Description
Mixed-direction text can be difficult to read. An English file path, command, or link inside an Arabic paragraph may place punctuation in an unexpected order.
Idraaak RTL Helper adds two controls to the block editor’s text formatting menu:
- Isolate left-to-right text for selected English text, links, commands, and file paths inside Arabic or other right-to-left text.
- Isolate right-to-left text for selected Arabic, Hebrew, or other right-to-left text inside a left-to-right paragraph.
Select the text that needs a different direction, open the formatting menu, and choose the matching control. Select the formatted text and choose the same control again to remove it. Choosing the other direction replaces the previous direction within your selection.
The plugin saves ordinary span elements with a dir attribute and a scoped CSS class. Its small stylesheet applies CSS unicode-bidi: isolate in the editor and on the public site. Existing links and other inline formatting are preserved.
It does not automatically change paragraphs, alter old posts, or insert invisible Unicode direction characters. The controls are intended for text selections in blocks that support rich text, such as paragraphs, headings, and list items.
Developed by Idraaak, a website about computers, software, networking, and WordPress.
Privacy
The plugin has no account requirement, analytics, cookies, tracking, remote services, or external asset requests. It stores no options or custom database tables. Its JavaScript runs only in the block editor. The public site receives only the local stylesheet.
Installation
- Upload the
idraaak-rtl-helperfolder to/wp-content/plugins/, or upload the plugin ZIP through Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin. - Activate Idraaak RTL Helper.
- Open a post or page in the block editor.
- Select the English or Arabic phrase whose direction needs isolation.
- Open the text formatting menu and choose the relevant isolation control.
- Save the post and check its appearance on the public site.
FAQ
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Does this turn the whole website into an RTL website?
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No. It changes only the text you explicitly select. The surrounding block, theme, and layout keep their existing direction.
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Does it support the Classic Editor or third-party page builders?
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The editing controls require the WordPress block editor. It does not add controls to the Classic Editor or page builders. Content already formatted by the plugin can still be displayed on the public site.
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Does it format a whole Code block?
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No. The controls work with rich-text selections. Use the Code block’s own settings for a whole code block. The plugin can isolate inline commands and text that already use inline code formatting in a paragraph.
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What happens if I deactivate the plugin?
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Your text and links remain in the post, including the saved
dirattributes. The plugin’s stylesheet and editing controls stop loading, so full CSS isolation is no longer supplied by this plugin. You can remove the formatting before deactivation or retain the two CSS rules in your theme. -
Is Arabic translation included?
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Yes. The two editor control labels include an Arabic translation. The labels are translatable through WordPress’s script translation system.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“Idraaak RTL Helper” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “Idraaak RTL Helper” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.0.0
- Initial release with explicit LTR and RTL inline isolation controls.
- Local editor and public-site styles, with Arabic editor labels.