Shorten text to a maximum length with ellipsis

Shorten a JavaScript string at its start, middle, or end while reserving room for a suffix.

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ToolText Truncator
Input
Output
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Preview

How it works

The suffix length is subtracted from the maximum before UTF-16 slicing keeps a prefix, suffix, or two equal halves. Word preservation may retreat to a nearby ordinary space; when the suffix consumes the allowance, only a sliced suffix remains.

  • The initial 100-unit ceiling, three periods, end position, and word preservation fit a general preview.
  • The limit counts UTF-16 units rather than bytes, code points, grapheme clusters, or rendered width.

Worked example

Truncate a long sentence
Shorten text to a maximum length with ellipsis
Input
											Input: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog in the garden
Max length: 30
Output
												The quick brown fox jumps...

When to use this

Search cards shorten descriptions, log viewers retain long-line tails, and filename previews preserve both a beginning and extension.

Edge cases

  • An emoji or combining sequence can be cut between UTF-16 or grapheme components.
  • An odd middle allowance uses two floor-sized halves and can finish one unit below the maximum.
  • A suffix longer than the maximum is itself sliced and leaves no source characters.

References