How to Add Text Formatting to a Textarea using JavaScript? Last Updated : 14 Nov, 2024 Comments Improve Suggest changes Like Article Like Report To add text formatting (such as bold, italic, or inserting special characters) to a <textarea> using JavaScript, you can manipulate the selected text or insert formatted text at the cursor position. This can be done by directly modifying the value of the <textarea> based on user interactions.Example: Basic Text Formatting (Bold, Italic) in a TextareaHere's how you can implement basic text formatting functions:HTML Structure HTML <!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <title>Textarea Text Formatting</title> </head> <body> <textarea id="myTextarea" rows="8" cols="50" placeholder="Type some text..."></textarea> <br> <button onclick="wrapText('**', '**')">Bold</button> <button onclick="wrapText('*', '*')">Italic</button> <button onclick="insertText('[Link text](url)')">Insert Link</button> <script> // Function to wrap selected text with start and end tags (e.g., for bold or italic formatting) function wrapText(startTag, endTag) { const textarea = document.getElementById('myTextarea'); const start = textarea.selectionStart; const end = textarea.selectionEnd; const text = textarea.value; // Get the selected text const selectedText = text.substring(start, end); // Replace the selected text with formatted text const formattedText = startTag + selectedText + endTag; textarea.value = text.substring(0, start) + formattedText + text.substring(end); // Reposition the cursor textarea.selectionStart = start; textarea.selectionEnd = start + formattedText.length; // Focus back on the textarea textarea.focus(); } // Function to insert text at the cursor position function insertText(textToInsert) { const textarea = document.getElementById('myTextarea'); const start = textarea.selectionStart; const end = textarea.selectionEnd; const text = textarea.value; // Insert the text at the cursor position textarea.value = text.substring(0, start) + textToInsert + text.substring(end); // Update cursor position textarea.selectionStart = textarea.selectionEnd = start + textToInsert.length; // Focus back on the textarea textarea.focus(); } </script> </body> </html> Output:OutputBold TextItalic TextInserting LinkExplanationwrapText(startTag, endTag) Function:This function wraps the selected text in the <textarea> with specified startTag and endTag.For example, clicking the "Bold" button wraps the selected text with ** (Markdown-style bold formatting).It preserves the cursor position after the text is modified.insertText(textToInsert) Function:This function inserts text at the cursor position in the <textarea>.Useful for inserting links, special characters, or custom templates.Example UsageBold: Select text in the <textarea> and click the "Bold" button to wrap the text with ** (e.g., **selected text**).Italic: Select text in the <textarea> and click the "Italic" button to wrap the text with * (e.g., *selected text*).Insert Link: Click the "Insert Link" button to insert a Markdown-style link at the cursor position.Customizing Formatting OptionsYou can extend the example by adding more buttons or functions for other formatting options, such as:Underline: Wrap text with <u> and </u> tags (or equivalent formatting).Strikethrough: Use ~~ for Markdown or <s> tags for HTML.This approach gives you full control over text manipulation within a <textarea> element using JavaScript Comment More infoAdvertise with us Next Article How to Add Text Formatting to a Textarea using JavaScript? 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