 '15 at 12:17
In case there is a hard cap on the length of the returned string, shouldn't line 5 of update 3 be `$string = wordwrap($string, $length - sizeof($append));` ? – crenshaw-dev Mar 25 '17 at 12:47
is this multibyte safe? – Timo Huovinen Oct 20 '20 at 14:37

score 154 · Answer 2 · edited Mar 09 '18 at 22:58

154

This functionality has been built into PHP since version 4.0.6. See the docs.

echo mb_strimwidth('Hello World', 0, 10, '...');

// outputs Hello W...

Note that the trimmarker (the ellipsis above) are included in the truncated length.

edited Mar 09 '18 at 22:58

user664833

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answered Jul 03 '14 at 22:56

bruchowski

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Dan, you might want to be a bit more specific about which part of the top answer did not work for you. The function truncate() worked perfectly for me and the advantage of that answer over bruchowski's answer is that it breaks on word boundaries; assuming you care about that sort of thing. – pdwalker Nov 29 '14 at 09:17
1

The top (right now) answer (http://stackoverflow.com/a/3161830/236306) did nothing (as if I had not used the fn at all). Don't know why. This answer however seems perfect and came with the added benefit of working. – Alan Sep 20 '15 at 15:50
2

Side note if you're using Laravel it has a wrapper function `str_limit()` that is similar to this answer: `return rtrim(mb_strimwidth($value, 0, $limit, '', 'UTF-8')).$end` – Matt K Nov 17 '17 at 15:49
2

WARNING: mb_strimwidth() requires the Multibyte String extension to be installed and activated and that's not always the case so test before deploying. – nickpapoutsis Apr 05 '20 at 09:49
Depending on your use-case, be careful with mb_strimwidth(), as a string's *length* (number of characters it contains) may not be the same as its *width*: CJK chars can be half- or full-width. Example: plain ascii `ab: bytes=2, chars=2, width=2`, western unicode `éö: bytes=4, chars=2, width=2`, katakana [Wo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wo_(kana)), half and full width) `ｦヲ: bytes=6, chars=2, width=3` – dregad Apr 11 '23 at 10:11

Emil Vikström · Answer 3 · 2014-05-02T14:40:22.310

15

The Multibyte extension can come in handy if you need control over the string charset.

$charset = 'UTF-8';
$length = 10;
$string = 'Hai to yoo! I like yoo soo!';
if(mb_strlen($string, $charset) > $length) {
  $string = mb_substr($string, 0, $length - 3, $charset) . '...';
}

edited May 02 '14 at 14:40

answered Jul 01 '10 at 21:35

Emil Vikström

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This code is adding the three dots to the string? my code it has a link tag and when I link it it will link it together with the three dots which it will come as a different value. – fello May 17 '11 at 21:29

score 11 · Answer 4 · edited Mar 23 '13 at 08:49

sometimes, you need to limit the string to the last complete word ie: you don't want the last word to be broken instead you stop with the second last word.

eg: we need to limit "This is my String" to 6 chars but instead of 'This i..." we want it to be 'This..." ie we will skip that broken letters in the last word.

phew, am bad at explaining, here is the code.

class Fun {

    public function limit_text($text, $len) {
        if (strlen($text) < $len) {
            return $text;
        }
        $text_words = explode(' ', $text);
        $out = null;


        foreach ($text_words as $word) {
            if ((strlen($word) > $len) && $out == null) {

                return substr($word, 0, $len) . "...";
            }
            if ((strlen($out) + strlen($word)) > $len) {
                return $out . "...";
            }
            $out.=" " . $word;
        }
        return $out;
    }

}

Niki Romagnoli · Answer 5 · 2016-11-16T14:31:36.610

If you want to cut being careful to don't split words you can do the following

function ellipse($str,$n_chars,$crop_str=' [...]')
{
    $buff=strip_tags($str);
    if(strlen($buff) > $n_chars)
    {
        $cut_index=strpos($buff,' ',$n_chars);
        $buff=substr($buff,0,($cut_index===false? $n_chars: $cut_index+1)).$crop_str;
    }
    return $buff;
}

if $str is shorter than $n_chars returns it untouched.

If $str is equal to $n_chars returns it as is as well.

if $str is longer than $n_chars then it looks for the next space to cut or (if no more spaces till the end) $str gets cut rudely instead at $n_chars.

