CanvasRenderingContext2D.direction

This is an experimental technology
Because this technology's specification has not stabilized, check the compatibility table for usage in various browsers. Also note that the syntax and behavior of an experimental technology is subject to change in future versions of browsers as the specification changes.

The CanvasRenderingContext2D.direction property of the Canvas 2D API specifies the current text direction used when drawing text.

Syntax

ctx.direction = "ltr" || "rtl" || "inherit";

Options

Possible values:

ltr
The text direction is left-to-right.
rtl
The text direction is right-to-left.
inherit
The text direction is inherited from the <canvas> element or the Document as appropriate.

The default value is inherit.

Examples

Using the direction property

This is just a simple code snippet using the direction property to set a different text baseline setting.

HTML

<canvas id="canvas"></canvas>

JavaScript

var canvas = document.getElementById('canvas');
var ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
ctx.font = '48px serif';
ctx.direction = 'ltr';
ctx.strokeText('Hello world', 0, 100);

Edit the code below and see your changes update live in the canvas:

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
WHATWG HTML Living Standard
The definition of 'CanvasRenderingContext2D.direction' in that specification.
Living Standard  

Browser compatibility

Feature Chrome Firefox (Gecko) Internet Explorer Opera Safari
Basic support (Yes) [1] No support No support No support (Yes)
Feature Android Chrome for Android Firefox Mobile (Gecko) IE Mobile Opera Mobile Safari Mobile
Basic support (Yes) (Yes) No support No support No support (Yes)

[1] This feature is deactivated by default. Use the ExperimentalCanvasFeatures feature flag to enable it.

See also

Document Tags and Contributors

 Contributors to this page: nmve, fscholz, DanielRentz
 Last updated by: nmve,