Widow Orphan Line Flag Checker

Flag actual paragraph splits from typeset line evidence under caller minimum fragments; explicitly calls short first fragment orphan and short last fragment widow, no inference of rendered line counts from raw text or universal naming convention.

Description

Paragraph fragments must be assessed using actual typeset line counts.

Paragraph fragments must be assessed using actual typeset line counts. This tool names a short first fragment orphan and a short last fragment widow.^[1]

Enter aligned nonempty integer totals1–10000/first-fragment counts 0–total and minimum 1–100. Return flagged paragraph indices; unsplit paragraphs are omitted.

When to use Widow Orphan Line Flag Checker

Use Widow Orphan Line Flag Checker when you need to evaluate the supplied records under the calculation and evidence rules below. No rendered lines are inferred from copy and no universal terminology or fragment minimum is imposed.

Prepare the actual editorial, source, layout, timing or audience records requested. Supply explicit house-policy limits and preserve missing evidence.

How to use Widow Orphan Line Flag Checker and understand its results

Prepare the actual editorial, source, layout, timing or audience records requested. Supply explicit house-policy limits and preserve missing evidence.
Enter paragraphLineTotals, firstFragmentLineCounts, callerMinimumFragmentLines using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
Read orphanFirstFragmentParagraphIndices, widowLastFragmentParagraphIndices. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.

Input field	Meaning	Value type; see rules below	Requirement
paragraphLineTotals	Paragraph line totals	list of number	Required
firstFragmentLineCounts	First fragment line counts	list of number	Required
callerMinimumFragmentLines	Caller minimum fragment lines	number	Required

Enter aligned nonempty integer totals1–10000/first-fragment counts 0–total and minimum 1–100. Return flagged paragraph indices; unsplit paragraphs are omitted.

firstFlag=0<first<total AND first<minimum; lastFlag=split AND total−first<minimum

Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.

Output field	Meaning	Value type
orphanFirstFragmentParagraphIndices	Orphan first fragment paragraph indices	list of number
widowLastFragmentParagraphIndices	Widow last fragment paragraph indices	list of number

json

{
  "input": {
    "paragraphLineTotals": [
      5,
      5
    ],
    "firstFragmentLineCounts": [
      1,
      4
    ],
    "callerMinimumFragmentLines": 2
  },
  "output": {
    "orphanFirstFragmentParagraphIndices": [
      0
    ],
    "widowLastFragmentParagraphIndices": [
      1
    ]
  }
}

Limitations and assumptions

No rendered lines are inferred from copy and no universal terminology or fragment minimum is imposed.

Numeric inputs, where present, must be finite. Follow the calculation-specific rules for overflow, underflow and exceptional cases. Numeric lists are limited to 10,000 entries; string lists to 128 strings of at most 128 characters each. The rules above may impose smaller limits. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.

Alternative or Complementary methods

Use Widow/Orphan Minimum Lines Rule: Widow and orphan limits apply to opposite sides of an actual paragraph split. A paragraph wholly on one page needs different treatment. For a complementary task, use White Space Open Layout Percent Checker: Open layout area is usable area minus disjoint occupied regions. Summing overlapping boxes would overcount occupancy.

References

Widow Orphan Line Flag Checker — tool.io

Similar or alternative tools

Widow/Orphan Minimum Lines Rule
Widow and orphan limits apply to opposite sides of an actual paragraph split. A paragraph wholly on one page needs different treatment.
White Space Open Layout Percent Checker
Open layout area is usable area minus disjoint occupied regions. Summing overlapping boxes would overcount occupancy.