2.1.2.8 StringFormat Flags

Article
10/13/2021

The StringFormat flags specify options for graphics text layout, including direction, clipping and font handling. These flags can be combined to specify multiple options.

Constant/value	Description
StringFormatDirectionRightToLeft 0x00000001	If set, the reading order of the string SHOULD be right to left. For horizontal text, this means that characters are read from right to left. For vertical text, this means that columns are read from right to left. If clear, horizontal or vertical text SHOULD be read from left to right.
StringFormatDirectionVertical 0x00000002	If set, individual lines of text SHOULD be drawn vertically on the display device. If clear, individual lines of text SHOULD be drawn horizontally, with each new line below the previous line.
StringFormatNoFitBlackBox 0x00000004	If set, parts of characters MUST be allowed to overhang the text layout rectangle. If clear, characters that overhang the boundaries of the text layout rectangle MUST be repositioned to avoid overhang. An italic, "f" is an example of a character that can have overhanging parts.
StringFormatDisplayFormatControl 0x00000020	If set, control characters SHOULD appear in the output as representative Unicode glyphs.
StringFormatNoFontFallback 0x00000400	If set, an alternate font SHOULD be used for characters that are not supported in the requested font. If clear, a character missing from the requested font SHOULD appear as a "font missing" character, which MAY be an open square.
StringFormatMeasureTrailingSpaces 0x00000800	If set, the space at the end of each line MUST be included in measurements of string length. If clear, the space at the end of each line MUST be excluded from measurements of string length.
StringFormatNoWrap 0x00001000	If set, a string that extends past the end of the text layout rectangle MUST NOT be wrapped to the next line. If clear, a string that extends past the end of the text layout rectangle MUST be broken at the last word boundary within the bounding rectangle, and the remainder of the string MUST be wrapped to the next line.
StringFormatLineLimit 0x00002000	If set, whole lines of text SHOULD be output and SHOULD NOT be clipped by the string's layout rectangle. If clear, text layout SHOULD continue until all lines are output, or until additional lines would not be visible as a result of clipping. This flag can be used either to deny or allow a line of text to be partially obscured by a layout rectangle that is not a multiple of line height. For all text to be visible, a layout rectangle at least as tall as the height of one line.
StringFormatNoClip 0x00004000	If set, text extending outside the string layout rectangle SHOULD be allowed to show. If clear, all text that extends outside the layout rectangle SHOULD be clipped.
StringFormatBypassGDI 0x80000000	This flag MAY be used to specify an implementation-specific process for rendering text.<9>

Constant/value

Description

StringFormatDirectionRightToLeft

0x00000001

If set, the reading order of the string SHOULD be right to left. For horizontal text, this means that characters are read from right to left. For vertical text, this means that columns are read from right to left.

If clear, horizontal or vertical text SHOULD be read from left to right.

StringFormatDirectionVertical

0x00000002

If set, individual lines of text SHOULD be drawn vertically on the display device.

If clear, individual lines of text SHOULD be drawn horizontally, with each new line below the previous line.

StringFormatNoFitBlackBox

0x00000004

If set, parts of characters MUST be allowed to overhang the text layout rectangle.

If clear, characters that overhang the boundaries of the text layout rectangle MUST be repositioned to avoid overhang.

An italic, "f" is an example of a character that can have overhanging parts.

StringFormatDisplayFormatControl

0x00000020

If set, control characters SHOULD appear in the output as representative Unicode glyphs.

StringFormatNoFontFallback

0x00000400

If set, an alternate font SHOULD be used for characters that are not supported in the requested font.

If clear, a character missing from the requested font SHOULD appear as a "font missing" character, which MAY be an open square.

StringFormatMeasureTrailingSpaces

0x00000800

If set, the space at the end of each line MUST be included in measurements of string length.

If clear, the space at the end of each line MUST be excluded from measurements of string length.

StringFormatNoWrap

0x00001000

If set, a string that extends past the end of the text layout rectangle MUST NOT be wrapped to the next line.

If clear, a string that extends past the end of the text layout rectangle MUST be broken at the last word boundary within the bounding rectangle, and the remainder of the string MUST be wrapped to the next line.

StringFormatLineLimit

0x00002000

If set, whole lines of text SHOULD be output and SHOULD NOT be clipped by the string's layout rectangle.

If clear, text layout SHOULD continue until all lines are output, or until additional lines would not be visible as a result of clipping.

This flag can be used either to deny or allow a line of text to be partially obscured by a layout rectangle that is not a multiple of line height. For all text to be visible, a layout rectangle at least as tall as the height of one line.

StringFormatNoClip

0x00004000

If set, text extending outside the string layout rectangle SHOULD be allowed to show.

If clear, all text that extends outside the layout rectangle SHOULD be clipped.

StringFormatBypassGDI

0x80000000

This flag MAY be used to specify an implementation-specific process for rendering text.<9>

Graphics text layout is specified by EmfPlusStringFormat objects.

See section 2.1.2 for the specification of additional bit flags.

2.1.2.8 StringFormat Flags

Additional resources