NOTE: be aware that this method will remove all tags in case of HTML.

score 8 · Answer 6 · answered Jul 06 '10 at 01:43

The codeigniter framework contains a helper for this, called the "text helper". Here's some documentation from codeigniter's user guide that applies: http://codeigniter.com/user_guide/helpers/text_helper.html (just read the word_limiter and character_limiter sections). Here's two functions from it relevant to your question:

if ( ! function_exists('word_limiter'))
{
    function word_limiter($str, $limit = 100, $end_char = '&#8230;')
    {
        if (trim($str) == '')
        {
            return $str;
        }

        preg_match('/^\s*+(?:\S++\s*+){1,'.(int) $limit.'}/', $str, $matches);

        if (strlen($str) == strlen($matches[0]))
        {
            $end_char = '';
        }

        return rtrim($matches[0]).$end_char;
    }
}

And

if ( ! function_exists('character_limiter'))
{
    function character_limiter($str, $n = 500, $end_char = '&#8230;')
    {
        if (strlen($str) < $n)
        {
            return $str;
        }

        $str = preg_replace("/\s+/", ' ', str_replace(array("\r\n", "\r", "\n"), ' ', $str));

        if (strlen($str) <= $n)
        {
            return $str;
        }

        $out = "";
        foreach (explode(' ', trim($str)) as $val)
        {
            $out .= $val.' ';

            if (strlen($out) >= $n)
            {
                $out = trim($out);
                return (strlen($out) == strlen($str)) ? $out : $out.$end_char;
            }       
        }
    }
}

score 4 · Answer 7 · answered Jul 01 '10 at 21:31

4

if(strlen($text) > 10)
     $text = substr($text,0,10) . "...";

answered Jul 01 '10 at 21:31

HCL

166
5

From @Brendon Bullen above .. $string = (strlen($string) > 13) ? substr($string,0,10).'...' : $string; Nice ! – MarcoZen Aug 02 '18 at 17:47

score 3 · Answer 8 · answered Jul 01 '10 at 21:32

3

Use substring

http://php.net/manual/en/function.substr.php

$foo = substr("abcde",0, 3) . "...";

answered Jul 01 '10 at 21:32

Dlongnecker

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This code will always add ... to the string, which he didn't want. – TravisO Jul 06 '10 at 01:40
You're absolutely right, and I edited the answer accordingly. (Revised answer currently awaiting SO peer review) – Chaya Cooper Jun 08 '17 at 02:42

score 2 · Answer 9 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:26

2

I'm not sure if this is the fastest solution, but it looks like it is the shortest one:

$result = current(explode("\n", wordwrap($str, $width, "...\n")));

P.S. See some examples here https://stackoverflow.com/a/17852480/131337

edited May 23 '17 at 12:26

Community

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answered Jul 25 '13 at 08:21

Sergiy Sokolenko

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score 2 · Answer 10 · answered Aug 08 '21 at 10:14

This function do the job without breaking words in the middle

    function str_trim($str,$char_no){
        if(strlen($str)<=$char_no)
            return $str;
        else{
            $all_words=explode(" ",$str);
            $out_str='';
            foreach ($all_words as $word) {
                $temp_str=($out_str=='')?$word:$out_str.' '.$word;
                if(strlen($temp_str)>$char_no-3)//-3 for 3 dots
                    return $out_str."...";
                $out_str=$temp_str;
            }
        }
    }

score 2 · Answer 11 · answered Jun 20 '23 at 05:03

It already has a helper method for it in Laravel 6+ versions. You could simply use that.

\Str::limit('The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog', 20);

which gives you output like

The quick brown fox...

For more detail please check laravel official document: https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/helpers#method-str-limit

score 1 · Answer 12 · edited Mar 23 '13 at 08:56

I developed a function for this use

 function str_short($string,$limit)
        {
            $len=strlen($string);
            if($len>$limit)
            {
             $to_sub=$len-$limit;
             $crop_temp=substr($string,0,-$to_sub);
             return $crop_len=$crop_temp."...";
            }
            else
            {
                return $string;
            }
        }

you just call the function with string and limite
eg:str_short("hahahahahah",5);
it will cut of your string and add "..." at the end
:)

score 1 · Answer 13 · answered Mar 21 '13 at 16:56

1

This is what i do

    function cutat($num, $tt){
        if (mb_strlen($tt)>$num){
            $tt=mb_substr($tt,0,$num-2).'...';
        }
        return $tt;
    }

where $num stands for number of chars, and $tt the string for manipulation.

answered Mar 21 '13 at 16:56

christoz

56
4

score 1 · Answer 14 · answered Jun 19 '13 at 17:03

To create within a function (for repeat usage) and dynamical limited length, use:

function string_length_cutoff($string, $limit, $subtext = '...')
{
    return (strlen($string) > $limit) ? substr($string, 0, ($limit-strlen(subtext))).$subtext : $string;
}

// example usage:
echo string_length_cutoff('Michelle Lee Hammontree-Garcia', 26);

// or (for custom substitution text
echo string_length_cutoff('Michelle Lee Hammontree-Garcia', 26, '..');

This answer is missing its educational explanation. – mickmackusa Mar 03 '21 at 03:18 — mickmackusa, Mar 03 '21 at 03:18

