Automatic line decoration in HTML + CSS - php

Question

I've thought about this problem quite a bit.
Is there are way, say, to automatically insert a line decoration after each line (row) in a <div> or just any element that holds text?
For example:
This is the first line
This is the second line
I noticed this problem because underlines aren't ideal, and inserting a div or separating chunks of text in different divs is awkward. Because different characters have different widths in typography, If I used underscores the two lines become uneven in terms of width. I don't think tables can automatically separate a block of text in two rows. Not without some JQuery doing the split.
Is there something that will let define line decorations after lines ?
I need this because the text in the divs are coming from a database. I don't know the length of each line and so it's awkward If I assume a fixed number of characters per line and start chopping words in half at the end of lines,
like,
Hello World Wha
t is up.
Thanks!

Answer 1

Perhaps you can fake it with a "lined paper" effect. Here is one such result: http://css3.wikidot.com/blog:lined-paper-with-css
I'll copy it here to preserve it in case the original site moves or goes down.
The technique is quite simple - all we need is a repeating background gradient to give the effect of lines across the paper, and a pseudo element on the left to give the ruled margin.
.paper {
font: normal 12px/1.5 "Lucida Grande", arial, sans-serif;
width: 300px;
margin: 0 auto 10px;
padding: 6px 5px 4px 42px;
position: relative;
color: #444;
line-height: 20px;
border: 1px solid #d2d2d2;
background: #fff;
background: -webkit-gradient(linear, 0 0, 0 100%, from(#d9eaf3), color-stop(4%, #fff)) 0 4px;
background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, #d9eaf3 0%, #fff 8%) 0 4px;
background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, #d9eaf3 0%, #fff 8%) 0 4px;
background: -ms-linear-gradient(top, #d9eaf3 0%, #fff 8%) 0 4px;
background: -o-linear-gradient(top, #d9eaf3 0%, #fff 8%) 0 4px;
background: linear-gradient(top, #d9eaf3 0%, #fff 8%) 0 4px;
-webkit-background-size: 100% 20px;
-moz-background-size: 100% 20px;
-ms-background-size: 100% 20px;
-o-background-size: 100% 20px;
background-size: 100% 20px;
-webkit-border-radius: 3px;
-moz-border-radius: 3px;
border-radius: 3px;
-webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.07);
-moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.07);
box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.07);
}
.paper::before {
content: '';
position: absolute;
width: 4px;
top: 0;
left: 30px;
bottom: 0;
border: 1px solid;
border-color: transparent #efe4e4;
}
In order to get all the text to line up properly on the lines, you need to specifically declare margins and line heights for all text elements. Given we used a background size of 20px above (i.e. it's 20px between the lines), we need to use a line height (or an equivalent line height + margin) of 20px.
.paper h1,
.paper h2 {
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 16px;
margin: 0 0 4px;
}
.paper h3,
.paper h4,
.paper h5 {
font-size: 14px;
line-height: 16px;
margin: 0 0 4px;
}
.paper h4,
.paper h5 {
font-weight: normal;
}
.paper p {margin: 0 0 20px;}
.paper p:last-child {margin: 0;}
.paper ul {margin: 0 0 20px;}
Browser support
It works perfectly in Webkit and Opera, and almost perfectly in Firefox (the ruled margins on the left are 1 pixel too short at one end). Theoretically it should work in IE10, but I haven't tested it.

Answer 2

Another way would be to just create an 1xN.png with 1 pixel filled in at the bottom. and set that as your background-image. Where N equals the line height like below:
<--- Just a speck.
You could also convert the image into a data URI if you are worried about adding an extra request.
CSS
div {
background-image: url("1x16.png");
background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,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);
line-height: 16px;
}