Hey everyone, I’m working on a project and I’m wondering if there’s a JavaScript library out there that can handle text layout like Google Docs does. You know how smooth and responsive Google Docs is with text formatting and placement? That’s what I’m after.
I’ve been digging around and noticed that Google Docs doesn’t use the usual stuff like designMode or contentEditable. It seems they’ve cooked up their own special sauce for text handling. Microsoft Office Online looks like they’re doing something similar too.
Does anyone know of a library or engine that can give me that kind of text layout power in JavaScript? I’m not looking to clone Google Docs, but I need something that can handle complex text layouts efficiently. Any suggestions or experiences you can share would be super helpful!
Here’s a basic example of what I’m trying to do:
function createTextEditor(container) {
const editor = new FancyTextEngine(container);
editor.init();
editor.setFont('Arial', 12);
editor.addParagraph('This is a test paragraph');
editor.onTextChange((text) => {
console.log('Text updated:', text);
});
}
Of course, this is just a mock-up. I’m hoping to find a real library that can do this kind of stuff. Any ideas?
I’ve actually been down this road before, and it’s a tricky one. After a lot of trial and error, I found that Quill.js comes pretty close to what you’re looking for. It’s not exactly Google Docs, but it’s robust and handles complex text layouts well.
One thing to keep in mind is that these rich text editors can be resource-intensive. When I implemented Quill in a project, I had to do some optimization to keep things running smoothly, especially for larger documents.
If you need more control, you might want to look into building on top of Draft.js. It’s more of a framework than a ready-to-go solution, but it gives you a lot of flexibility. Facebook uses it for their rich text editing needs, so it’s battle-tested.
Remember, though, that getting that Google Docs level of smoothness isn’t just about the library – it’s also about how you implement it. You’ll likely need to put in some work on performance optimization, regardless of which solution you choose.
Have you considered looking into ProseMirror? It’s a toolkit for building rich-text editors that might suit your needs. I’ve used it in a project before, and while it has a steeper learning curve than some alternatives, it offers a lot of flexibility and performance.
ProseMirror allows you to define your own document model, which can be really powerful for custom formatting needs. It also handles collaborative editing well if that’s something you might need down the line.
One thing to note: ProseMirror is more of a foundation than a ready-to-use editor. You’ll need to put in some work to get it configured exactly how you want. But in my experience, the effort pays off in terms of control and customization.
If you decide to go this route, their documentation is quite good, and there’s an active community for support.
hey, have u checked out tiptap? its pretty cool for text editing stuff. i used it in a project once and it was pretty easy to get going. it’s built on top of prosemirror so its got some power under the hood. might be worth a look if ur trying to do something google docs-ish