Text Direction Plugin

The TextDirectionPlugin adds block-level text direction (dir attribute) to paragraphs, headings, and other directable block types. It exposes commands and a toolbar dropdown for switching between LTR, RTL, and auto direction, registers a Mod-Shift-D keymap, and (on Windows/Linux) attaches a Ctrl+Shift direction handler.

For inline <bdi> isolation see Bidi Isolation. For automatic direction detection / inheritance / preservation see Text Direction Auto.

Usage

import { TextDirectionPlugin } from '@notectl/core/plugins/text-direction';

new TextDirectionPlugin();
new TextDirectionPlugin({ directableTypes: ['paragraph', 'heading'] });

Configuration

interface TextDirectionConfig {
  /** Block types that support direction. Default: paragraph, heading, title, subtitle, table_cell, blockquote, list_item */
  readonly directableTypes: readonly string[];
  /** Custom locale for toolbar labels and announcements. */
  readonly locale?: TextDirectionLocale;
}

Example: restrict directable types

new TextDirectionPlugin({
  directableTypes: ['paragraph', 'heading', 'blockquote'],
});

Block-Level Direction

The plugin patches existing NodeSpecs for directable block types to add a dir attribute. This controls the overall text direction of the entire block.

Attribute	Type	Default	Renders As
dir	'ltr' | 'rtl' | 'auto'	'auto'	dir="rtl" on the block element

Commands

Command	Description	Returns
setDirectionLTR	Set block direction to left-to-right	boolean
setDirectionRTL	Set block direction to right-to-left	boolean
setDirectionAuto	Set block direction to automatic	boolean
toggleDirection	Cycle direction: auto → rtl → ltr → auto	boolean

editor.executeCommand('setDirectionRTL');
editor.executeCommand('toggleDirection');

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Shift+D / Cmd+Shift+D	Toggle block direction (cycles auto → rtl → ltr → auto)

Windows/Linux only:

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl + Left Shift key	Set direction to LTR
Ctrl + Right Shift key	Set direction to RTL

Toolbar

The plugin renders a Text Direction toolbar dropdown (block group) with LTR, RTL, and Auto options. The icon updates to reflect the current block’s direction.

Service: TextDirectionService

When this plugin loads it registers a TextDirectionService (via TEXT_DIRECTION_SERVICE_KEY) so other plugins can read the current direction without coupling to internals:

interface TextDirectionService {
  readonly directableTypes: ReadonlySet<string>;
  getBlockDir(block: BlockNode): TextDirection;
}

TextDirectionAutoPlugin requires this service. BidiIsolationPlugin consumes it optionally for the toggleBidiIsolation cycle UX.

Accessibility

• Screen reader announcements for all direction changes via context.announce()
• Keyboard-accessible shortcuts with platform-aware mappings (Mac vs. Windows/Linux)
• ARIA-friendly toolbar dropdowns
• Uses the semantic HTML dir attribute for proper assistive technology support

Internationalization

Ships with translations for 9 languages:

Language	Loader
English	Built-in (TEXT_DIRECTION_LOCALE_EN)
Arabic	loadTextDirectionLocale('ar')
German	loadTextDirectionLocale('de')
Spanish	loadTextDirectionLocale('es')
French	loadTextDirectionLocale('fr')
Hindi	loadTextDirectionLocale('hi')
Portuguese	loadTextDirectionLocale('pt')
Russian	loadTextDirectionLocale('ru')
Chinese	loadTextDirectionLocale('zh')

Custom locales can be provided via the locale config option. See the Internationalization guide for details.