Is it possible to reduce the gap between text, when put in multiple lines in a UILabel
? We can set the frame, font size and number of lines. I want to reduce the gap between the two lines in that label.
22 Answers
I thought about adding something new to this answer, so I don't feel as bad... Here is a Swift answer:
import Cocoa
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.lineSpacing = 40
let attrString = NSMutableAttributedString(string: "Swift Answer")
attrString.addAttribute(.paragraphStyle, value:paragraphStyle, range:NSMakeRange(0, attrString.length))
var tableViewCell = NSTableCellView()
tableViewCell.textField.attributedStringValue = attrString
"Short answer: you can't. To change the spacing between lines of text, you will have to subclass UILabel and roll your own drawTextInRect, or create multiple labels."
This is a really old answer, and other have already addded the new and better way to handle this.. Please see the up to date answers provided below.
Starting from iOS 6 you can set an attributed string to the UILabel. Check the following :
NSMutableAttributedString *attributedString = [[NSMutableAttributedString alloc] initWithString:label.text];
NSMutableParagraphStyle *paragraphStyle = [[NSMutableParagraphStyle alloc] init];
paragraphStyle.lineSpacing = spacing;
[attributedString addAttribute:NSParagraphStyleAttributeName value:paragraphStyle range:NSMakeRange(0, label.text.length)];
label.attributedText = attributedString;
The solutions stated here didn't work for me. I found a slightly different way to do it with the iOS 6 NSAttributeString:
myLabel.numberOfLines = 0;
NSString* string = @"String with line one. \n Line two. \n Line three.";
NSMutableParagraphStyle *style = [[NSMutableParagraphStyle alloc] init];
style.minimumLineHeight = 30.f;
style.maximumLineHeight = 30.f;
NSDictionary *attributtes = @{NSParagraphStyleAttributeName : style,};
myLabel.attributedText = [[NSAttributedString alloc] initWithString:string
attributes:attributtes];
[myLabel sizeToFit];
I've made this simple extension that works very well for me:
extension UILabel {
func setLineHeight(lineHeight: CGFloat) {
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.lineSpacing = 1.0
paragraphStyle.lineHeightMultiple = lineHeight
paragraphStyle.alignment = self.textAlignment
let attrString = NSMutableAttributedString()
if (self.attributedText != nil) {
attrString.append( self.attributedText!)
} else {
attrString.append( NSMutableAttributedString(string: self.text!))
attrString.addAttribute(NSAttributedStringKey.font, value: self.font, range: NSMakeRange(0, attrString.length))
}
attrString.addAttribute(NSAttributedStringKey.paragraphStyle, value:paragraphStyle, range:NSMakeRange(0, attrString.length))
self.attributedText = attrString
}
}
Copy this in a file, so then you can use it like this
myLabel.setLineHeight(0.7)
From Interface Builder (Storyboard/XIB):
Programmatically:
SWift 4
Using label extension
extension UILabel {
// Pass value for any one of both parameters and see result
func setLineSpacing(lineSpacing: CGFloat = 0.0, lineHeightMultiple: CGFloat = 0.0) {
guard let labelText = self.text else { return }
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.lineSpacing = lineSpacing
paragraphStyle.lineHeightMultiple = lineHeightMultiple
let attributedString:NSMutableAttributedString
if let labelattributedText = self.attributedText {
attributedString = NSMutableAttributedString(attributedString: labelattributedText)
} else {
attributedString = NSMutableAttributedString(string: labelText)
}
// Line spacing attribute
attributedString.addAttribute(NSAttributedStringKey.paragraphStyle, value:paragraphStyle, range:NSMakeRange(0, attributedString.length))
self.attributedText = attributedString
}
}
Now call extension function
let label = UILabel()
let stringValue = "How to\ncontrol\nthe\nline spacing\nin UILabel"
// Pass value for any one argument - lineSpacing or lineHeightMultiple
label.setLineSpacing(lineSpacing: 2.0) . // try values 1.0 to 5.0
// or try lineHeightMultiple
//label.setLineSpacing(lineHeightMultiple = 2.0) // try values 0.5 to 2.0
Or using label instance (Just copy & execute this code to see result)
