Text Wrapping and URLs

This article will be most useful for Syllabus Editors.

Text Wrapping and URLs

When a user opts to print or download a Concourse syllabus, they effectively transform the HTML version of the syllabus into a PDF file using their web browser’s capabilities. During this process, URLs embedded in the syllabus are added to the text of the syllabus in parentheses to improve the PDF file’s accessibility (see comparison below).

If a syllabus is converted to a PDF and it contains any tables that include URLs, the display may be impacted. Depending on your browser, the final column of the table may be cut off; even cells that do not contain URLs are impacted when the final column is cut off (see image below).

Note that there are fewer conditions in Chrome that allow for text wrapping for long URLs. When a user converts a syllabus to a PDF using Chrome, a long URL may not be separated at all during display, leading to text in the table being cut off. This behavior may not occur as frequently in other browsers.

Recommendations

If you find that text has not been included in a syllabus download due to long URLs, consider the following recommendations:

1. Try a different browser. Browsers like Firefox and Edge apply more conditions for text wrapping long URLs, and this same behavior may not occur in one of those browsers.
2. Edit the syllabus so that links are not included in tables if possible. For example, an addendum of links could be added as a course file.
3. If the syllabus is being downloaded so that it can be shared with academic leaders for review, those users can instead access and review the HTML version of the syllabus with domain permissions, therefore circumventing the need to download.

If a user must download a syllabus via Chrome, the following steps may resolve the text display issue:

1. In the syllabus to be downloaded, select the Syllabus drop down. In the drop down menu, choose Print.
2. In your browser’s print window, expand More settings and select the paper size A2.
3. Save the PDF from the print window.
4. Open the PDF in the PDF reader of your choice. In that application, follow the steps to print and select letter paper size.
5. There may be a checkbox to select to scale the PDF to fit.
   
6. Save by selecting Print.

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