Calculate text width with JavaScript

Question

I\'d like to use JavaScript to calculate the width of a string. Is this possible without having to use a monospace typeface?

If it\'s not built-in, my only idea is t

Answer 1

Here's one I whipped together without example. It looks like we are all on the same page.

String.prototype.width = function(font) {
  var f = font || '12px arial',
      o = $('
')
            .text(this)
            .css({'position': 'absolute', 'float': 'left', 'white-space': 'nowrap', 'visibility': 'hidden', 'font': f})
            .appendTo($('body')),
      w = o.width();

  o.remove();

  return w;
}

Using it is simple: "a string".width()

**Added white-space: nowrap so strings with width larger than the window width can be calculated.