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Auto Break

Auto Break is the line-breaking logic embedded within the Automatic Formatting workflow. It distributes the words of an event across lines in a way that respects the configured maximum characters-per-line setting, aiming for balanced, readable output. Understanding how Auto Break works helps you configure Auto Format settings for the best results and recognize when manual adjustment is preferable.

Prerequisites​

  • A project is open with at least one Event Group.
  • Event Group settings are configured with the appropriate maximum characters per line and maximum lines per event values.

Auto Break is not an independent control — it is applied as part of the Automatic Formatting workflow. Access it via Edit > Auto Format Custom or the Auto Format button in the secondary toolbar.

See Automatic Formatting for the full workflow and all configuration options.

How Auto Break works​

When reformatting an event, Auto Break takes the full plain-text word content of the event and distributes it across lines, inserting paragraph breaks to keep each line within the configured maximum character count. The algorithm attempts to produce lines of roughly equal length — it does not simply break at the character limit but instead evaluates different break positions and selects the one that results in the most balanced distribution.

The Allow Orphan Words setting controls whether a line can end with a single word that is significantly shorter than the others. When orphan words are not allowed, the algorithm will try to redistribute nearby words to avoid leaving isolated short words at the end of a line. Enabling orphan words allows more aggressive line breaking, which can be useful when strict line-balance is less important than staying within the character limit.

Auto Break is applied after Automatic Formatting has determined which events need to be reformed and has handled any splitting of oversized events. The line break logic runs on each individual event's text content as the final step before the event is written back to the Event Group.

When manual line breaking is preferable​

Auto Break works well for standard dialogue where words flow naturally from one line to the next. It is less effective for events containing proper nouns, compound phrases, or syntax where a line break in the wrong position would break the natural reading flow. In those cases, use Shift Words or Shift Lines after running Auto Format to fine-tune the line break position without triggering a full reformat.

Source notes​

  • Components: src/components/modals/AutoFormat.svelte, src/external/cc-lib/functions/helpers/textBreak.js