[php] limit text length in php and provide 'Read more' link

I have text stored in the php variable $text. This text can be 100 or 1000 or 10000 words. As currently implemented, my page extends based on the text, but if the text is too long the page looks ugly.

I want to get the length of the text and limit the number of characters to maybe 500, and if the text exceeds this limit I want to provide a link saying, "Read more." If the "Read More" link is clicked, it will show a pop with all the text in $text.

This worked for me.

// strip tags to avoid breaking any html
$string = strip_tags($string);
if (strlen($string) > 500) {

    // truncate string
    $stringCut = substr($string, 0, 500);
    $endPoint = strrpos($stringCut, ' ');

    //if the string doesn't contain any space then it will cut without word basis.
    $string = $endPoint? substr($stringCut, 0, $endPoint) : substr($stringCut, 0);
    $string .= '... <a href="/this/story">Read More</a>';
}
echo $string;

Thanks @webbiedave

I have combine two different answers:

1. Limit the characters

2. Complete HTML missing tags

   $string = strip_tags($strHTML);
   $yourText = $strHTML;
   if (strlen($string) > 350) {
       $stringCut = substr($post->body, 0, 350);
       $doc = new DOMDocument();
       $doc->loadHTML($stringCut);
       $yourText = $doc->saveHTML();
   }
   $yourText."...<a href=''>View More</a>"
   

This method will not truncate a word in the middle.

list($output)=explode("\n",wordwrap(strip_tags($str),500),1);
echo $output. ' ... <a href="#">Read more</a>';

$num_words = 101;
$words = array();
$words = explode(" ", $original_string, $num_words);
$shown_string = "";

if(count($words) == 101){
   $words[100] = " ... ";
}

$shown_string = implode(" ", $words);

There is an appropriate PHP function: substr_replace($text, $replacement, $start).

For your case, because you already know all the possibilities of the text length (100, 1000 or 10000 words), you can simply use that PHP function like this:

echo substr_replace($your_text, "...", 20);

PHP will automatically return a 20 character only text with ....

Se the documentation by clicking here.

Simple use this to strip the text :

echo strlen($string) >= 500 ? 
substr($string, 0, 490) . ' <a href="link/to/the/entire/text.htm">[Read more]</a>' : 
$string;

Edit and finally :

function split_words($string, $nb_caracs, $separator){
    $string = strip_tags(html_entity_decode($string));
    if( strlen($string) <= $nb_caracs ){
        $final_string = $string;
    } else {
        $final_string = "";
        $words = explode(" ", $string);
        foreach( $words as $value ){
            if( strlen($final_string . " " . $value) < $nb_caracs ){
                if( !empty($final_string) ) $final_string .= " ";
                $final_string .= $value;
            } else {
                break;
            }
        }
        $final_string .= $separator;
    }
    return $final_string;
}

Here separator is the href link to read more ;)

I Guess this will help you fix your problem please check under given Function : trims text to a space then adds ellipses if desired

• @param string $input text to trim

  • @param int $length in characters to trim to
  • @param bool $ellipses if ellipses (...) are to be added
  • @param bool $strip_html if html tags are to be stripped

  • @return string

    function trim_text($input, $length, $ellipses = true, $strip_html = true) {
    //strip tags, if desired
    if ($strip_html) {
        $input = strip_tags($input);
    }//no need to trim, already shorter than trim length
    if (strlen($input) <= $length) {
        return $input;
    }
    
    //find last space within length
    $last_space = strrpos(substr($input, 0, $length), ' ');
    $trimmed_text = substr($input, 0, $last_space);
    
    //add ellipses (...)
    if ($ellipses) {
        $trimmed_text .= '...';
    }
    
    return $trimmed_text;}
    

<?php
     $images_path = 'uploads/adsimages/';
             $ads = mysql_query("select * from tbl_postads ORDER BY ads_id DESC limit 0,5 ");
                    if(mysql_num_rows($ads)>0)
                    {
                        while($ad = mysql_fetch_array($ads))

                        {?>


     <div style="float:left; width:100%; height:100px;">
    <div style="float:left; width:40%; height:100px;">
      <li><img src="<?php echo $images_path.$ad['ads_image']; ?>" width="100px" height="50px" alt="" /></li>
      </div>

       <div style="float:left; width:60%; height:100px;">
      <li style="margin-bottom:4%;"><?php echo substr($ad['ads_msg'],0,50);?><br/> <a href="index.php?page=listing&ads_id=<?php echo $_GET['ads_id'];?>">read more..</a></li>
      </div>

     </div> 

    <?php }}?>

Another method: insert the following in your theme's function.php file.

remove_filter('get_the_excerpt', 'wp_trim_excerpt');
add_filter('get_the_excerpt', 'custom_trim_excerpt');

function custom_trim_excerpt($text) { // Fakes an excerpt if needed
global $post;
if ( '' == $text ) {
$text = get_the_content('');
$text = apply_filters('the_content', $text);
$text = str_replace(']]>', ']]>', $text);
$text = strip_tags($text);
$excerpt_length = x;
$words = explode(' ', $text, $excerpt_length + 1);
if (count($words) > $excerpt_length) {
array_pop($words);
array_push($words, '...');
$text = implode(' ', $words);
}
}
return $text;
}

You can use this.

Basically, you need to integrate a word limiter (e.g. something like this) and use something like shadowbox. Your read more link should link to a PHP script that displays the entire article. Just setup Shadowbox on those links and you're set. (See instructions on their site. Its easy.)

<?php $string = "Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.";
if (strlen($string) > 25) {
$trimstring = substr($string, 0, 25). ' <a href="#">readmore...</a>';
} else {
$trimstring = $string;
}
echo $trimstring;
//Output : Lorem Ipsum is simply dum [readmore...][1]
?>

Limit words in text:

function limitTextWords($content = false, $limit = false, $stripTags = false, $ellipsis = false) 
{
    if ($content && $limit) {
        $content = ($stripTags ? strip_tags($content) : $content);
        $content = explode(' ', $content, $limit+1);
        array_pop($content);
        if ($ellipsis) {
            array_push($content, '...');
        }
        $content = implode(' ', $content);
    }
    return $content;
}

Limit chars in text:

function limitTextChars($content = false, $limit = false, $stripTags = false, $ellipsis = false) 
{
    if ($content && $limit) {
        $content  = ($stripTags ? strip_tags($content) : $content);
        $ellipsis = ($ellipsis ? "..." : $ellipsis);
        $content  = mb_strimwidth($content, 0, $limit, $ellipsis);
    }
    return $content;
}

Use:

$text = "It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.";
echo limitTextWords($text, 5, true, true);
echo limitTextChars($text, 5, true, true);