The flow text, also running text, is a text that has been set in one piece and is thus not interspersed with interruptions (pictures, paragraphs, footnotes, tables, headings, etc.). A flow text is therefore a continuous, continuous text. For the literary genre of the epic, prosaic flow texts are characteristic, while the drama, but above all the lyric, are characterized by numerous interruptions (verses, hook style, stanzas, etc.).
In such a text, the text flows from one line to the next and is limited only by the column width, that is, by the end of the space intended for the text. Therefore, the text fills line by line and only the line break at the end of a column breaks the scrolling text. Furthermore, it is usual to split words that are too long at the end of a line (word separation) in order to avoid unsightly gaps in the text. Reasons for content can also lead to the premature breaking of the line.
A deliberate, premature line break, that is, the position at which a text transitions to the next line, even if the usable area of a page has not yet been used, is permitted. The word separation, that is, splitting a word into two lines, which is indicated by a quarter dash (-), is also permissible. It is not allowed to break through paragraphs or other elements.
Flow text and non-flow text, for example
The above diagram illustrates the principle. As is apparent from the left, flow texts are not interrupted, so there are no other elements between the lines of a text – such as images, subtitles, and the like. A closer look reveals that the flow text in the picture nevertheless fills on the right side. Thus, flow texts are not inevitably set as a block set.
Flow text and block set
As a block sentence, a method is called in the typography, to bring the text to the same width. Each line of a text logically ends in the same place, whereby the text appears flush on both sides. Words that no longer fit into one line are separated here. Typically, the block set is used in newspapers and magazines, but it is hardly used on the Internet, since online does not automatically divide words, which can lead to unsightly gaps.
Thus, a flow text is a reasonable prerequisite if a text is to be set as a block sentence, since there are no interfering elements, but flow texts can also be set right or left flush. Let’s take a closer look at the difference in alignment:
No matter how the text is aligned, it still remains a flow text.
The above example clearly illustrates the difference between a left-aligned alignment and the block set, with both sides flush and non-fluttering. Both texts can be referred to as flow text, regardless of their orientation, since they are continuous and are therefore not interrupted by any other element or paragraph. The alignment is therefore secondary.
Short overview: The most important overview
A continuous text, which is not interrupted by illustrations, paragraphs or the like, is called continuous text, although line breaks as well as word separations are allowed as content and design elements.
Not to be confused is the term with the block sentence. This means that a text appears left-aligned and right-aligned, that is to say optically on both sides of the useful surface of one side. Flow texts can be set in the block set, but also right and left.
Characteristic is such a representation for works in prose (novels, short stories, etc.), whereas lyrical and dramatic texts are usually unable to fulfill the essential criteria due to their characteristics. An exception can be the prosperity.
Note: The term is also used in a colloquial manner in order to deny a succession of points in advance. For example, poem analyzes, textual analyzes, descriptions of pictures, etc. should be made in a continuous text. In this case, of course, paragraphs are allowed which divide the text into sense sections.