Tekstlinje

Tekstlinje is a Norwegian term for a single horizontal row of characters in a document or on a screen. It is the basic unit of text layout, extending from the left margin to the right boundary of its containing area, or until a line break is inserted. The length of a tekstlinje is determined by the available width, the font choice, and the font size, as well as any layout settings such as margins and padding.

In typography, several related concepts influence a tekstlinje. Line length (or measure) affects readability, with practical guidelines often suggesting about 50–75 characters per line in Latin-script text, depending on font and medium. Line height (leading) controls vertical spacing between tekstlinjer and impacts overall density and legibility. Wrapping rules, hyphenation, and word breaks determine where a tekstlinje ends when text flows to the next line. Alignment options include left alignment, right alignment, centered text, and justification; justified text aims for even margins but may introduce variable spacing between words.

In digital contexts, a tekstlinje is typically terminated by a newline character (for example LF or CRLF) in plain text files. On screens and in web content, line breaks may be influenced by layout engines, CSS white-space handling, and responsive design, causing tekstlinjer to adapt to different viewport widths.

Overall, the tekstlinje is a fundamental concept in typography and text processing, shaping readability, layout, and the way content is presented on pages and displays.