Example
Change the widows and check print or print preview:
<html>
<head>
<script>
function ChangeWidows()
{
document.getElementById("p1").style.widows = document.getElementById("widows").value;
}
</script>
<style>
.othercontent
{
width: 400px;
border-top: 19cm solid #c3c3c3;
}
@page
{
/* set size of printed page */
size: 21cm 27cm;
margin-top: 2cm;
}
@media print
{
.widows
{
widows:2;
}
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="othercontent">
<input id="widows" value="2">
<button onclick="ChangeWidows();">Change widows</button>
<p style="font-size:120%" id="p1">
Change widows and see the print preview.<br>
Line 2<br>
Line 3<br>
Line 4<br>
Line 5<br>
Line 6<br>
Line 7<br>
Line 8<br>
</p>
<div class="othercontent">
</body>
</html>
Try it Yourself »
Definition and Usage
The widows property sets or returns the minimum number of lines for an element that must be visible at the top of a page (for printing or print preview).
The widows property only affects block-level elements.
Tip: widows:5 means that at least 5 lines must be visible below the page break.
Tip: See the orphans property to set or return the minimum number of lines for an element that must be visible at the bottom of a page.
Browser Support
The widows property is supported in Internet Explorer, Opera and Chrome.
Note: The widows property is not supported in Firefox or Safari. The property is not supported in IE7 and earlier. IE8 requires a !DOCTYPE. IE9 and later has full support.
Syntax
Return the widows property:
object.style.widows
Set the widows property:
object.style.widows="number|initial|inherit"
Property Values
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| number | An integer that specifies the minimum number of visible lines. Negative values are not allowed. The default value is 2 |
| initial | Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial |
| inherit | Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit |
Technical Details
| Default Value: | 2 |
|---|---|
| Return Value: | A String, representing the minimum number of lines to print at the top of the page |
| CSS Version | CSS2 |
< Style Object