TravisO · Answer 15 · 2013-06-19T20:46:08.167

1

It's best to abstract you're code like so (notice the limit is optional and defaults to 10):

print limit($string);


function limit($var, $limit=10)
{
    if ( strlen($var) > $limit )
    {
        return substr($string, 0, $limit) . '...';
    }
    else
    {
        return $var;
    }
}

edited Jun 19 '13 at 20:46

answered Jul 01 '10 at 21:35

TravisO

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Could explain why this approach is best instead of just asserting that it is? – Robert Jul 01 '10 at 21:55
1

@Robert it's simple, and abstracting means you don't have to retype the code over and over. And most importantly, if you do find a better way to do this, or want something more complex, you only change this 1 function instead of 50 pieces of code. – TravisO Jul 06 '10 at 01:39
Fix: substr of $var, not $string. Test against `$limit + 3` so that you don't trim a string _just_ over the limit. Depending on your application (e.g., HTML output), consider using an entity `…` instead (typographically more pleasing). As suggested earlier, trim off any non-letters from the end of the (shortened) string before appending the ellipsis. Finally, watch out if you're in a multibyte (e.g., UTF-8) environment -- you can't use strlen() and substr(). – Phil Perry Mar 04 '14 at 14:28

score 1 · Answer 16 · answered Sep 21 '11 at 19:59

1

The function I used:

function cutAfter($string, $len = 30, $append = '...') {
        return (strlen($string) > $len) ? 
          substr($string, 0, $len - strlen($append)) . $append : 
          $string;
}

See it in action.

answered Sep 21 '11 at 19:59

Benjamin Crouzier

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This answer is missing its educational explanation. – mickmackusa Mar 03 '21 at 03:18

akond · Answer 17 · 2013-07-26T16:03:57.857

0

$width = 10;

$a = preg_replace ("~^(.{{$width}})(.+)~", '\\1…', $a);

or with wordwrap

$a = preg_replace ("~^(.{1,${width}}\b)(.+)~", '\\1…', $a);

edited Jul 26 '13 at 16:03

answered Jul 26 '13 at 15:50

akond

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This answer is missing its educational explanation. – mickmackusa Mar 03 '21 at 03:18

Waqleh · Answer 18 · 2014-01-29T09:01:30.443

this solution will not cut words, it will add three dots after the first space. I edited @Raccoon29 solution and I replaced all functions with mb_ functions so that this will work for all languages such as arabic

function cut_string($str, $n_chars, $crop_str = '...') {
    $buff = strip_tags($str);
    if (mb_strlen($buff) > $n_chars) {
        $cut_index = mb_strpos($buff, ' ', $n_chars);
        $buff = mb_substr($buff, 0, ($cut_index === false ? $n_chars : $cut_index + 1), "UTF-8") . $crop_str;
    }
    return $buff;
}

Jaykishan · Answer 19 · 2014-03-05T06:42:39.990

0

$yourString = "bla blaaa bla blllla bla bla";
$out = "";
if(strlen($yourString) > 22) {
    while(strlen($yourString) > 22) {
        $pos = strrpos($yourString, " ");
        if($pos !== false && $pos <= 22) {
            $out = substr($yourString,0,$pos);
            break;
        } else {
            $yourString = substr($yourString,0,$pos);
            continue;
        }
    }
} else {
    $out = $yourString;
}
echo "Output String: ".$out;

edited Mar 05 '14 at 06:42

answered Mar 04 '14 at 13:47

Jaykishan

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This answer is missing its educational explanation. – mickmackusa Mar 03 '21 at 03:17

score 0 · Answer 20 · answered Jul 01 '10 at 21:42

0

substr() would be best, you'll also want to check the length of the string first

$str = 'someLongString';
$max = 7;

if(strlen($str) > $max) {
   $str = substr($str, 0, $max) . '...';
}

wordwrap won't trim the string down, just split it up...

answered Jul 01 '10 at 21:42

tsgrasser

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jim_kastrin · Answer 21 · 2020-06-15T18:35:21.150

If there is no hard requirement on the length of the truncated string, one can use this to truncate and prevent cutting the last word as well:

$text = "Knowledge is a natural right of every human being of which no one
has the right to deprive him or her under any pretext, except in a case where a
person does something which deprives him or her of that right. It is mere
stupidity to leave its benefits to certain individuals and teams who monopolize
these while the masses provide the facilities and pay the expenses for the
establishment of public sports.";

// we don't want new lines in our preview
$text_only_spaces = preg_replace('/\s+/', ' ', $text);

// truncates the text
$text_truncated = mb_substr($text_only_spaces, 0, mb_strpos($text_only_spaces, " ", 50));

// prevents last word truncation
$preview = trim(mb_substr($text_truncated, 0, mb_strrpos($text_truncated, " ")));

In this case, $preview will be "Knowledge is a natural right of every human being".

Live code example: http://sandbox.onlinephpfunctions.com/code/25484a8b687d1f5ad93f62082b6379662a6b4713

Truncate a string to first n characters of a string and add three dots if any characters are removed

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