# Ellipsising long names: don't replace a single character

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/ellipsising-long-names-dont-replace-a-single-character/64141
**Category:** UX
**Created:** [8 Giugno 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ellipsising-long-names-dont-replace-a-single-character/64141 "2017-06-08T00:04:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![barryvan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/barryvan/32/82635_2.png) [@barryvan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/barryvan)
#### Post date: [8 Giugno 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ellipsising-long-names-dont-replace-a-single-character/64141/1 "2017-06-08T00:04:25Z")

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I just noticed this when reporting a separate issue:

 ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/a/9/a93c6ef06d021353ab56bc658d40b0493d0ac4fd.png)

The ellipsis has replaced a single “n” from the end of my name. Can the algorithm be changed such that it will only ellipsise strings to _shorten_ them? In other words, if the length of the ellipsised string is the same as the original string, don’t ellipsise?

(I’m assuming that this ellipsis is added programatically, rather than with CSS – if CSS is based around the _actual_ width of the characters, using `text-overflow: ellipsis` might be simpler!)

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### Author: ![DeanMarkTaylor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/deanmarktaylor/32/102462_2.png) [@DeanMarkTaylor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/DeanMarkTaylor)
#### Post date: [8 Giugno 2017, 12:31am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ellipsising-long-names-dont-replace-a-single-character/64141/2 "2017-06-08T00:31:41Z")

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> [@barryvan](#):
>
> using text-overflow: ellipsis might be simpler

It already is using that here:

> <https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/e6c6a9e2d35b8165d9940e6d4f5fef67dab07c57/app/assets/stylesheets/desktop/user-card.scss#L68-L69>

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### Author: ![barryvan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/barryvan/32/82635_2.png) [@barryvan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/barryvan)
#### Post date: [8 Giugno 2017, 12:42am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ellipsising-long-names-dont-replace-a-single-character/64141/3 "2017-06-08T00:42:50Z")

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How bizarre. 😕 Must be a bug in the browser, then. Thanks @DeanMarkTaylor!