A JavaScript utility for writing multiline strings without concatenation or array joins.
Multiline is a JavaScript utility library that provides a clean syntax for writing multiline strings without concatenation or array joins. It solves the problem of messy, hard-to-read string concatenation in JavaScript by allowing developers to write multiline content inside block comments within a function wrapper. While ES2015 template literals are now preferred, Multiline was widely used as a practical solution before they became standard.
JavaScript developers working in environments without ES2015 template literal support, or those maintaining legacy codebases where readable multiline strings are needed without build tooling.
Developers choose Multiline for its simplicity, readability, and compatibility—it works in Node.js and browsers back to IE6 without transpilation, and integrates cleanly into existing JavaScript code with minimal overhead.
Multiline strings in JavaScript
Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.
Eliminates cumbersome string concatenation with plus operators by allowing multiline strings inside block comments, making code more readable as shown in the README's 'Before' and 'After' examples.
The stripIndent() method removes leading whitespace automatically, preserving code indentation without manual trimming, demonstrated in the usage section for formatted output.
Works in Node.js and browsers back to Internet Explorer 6, providing a practical solution for environments without ES2015 support, as stated in the compatibility section.
Supports console.log-style substitution for dynamic content within multiline strings, enabling easy variable interpolation without complex escaping, as illustrated in the README examples.
The README admits it's slower than string concatenation (though 2 million ops/sec), which could impact high-frequency string operations in performance-sensitive applications.
With ES2015 template literals now standard, multiline is largely obsolete for new projects, serving mainly as a legacy workaround with added syntactic boilerplate.
Requires specific comment markers (e.g., /*! or /*@preserve) and minifier configurations, adding maintenance burden and potential for errors in build processes, as detailed in the minification section.