Python textwrap Module: Text Formatting

import textwrap
 
text = "This is a very long line that needs to be wrapped to fit within a certain width for better readability."
 
# wrap: returns list of lines
lines = textwrap.wrap(text, width=40)
print(lines)
# ['This is a very long line that needs to',
#  'be wrapped to fit within a certain',
#  'width for better readability.']
 
# fill: returns single string with newlines
wrapped = textwrap.fill(text, width=40)
print(wrapped)
# This is a very long line that needs to
# be wrapped to fit within a certain
# width for better readability.

import textwrap
 
code = """
    def hello():
        print("Hello")
        return True
"""
 
# Remove common leading whitespace
cleaned = textwrap.dedent(code)
print(cleaned)
# 
# def hello():
#     print("Hello")
#     return True

def get_sql():
    return textwrap.dedent("""
        SELECT name, email
        FROM users
        WHERE active = true
        ORDER BY name
    """).strip()

import textwrap
 
text = """Line one
Line two
Line three"""
 
# Add prefix to all lines
indented = textwrap.indent(text, "  ")
print(indented)
#   Line one
#   Line two
#   Line three
 
# Add prefix conditionally
def not_empty(line):
    return line.strip() != ""
 
indented = textwrap.indent(text, "> ", predicate=not_empty)

import textwrap
 
text = "This is a long description that needs to be shortened for display."
 
short = textwrap.shorten(text, width=30)
print(short)  # "This is a long description [...]"
 
# Custom placeholder
short = textwrap.shorten(text, width=30, placeholder="...")
print(short)  # "This is a long description..."

import textwrap
 
wrapper = textwrap.TextWrapper(
    width=50,
    initial_indent="• ",      # First line prefix
    subsequent_indent="  ",   # Other lines prefix
    break_long_words=False,   # Don't break words
    break_on_hyphens=True,    # Break on hyphens
)
 
text = "This is a bullet point that explains something important and needs multiple lines."
print(wrapper.fill(text))
# • This is a bullet point that explains
#   something important and needs multiple
#   lines.

import textwrap
 
def print_help(commands: dict[str, str], width=60):
    for cmd, desc in commands.items():
        # Wrap description, indent continuation lines
        lines = textwrap.wrap(desc, width=width-20)
        print(f"  {cmd:<15} {lines[0]}")
        for line in lines[1:]:
            print(f"  {'':<15} {line}")
 
commands = {
    "init": "Initialize a new project in the current directory with default configuration.",
    "build": "Build the project for production deployment.",
    "test": "Run the test suite with coverage reporting enabled.",
}
print_help(commands)

import textwrap
 
def format_docstring(text: str, indent: int = 4) -> str:
    """Format text as a docstring."""
    lines = textwrap.wrap(text, width=72 - indent)
    indented = textwrap.indent("\n".join(lines), " " * indent)
    return f'"""\n{indented}\n{" " * indent}"""'

import textwrap
 
def log_message(level: str, message: str, width=80):
    prefix = f"[{level}] "
    wrapper = textwrap.TextWrapper(
        width=width,
        initial_indent=prefix,
        subsequent_indent=" " * len(prefix),
    )
    print(wrapper.fill(message))
 
log_message("ERROR", "Connection to database failed after 3 retries. The server may be down or the connection string may be incorrect.")
# [ERROR] Connection to database failed after 3 retries. The
#         server may be down or the connection string may be
#         incorrect.

import textwrap
 
def format_email_body(paragraphs: list[str], width=72) -> str:
    wrapped = []
    for p in paragraphs:
        wrapped.append(textwrap.fill(p, width=width))
    return "\n\n".join(wrapped)

import textwrap
 
def format_quote(text: str, author: str, width=60) -> str:
    wrapped = textwrap.fill(text, width=width-2)
    quoted = textwrap.indent(wrapped, "> ")
    return f"{quoted}\n> \n> — {author}"
 
print(format_quote(
    "The only way to do great work is to love what you do.",
    "Steve Jobs"
))
# > The only way to do great work is to love what
# > you do.
# > 
# > — Steve Jobs

import textwrap
 
# Wrap to list of lines
textwrap.wrap(text, width=70)
 
# Wrap to single string
textwrap.fill(text, width=70)
 
# Remove common indentation
textwrap.dedent(text)
 
# Add indentation
textwrap.indent(text, prefix)
 
# Truncate with ellipsis
textwrap.shorten(text, width, placeholder="[...]")
 
# Reusable wrapper
wrapper = textwrap.TextWrapper(
    width=70,
    initial_indent="",
    subsequent_indent="",
    expand_tabs=True,
    tabsize=8,
    replace_whitespace=True,
    drop_whitespace=True,
    break_long_words=True,
    break_on_hyphens=True,
)