let label = UILabel()
let stringValue = "How to\ncontrol\nthe\nline spacing\nin UILabel"
let attrString = NSMutableAttributedString(string: stringValue)
var style = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
style.lineSpacing = 24 // change line spacing between paragraph like 36 or 48
style.minimumLineHeight = 20 // change line spacing between each line like 30 or 40
// Line spacing attribute
attrString.addAttribute(NSAttributedStringKey.paragraphStyle, value: style, range: NSRange(location: 0, length: stringValue.characters.count))
// Character spacing attribute
attrString.addAttribute(NSAttributedStringKey.kern, value: 2, range: NSMakeRange(0, attrString.length))
label.attributedText = attrString
Swift 3
let label = UILabel()
let stringValue = "How to\ncontrol\nthe\nline spacing\nin UILabel"
let attrString = NSMutableAttributedString(string: stringValue)
var style = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
style.lineSpacing = 24 // change line spacing between paragraph like 36 or 48
style.minimumLineHeight = 20 // change line spacing between each line like 30 or 40
attrString.addAttribute(NSParagraphStyleAttributeName, value: style, range: NSRange(location: 0, length: stringValue.characters.count))
label.attributedText = attrString
Here is a class that subclass UILabel to have line-height property : https://github.com/LemonCake/MSLabel
In Swift and as a function, inspired by DarkDust
// Usage: setTextWithLineSpacing(myEpicUILabel,text:"Hello",lineSpacing:20)
func setTextWithLineSpacing(label:UILabel,text:String,lineSpacing:CGFloat)
{
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.lineSpacing = lineSpacing
let attrString = NSMutableAttributedString(string: text)
attrString.addAttribute(NSAttributedString.Key.paragraphStyle, value:paragraphStyle, range:NSMakeRange(0, attrString.length))
label.attributedText = attrString
}
According @Mike 's Answer, reducing the lineHeightMultiple
is the key point. Example below, it work well for me:
NSString* text = label.text;
CGFloat textWidth = [text sizeWithAttributes:@{NSFontAttributeName: label.font}].width;
if (textWidth > label.frame.size.width) {
NSMutableParagraphStyle *paragraph = [[NSMutableParagraphStyle alloc] init];
paragraph.alignment = NSTextAlignmentCenter;
paragraph.lineSpacing = 1.0f;
paragraph.lineHeightMultiple = 0.75; // Reduce this value !!!
NSMutableAttributedString* attrText = [[NSMutableAttributedString alloc] initWithString:text];
[attrText addAttribute:NSParagraphStyleAttributeName value:paragraph range:NSMakeRange(0, text.length)];
label.attributedText = attrText;
}
SWIFT 3 useful extension for set space between lines more easily :)
extension UILabel
{
func setLineHeight(lineHeight: CGFloat)
{
let text = self.text
if let text = text
{
let attributeString = NSMutableAttributedString(string: text)
let style = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
style.lineSpacing = lineHeight
attributeString.addAttribute(NSParagraphStyleAttributeName,
value: style,
range: NSMakeRange(0, text.characters.count))
self.attributedText = attributeString
}
}
}
I've found a way where you can set the real line height (not a factor) and it even renders live in Interface Builder. Just follow the instructions below. Code is written in Swift 4.
Step #1: Create a file named DesignableLabel.swift
and insert the following code:
import UIKit
@IBDesignable
class DesignableLabel: UILabel {
@IBInspectable var lineHeight: CGFloat = 20 {
didSet {
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.minimumLineHeight = lineHeight
paragraphStyle.maximumLineHeight = lineHeight
paragraphStyle.alignment = self.textAlignment
let attrString = NSMutableAttributedString(string: text!)
attrString.addAttribute(NSAttributedStringKey.font, value: font, range: NSRange(location: 0, length: attrString.length))
attrString.addAttribute(NSAttributedStringKey.paragraphStyle, value: paragraphStyle, range: NSRange(location: 0, length: attrString.length))
attributedText = attrString
}
}
}
Step #2: Place a UILabel
into a Storyboard/XIB and set its class to DesignableLabel
. Wait for your project to build (build must succeed!).
