TeX - LaTeX Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for users of TeX, LaTeX, ConTeXt, and related typesetting systems. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I use a footnote with a too long url, so that I'd like to see a linebreak. The url package does linebreaks automatically as far as i know, but in the footnote it won't do it. Anyone have a solution to this?
\footnote{\url{http://www.this-is-a-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-long.url/}}
The url package documentation suggests the following:
Ordinarily, breaks are not allowed after "-" characters because this leads to confusion. (Is the "-" part of the address or just a hyphen?) The package option
[hyphens]allows breaks after explicit hyphen characters. The\urlcommand will never ever hyphenate words.
If your original example included a URL that has that specific structure, then \usepackage[hyphens]{url} will solve your problem.
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[hyphens]{url}
\begin{document}
This is text\footnote{\url{http://www.this-is-a-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-long.url/}}.
\end{document}
The url package does linebreaks automatically [in long URL strings], but in the footnote it won't do it.
The main issue -- not touched on by the previously-posted answers -- is that the \url macro is "fragile" (in the LaTeX-specific sense of the word). That's why typesetting URL strings -- especially long URL strings -- in footnotes can be tricky.
For just such cases, the user guide of the url package recommends the "defined-URL" approach, as it is "robust" -- again, the LaTeX-specific sense of the word. Use the \urldef macro to create a defined URL.
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[hyphens,spaces,obeyspaces]{url}
\urldef{\footurl}\url{http://www.this-is-a-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-long.url/}
\usepackage[colorlinks]{hyperref} % optional
\begin{document}
\footnote{\footurl} % use the "defined URL" in the argument of "\footnote"
\end{document}
\urldef like this, but it does not work. :( I am using \usepackage{hyperref} and \PassOptionsToPackage{hyphens}{url}.
\urldef instruction. (b) What is the precise nature of the does-not-work problem: Do you get an error message, a warning message, the URL doesn't get displayed, the footnote doesn't even show up, or something else?
\urldef{\footurl}\url{https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinas-plan-to-organize-its-whole-society-around-big-data-a-rating-for-everyone/2016/10/20/1cd0dd9c-9516-11e6-ae9d-0030ac1899cd_story.html} with \footnote{\footurl} as in your example. No errors or warnings, footnote shows as usual, but without the intended linebreak.
\PassOptionsToPackage{hyphens}{url} works flawlessly. For sure, if I use the setup shown in the answer above, i.e., if I type \usepackage[hyphens,spaces,obeyspaces]{url} before loading hyperref, the URL is typeset across three lines, without further ado.
\usepackage instead of \PassOptionsToPackage, won't that give you a LaTeX Error: Option clash for package url. since hyperref also loads the url package?
Or – not fancy but effective – simply replace the hyphens in the URL by "\%2D". It doesn't look as nice as hyphens, but this way it breaks correctly and still works fine as a link.
E.g.
\url{http://www.whysomanyhyphens.com/content/this-article-has-its-whole-title-as-the-url-that-will-never-fit-in-your-puny-footnote}
becomes
\url{http://www.whysomanyhyphens.com/content/this\%2Darticle\%2Dhas\%2Dits\%2Dwhole\%2Dtitle\%2Das\%2Dthe\%2Durl\%2Dthat\%2Dwill\%2Dnever\%2Dfit\%2Din\%2Dyour\%2Dpuny\%2Dfootnote}
Especially when the url is long and cryptic (=ugly) anyway, I just do that.
My solution simply defines a new command which is capable of separating the URL at any position.
I make use of this solution, by formating every character as texttt and appending \hskip 0pt plus 1pt. The following example code defines the command urlx:
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{hyperref}
% TT every character and hyphenate after it
\def\hyphenateAndTtWholeString #1{\xHyphenate#1$\wholeString\unskip}
\def\xHyphenate#1#2\wholeString {\if#1$%
\else\transform{#1}%
\takeTheRest#2\ofTheString\fi}
\def\takeTheRest#1\ofTheString\fi
{\fi \xHyphenate#1\wholeString}
\def\transform#1{\url{#1}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt}
% Define the \urlx command which works like \url, but with line brakes
\def\urlx #1{\href{#1}{\hyphenateAndTtWholeString{#1}}}
\begin{document}
Test\footnote{Test: \urlx{http://www.this-is-a-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-very-long.de/}}
\end{document}
Produces:
Explanation:
By typing e.g. \urlx{www.tt.net}, the command produces actually:
\href{www.tt.net}{\texttt{w}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt\texttt{w}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt\texttt{w}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt\texttt{.}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt\texttt{t}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt\texttt{t}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt\texttt{.}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt\texttt{n}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt\texttt{e}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt\texttt{t}\hskip 0pt plus 1pt}
Try using the following package:
\usepackage{xurl}
\urldoes a good job in breaking the URL; this particular example can't be broken, because the hyphen is not a permissible point. Can you show the real URL?