UILabel - Wordwrap text

Question

Is there any way to have a label wordwrap text as needed? I have the line breaks set to word wrap and the label is tall enough for two lines, but it appears that it will only wrap on line breaks. Do I have to add line breaks to make it wrap properly? I just want it to wrap if it can't fit it in horizontally.

Brookhouse

Answer 1

If you set numberOfLines to 0 (and the label to word wrap), the label will automatically wrap and use as many of lines as needed.

If you're editing a UILabel in IB, you can enter multiple lines of text by pressing option+return to get a line break - return alone will finish editing.

Immigration

To clarify for noobs like myself, this would be: cell.textLabel.numberOfLines = 0; cell.textLabel.lineBreakMode = UILineBreakModeWordWrap; – Sinusoidal

In iOS 6 and later, use NSLineBreakByWordWrapping, not UILineBreakModeWordWrap. – Clarhe

You might also need the following: label.autoresizingMask = UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleHeight; – Ninanincompoop

label.lineBreakMode = .ByWordWrapping and label.numberOfLines = 0 in swift – Saddletree

This does not work for me in (Xcode 7.3, iOS 9.3). My label text is wrapping in the XCode UI, but in my app the text does not wrap. I've tried setting these props via GUI Attributes Inspector, and via Code, neither works. – Arlenearles

For anyone who this wasn't obvious to (like me): The UILabel must have some sort of limit on its width (either from an actual width constraint or margin constraints); otherwise it won't wrap. – Ylla

@jcady, that is an excellent point now that auto-layout is more common - if the labels width is allowed to expand as much as possible, it will stay on one line. The label also must be allowed to expand in height though! – Immigration

label.lineBreakMode = .byWordWrapping in swift 3 – Friarbird

Deprecated, now use [label setLineBreakMode:NSLineBreakByWordWrapping] – Gallup

Answer 2

UILabel has a property lineBreakMode that you can set as per your requirement.

Wherein

"I have the line breaks set to word wrap ". This only wraps on actual line breaks, it won't automatically break once it is to long. – Brookhouse

Answer 3

In Swift you would do it like this:

    label.lineBreakMode = NSLineBreakMode.ByWordWrapping
    label.numberOfLines = 0

(Note that the way the lineBreakMode constant works is different to in ObjC)

Aesthetics

Care to elaborate on how it's different? – Wittol

I think I meant just that the naming is different. It has probably changed again in swift3 – Aesthetics

Line break mode should be set to word wrapping be default – Armistead

@MobileMonin my experience that is not always the case. Maybe IB changes it in some circumstances? – Aesthetics

label.lineBreakMode = NSLineBreakByWordWrapping in Obj C – Harlanharland

With Swift 4 I had to use NSLineBreakMode.byWordWrapping – Nonfeasance

Answer 4

Xcode 10, Swift 4

Wrapping the Text for a label can also be done on Storyboard by selecting the Label, and using Attributes Inspector.

Lines = 0 Linebreak = Word Wrap

Beamy

Using a branBrand-New label, directly adding it to the view, this still generates a single-line label (with a width larger than the phone's width) for me, despite setting lines to 0 and linebreak to Word Wrap. Is there another setting that could be needed? Do I need to attach additional code? – Deutzia

Answer 5

Xcode 12.5.1, Swift 5.

I found that even though I had Lines = 0 and LineBreak = Word Wrap set, it still didn't wrap the long label text. Double check your label constraints in IB (or wherever you set them).

I found that sometimes IB tries to fix the constraint settings and adds a >= or <= constraint for leading and trailing edges.

This label constraint will not wrap the text:

But this will:

Notice the >= on the Label.trailing edge in the first picture. Set this to = and the text should wrap.

Darsey