Step 3: Now you should see a new property in the properties pane named "Line Height". Just set the value you like and you should see the results immediately!
Here is a subclass of UILabel that sets lineHeightMultiple
and makes sure the intrinsic height is large enough to not cut off text.
@IBDesignable
class Label: UILabel {
override var intrinsicContentSize: CGSize {
var size = super.intrinsicContentSize
let padding = (1.0 - lineHeightMultiple) * font.pointSize
size.height += padding
return size
}
override var text: String? {
didSet {
updateAttributedText()
}
}
@IBInspectable var lineHeightMultiple: CGFloat = 1.0 {
didSet {
updateAttributedText()
}
}
private func updateAttributedText() {
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.lineHeightMultiple = lineHeightMultiple
attributedText = NSAttributedString(string: text ?? "", attributes: [
.font: font,
.paragraphStyle: paragraphStyle,
.foregroundColor: textColor
])
invalidateIntrinsicContentSize()
}
}
In Swift 2.0...
Add an extension:
extension UIView {
func attributesWithLineHeight(font: String, color: UIColor, fontSize: CGFloat, kern: Double, lineHeightMultiple: CGFloat) -> [String: NSObject] {
let titleParagraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
titleParagraphStyle.lineHeightMultiple = lineHeightMultiple
let attribute = [
NSForegroundColorAttributeName: color,
NSKernAttributeName: kern,
NSFontAttributeName : UIFont(name: font, size: fontSize)!,
NSParagraphStyleAttributeName: titleParagraphStyle
]
return attribute
}
}
Now, just set your UILabel as attributedText:
self.label.attributedText = NSMutableAttributedString(string: "SwiftExample", attributes: attributesWithLineHeight("SourceSans-Regular", color: UIColor.whiteColor(), fontSize: 20, kern: 2.0, lineHeightMultiple: 0.5))
Obviously, I added a bunch of parameters that you may not need. Play around -- feel free to rewrite the method -- I was looking for this on a bunch of different answers so figured I'd post the whole extension in case it helps someone out there... -rab
Swift3 - In a UITextView or UILabel extension, add this function:
I added some code to keep the current attributed text if you are already using attributed strings with the view (instead of overwriting them).
func setLineHeight(_ lineHeight: CGFloat) {
guard let text = self.text, let font = self.font else { return }
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.lineSpacing = 1.0
paragraphStyle.lineHeightMultiple = lineHeight
paragraphStyle.alignment = self.textAlignment
var attrString:NSMutableAttributedString
if let attributed = self.attributedText {
attrString = NSMutableAttributedString(attributedString: attributed)
} else {
attrString = NSMutableAttributedString(string: text)
attrString.addAttribute(NSFontAttributeName, value: font, range: NSMakeRange(0, attrString.length))
}
attrString.addAttribute(NSParagraphStyleAttributeName, value:paragraphStyle, range:NSMakeRange(0, attrString.length))
self.attributedText = attrString
}
Another answer... If you're passing the string programmatically, you need to pass a attributed string instead a regular string and change it's style.(iOS10)
NSMutableAttributedString * attrString = [[NSMutableAttributedString alloc] initWithString:@"Your \nregular \nstring"];
NSMutableParagraphStyle *style = [[NSMutableParagraphStyle alloc] init];
[style setLineSpacing:4];
[attrString addAttribute:NSParagraphStyleAttributeName
value:style
range:NSMakeRange(0, attrString.length)];
_label.attributedText = attrString;
This should help with it. You can then assign your label to this custom class within the storyboard and use it's parameters directly within the properties:
open class SpacingLabel : UILabel {
@IBInspectable open var lineHeight:CGFloat = 1 {
didSet {
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.lineSpacing = 1.0
paragraphStyle.lineHeightMultiple = self.lineHeight
paragraphStyle.alignment = self.textAlignment
let attrString = NSMutableAttributedString(string: self.text!)
