Title: Recent Posts – Title Length
Last modified: August 18, 2016

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# Recent Posts – Title Length

 *  [thebindlestick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/thebindlestick/)
 * (@thebindlestick)
 * [19 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/recent-posts-title-length/)
 * I use a three column layout for my WordPress and I display the 10 more recent
   post titles in the far right column. When the post title is too long, it wraps
   down to the next line; I don’t like this. Is there a way to truncate it at the
   end of the last word that fits, i.e. if there are six words and it line breaks
   after the fourth word naturally, to only display four words followed by an ellipse?
 * So
 * Cody Wagonner Wins Goldendale Rockcrawl Event
 * becomes
 * Cody Wagonner Wins Goldendale…
 * I know i can dig in and do this with strlen() stuff in php but is there an easier
   way?

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

 *  [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/)
 * (@whooami)
 * [19 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/recent-posts-title-length/#post-572752)
 * what are you using to display the posts, a plugin, if so which one? If not, what
   wordpress function?
 *  Thread Starter [thebindlestick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/thebindlestick/)
 * (@thebindlestick)
 * [19 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/recent-posts-title-length/#post-573152)
 * Sorry for my delayed response, it’s been too nice outside here in Seattle to 
   stay online! Here is what I am using:
 *     ```
       <?php
   
       foreach ($recentposts as $post) {
   
       if ($post->post_title == '')
   
       $post->post_title = sprintf(__('Post #%s'), $post->ID);
   
       echo "<li><a href='".get_permalink($post->ID)."'>";
   
       the_title();
   
       echo '</a></li>';
   
       }
   
       ?>
       ```
   
 * I’d like to limit the number of words that are displayed in the title, in the
   sidebar only, but not on the post’s page itself – limit it to what will fit on
   one line… not just truncate it to a certain character count; that’s easy.
 * Like I said in my first post, if I have six words in the title but only four 
   fit on a line before it is wrapped to the next line, I’d like it to stop after
   the fourth word and ad an ellipse (…) so if it is set to 31 characters maximum,
   it would change:
 * **WordPress Issues World Wide Press Release**
 * to
 * **WordPress Issues World Wide…**
 * but not just like 31 characters like this:
 * **WordPress Issues World Wide Pre**
 * So it finds 31 characters, then goes back to the end of the last word, and stops
   there and adds an ellipse, any ideas?
 *  [tomgensler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/tomgensler/)
 * (@tomgensler)
 * [18 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/recent-posts-title-length/#post-573223)
 * i’ve got the same problem. anybody an idea?
 *  [sararas](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sararas/)
 * (@sararas)
 * [18 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/recent-posts-title-length/#post-573224)
 * I would love some help with this as well.
 *  [tomgensler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/tomgensler/)
 * (@tomgensler)
 * [18 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/recent-posts-title-length/#post-573225)
 * ok i’ve got it working on my site
 *     ```
       <?php $my_query = new WP_Query('showposts=7');
       while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post(); ?>
   
       <?php
       if (strlen(the_title('','',FALSE)) > 40) {
         $title_short = substr(the_title('','',FALSE), 0, 40);
         preg_match('/^(.*)\s/s', $title_short, $matches);
         if ($matches[1]) $title_short = $matches[1];
         $title_short = $title_short.' ...';
         }
       else
         {
         $title_short = the_title('','',FALSE);
         }
       ?>
   
       <a title="<?php echo the_title() ?>" href="<?php the_permalink() ?>"><?php echo $title_short ?></a><br>
   
       <?php endwhile; ?>
       ```
   

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

The topic ‘Recent Posts – Title Length’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Installing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/installation/)
 * 5 replies
 * 4 participants
 * Last reply from: [tomgensler](https://wordpress.org/support/users/tomgensler/)
 * Last activity: [18 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/recent-posts-title-length/#post-573225)
 * Status: not resolved

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