Resolving Intermittent Bullet Point Display Issues in Semantic UI
Adam C. |

Have you ever encountered an issue where bullet points in your Semantic UI list occasionally display as strange characters like "•" instead of the expected "•"? This can be a frustrating problem, but fear not – there's a solution.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Identifying the Issue

The root cause of this problem often lies in encoding inconsistencies. Despite having the <meta charset="utf-8"> tag in your HTML document, intermittent display issues can occur due to various factors such as browser caching, server-side configurations, or network disruptions.

The Quick Fix

To ensure a consistent display of bullet points, we can take a straightforward approach by explicitly setting the content using the Unicode character '•'. Add the following CSS rule to your stylesheet:

.ui.bulleted.list .list > .item:before,
.ui.bulleted.list > .item:before,
ul.ui.list li:before {
  content: "\2022" !important;
}

This rule tells the browser to always display a bullet point as '•', overriding any potential encoding issues.

Best Practices

While the quick fix provides a reliable solution, it's essential to address the root cause of encoding issues. Here are some best practices to ensure a robust and consistent web application:

Browser Cache: Clear your browser cache to rule out caching issues.

Server Caching: Temporarily disable server-side caching to identify potential conflicts.

Network Stability: Ensure a stable network connection to prevent disruptions in resource loading.

Font Loading: Verify that custom fonts are loaded correctly and promptly.

JavaScript Interference: Check for JavaScript errors and ensure that dynamic content manipulation doesn't interfere with rendering.

Browser Compatibility: Test your application across different browsers for consistent behavior.

Character Encoding: Confirm that all files and server responses consistently use UTF-8 encoding.

Conclusion

By explicitly setting the bullet point character using Unicode, you can mitigate intermittent display issues in Semantic UI lists. While this serves as a quick and effective fix, taking the time to investigate and address the root cause will contribute to a more robust and reliable web application.

Remember to keep your development environment up to date and follow best practices to ensure a smooth user experience.

Happy coding!