attrString.addAttribute(NSAttributedStringKey.font, value: self.font, range: NSMakeRange(0, attrString.length))
attrString.addAttribute(NSAttributedStringKey.paragraphStyle, value:paragraphStyle, range:NSMakeRange(0, attrString.length))
self.attributedText = attrString
}
}
}
Swift 4 label extension. Creating NSMutableAttributedString before passing into function in case there are extra attributes required for the attributed text.
extension UILabel {
func setLineHeightMultiple(to height: CGFloat, withAttributedText attributedText: NSMutableAttributedString) {
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.lineSpacing = 1.0
paragraphStyle.lineHeightMultiple = height
paragraphStyle.alignment = textAlignment
attributedText.addAttribute(.paragraphStyle, value: paragraphStyle, range: NSRange(location: 0, length: attributedText.length - 1))
self.attributedText = attributedText
}
}
Swift 3 extension:
import UIKit
extension UILabel {
func setTextWithLineSpacing(text: String, lineHeightMultiply: CGFloat = 1.3) {
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.lineHeightMultiple = lineHeightMultiply
paragraphStyle.alignment = .center
let attributedString = NSMutableAttributedString(string: text)
attributedString.addAttribute(NSParagraphStyleAttributeName, value: paragraphStyle, range: NSRange(location: 0, length: attributedString.length))
self.attributedText = attributedString
}
}
This code worked for me (ios 7 & ios 8 for sure).
_label.numberOfLines=2;
_label.textColor=[UIColor whiteColor];
NSMutableParagraphStyle *paragraphStyle = [[NSMutableParagraphStyle alloc] init];
paragraphStyle.lineHeightMultiple=0.5;
paragraphStyle.alignment = NSTextAlignmentCenter;
paragraphStyle.lineSpacing = 1.0;
NSDictionary *nameAttributes=@{
NSParagraphStyleAttributeName : paragraphStyle,
NSBaselineOffsetAttributeName:@2.0
};
NSAttributedString *string=[[NSAttributedString alloc] initWithString:@"22m\nago" attributes:nameAttributes];
_label.attributedText=string;
Here is my solution in swift. The subclass should work for both attributedText and text property and for characterSpacing + lineSpacing. It retains the spacing if a new string or attributedString is set.
open class UHBCustomLabel : UILabel {
@IBInspectable open var characterSpacing:CGFloat = 1 {
didSet {
updateWithSpacing()
}
}
@IBInspectable open var lines_spacing:CGFloat = -1 {
didSet {
updateWithSpacing()
}
}
open override var text: String? {
set {
super.text = newValue
updateWithSpacing()
}
get {
return super.text
}
}
open override var attributedText: NSAttributedString? {
set {
super.attributedText = newValue
updateWithSpacing()
}
get {
return super.attributedText
}
}
func updateWithSpacing() {
let attributedString = self.attributedText == nil ? NSMutableAttributedString(string: self.text ?? "") : NSMutableAttributedString(attributedString: attributedText!)
attributedString.addAttribute(NSKernAttributeName, value: self.characterSpacing, range: NSRange(location: 0, length: attributedString.length))
if lines_spacing >= 0 {
let paragraphStyle = NSMutableParagraphStyle()
paragraphStyle.lineSpacing = lines_spacing
paragraphStyle.alignment = textAlignment
attributedString.addAttribute(NSParagraphStyleAttributeName, value:paragraphStyle, range:NSMakeRange(0, attributedString.length))
}
super.attributedText = attributedString
}
}
As a quick-dirty-smart-simple workaround:
For UILabels that don't have much lines you can instead use stackViews.
- For each line write a new label.
- Embed them into a StackView.(select both labels-->Editor-->Embed In -->StackView
- Adjust the
Spacing
of the StackView to your desired amount
Be sure to stack them vertically. This solution also works for custom fonts.
UILabel
, then embed all labels in aStackView
. Finally adjust thespacing
ofStackView
. Remember to stack them vertically. – Honey