HTML bdo Tag

The <bdo> tag in HTML stands for “Bidirectional Override.” It is used to override the default bidirectional text directionality of a specific portion of text. This tag is primarily used when you want to explicitly specify the directionality of a text span within a document.

The <bdo> tag has a dir attribute that can take two possible values: ltr (left-to-right) or rtl (right-to-left). This attribute determines the direction in which the text should be rendered, regardless of the surrounding text’s directionality.

Here’s an example usage of the <bdo> tag:

<p>
     I prefer to write my name as
     <bdo dir="rtl">نهجول</bdo>
     in Arabic.
</p>

In the example above, the text “نهجول” is specified as right-to-left using the <bdo> tag with the dir="rtl" attribute. This ensures that the Arabic text is rendered correctly from right to left, even within a predominantly left-to-right paragraph.

It’s important to note that the <bdo> tag should be used sparingly and only when necessary to override the default text directionality. HTML’s default rendering automatically handles the correct text directionality based on the content and the context. The <bdo> tag should be used when you need to explicitly define the directionality of a particular text span within a document.

Similar to the <bdi> tag, the <bdo> tag itself doesn’t provide any visual styling. Its purpose is to control the text directionality. You can apply additional CSS styles to the <bdo> element if you want to modify its appearance.

Remember to use the <bdo> tag judiciously and only when it’s necessary to explicitly specify the directionality of text within your HTML document.