How to Align Decimal Points in HTML: Is There a Foolproof Solution?

Decimal Point Alignment in HTML

The challenge of aligning decimal points in HTML has been a longstanding one, with no universally accepted solution. Two common approaches include splitting numbers into their constituent parts and using a "char" attribute in a element. However, neither of these methods provides a fully satisfactory solution.

A more elegant approach is to employ the Unicode character known as "FIGURE SPACE" (U 2007). This whitespace character is designed to have the same width as digits and maintains its spacing. By using figure spaces as padding, numbers can be aligned on either the left or right side of a column or div.

Example:

Consider the following code snippet:

<code class="html"><p style="font-family: sans-serif">
  10000<br>
  &#8199;&#8199;123.4<br>
  &#8199;&#8199;&#8199;&#8199;3.141592
</p></code>

This code produces a list of numbers with the decimal points aligned vertically. The figure spaces used as padding ensure that the numbers occupy the same horizontal space, regardless of their length.

Note:

It is important to note that font rendering can affect the appearance of figure spaces. Some fonts may not support figure spaces at all, while others may render them with slightly different widths. It is advisable to test the appearance of figure spaces in the desired browser and font combination to ensure alignment is consistent.

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