Horizontal text

Category: API Collection

Overview

Lay out vertical text horizontally in your app when people turn on the Prefer Horizontal Text setting.

Details

Topics

• Horizontal text
• static var prefersHorizontalTextLayout: Bool
• static var prefersHorizontalTextLayoutDidChangeNotification: Notification.Name

See Also

• Supporting vision accessibility features
• API ReferenceVoiceOver
• Flashing lights
• API ReferenceAudio graphs
• API ReferenceBraille displays
• API ReferenceAnimated images

• WWDC21 Challenge: Large Text Challenge

• Accessibility

• Vision
• Horizontal text

Overview

People use the Prefer Horizontal Text setting to specify a preference for laying out text horizontally in languages that support vertical text. By default, the setting is off, which allows languages that support vertical text to lay out text vertically. A person can turn on the setting to indicate that they prefer a horizontal text layout where possible.

In your app, handle changes to the Prefer Horizontal Text setting to create an enjoyable experience for people who choose to opt in to a horizontal text layout. Register for the notification prefersHorizontalTextLayoutDidChangeNotification to respond to changes in this setting:

import Accessibility

NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(self,
    selector: #selector(prefersHorizontalTextChanged),
    name: NSNotification.Name.prefersHorizontalTextLayoutDidChangeNotification,
    object: nil)

When the Prefer Horizontal Text setting changes, perform changes to your UI to update how you lay out text:

@objc 
func prefersHorizontalTextChanged(_ notification: Notification) {
    if AccessibilitySettings.prefersHorizontalTextLayout {
        // The setting is on. Use a horizontal layout for text where possible.
    } else {
        // The setting is off. Use a vertical layout for languages that support vertical text.
}

Check the value of the Prefer Horizontal Text setting at any time by using prefersHorizontalTextLayout .

Topics (Grouped)

• varprefersHorizontalTextLayout:Bool — static; A Boolean value that indicates whether the system setting to prefer horizontal text for languages that support both vertical and horizontal text layout is on.
• varprefersHorizontalTextLayoutDidChangeNotification:Notification.Name — static; A notification that posts when the system setting to prefer horizontal text for languages that support both vertical and horizontal text layout changes.

Supporting vision accessibility features

• VoiceOver — API Reference; A gesture-based screen reader that provides an auditory description of the content onscreen.
• Flashing lights — Article; Detect, mitigate, and inform people about flashing lights in media content.
• Audio graphs — API Reference; Define an accessible representation of your chart for VoiceOver to generate an audio graph.
• Braille displays — API Reference; Display a graphical representation of images, icons, data, and more on a two-dimensional braille display.
• Animated images — API Reference; Pause animations in animated images in your app when people turn off the Animated Images setting.
• WWDC21 Challenge: Large Text Challenge — Sample Code; Design for large text sizes by modifying the user interface.

Code Examples

import Accessibility


NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(self,
    selector: #selector(prefersHorizontalTextChanged),
    name: NSNotification.Name.prefersHorizontalTextLayoutDidChangeNotification,
    object: nil)

@objc 
func prefersHorizontalTextChanged(_ notification: Notification) {
    if AccessibilitySettings.prefersHorizontalTextLayout {
        // The setting is on. Use a horizontal layout for text where possible.
    } else {
        // The setting is off. Use a vertical layout for languages that support vertical text.
    }
}

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Source: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/accessibility/horizontal-text