Font Awesome Documentation

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 101 views

As web developers, we often encounter unexpected behavior when working with web technologies. In this article, we will explore an issue with the @text attribute in WebC and its interaction with Font Awesome icons. We will also discuss possible workarounds and potential solutions.

Understanding the Issue

When working on an 11ty + WebC project that utilizes Font Awesome icons, we may encounter an issue where the @text attribute replacement overwrites the included icon element. This can be frustrating, especially when we need to display both text and icons on our buttons.

The Problem Code

Let's take a look at the code that triggers this issue:

<output>
  <--- more stuff here -->
  <button id="email-quote" type="button" class="btn btn-primary w-fit self-center" @text="buttonText"><i class="fa-solid fa-paper-plane"></i>Email Quote</button>
</output>

In this code, we have a button element with an @text attribute that is supposed to replace the text content of the button with the value of the buttonText variable. However, when we run this code, the icon element is overwritten by the text content.

A Possible Workaround

One possible workaround for this issue is to move the @text attribute to a sibling component of the icon element. Here's an example:

<output>
  <--- more stuff here -->
  <button id="email-quote" type="button" class="btn btn-primary w-fit self-center"><i class="fa-solid fa-paper-plane"></i><p @text="buttonText">Email Quote</p></button>
</output>

In this code, we have moved the @text attribute to a p element that is a sibling of the icon element. This seems to be a decent workaround, but it's not ideal, as it requires us to change the structure of our code.

Theories and Speculations

So, what's causing this issue? Is it a WebC bug or a Font Awesome issue? After some research and experimentation, I have a few theories:

InnerHTML Replacement: My guess is that @text is doing innerHTML replacement instead of innerText replacement. This would explain why the icon element is being overwritten by the text content.
Font Awesome Issue: Another possibility is that this is a Font Awesome issue. Font Awesome uses a lot of JavaScript and CSS to render its icons, and it's possible that there's a conflict between Font Awesome's rendering mechanism and the @text attribute.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the @text attribute replacement issue in WebC is a frustrating problem that can be solved with a workaround, but it's not ideal. I believe that this is a WebC bug, but it may also be related to Font Awesome's rendering mechanism. If you're experiencing this issue, I recommend trying the workaround I provided, and if that doesn't work, you may want to try updating your WebC and Font Awesome versions.

Future Development

I hope that this issue will be addressed in future versions of WebC and Font Awesome. In the meantime, we can use the workaround I provided to solve this problem.

Additional Resources

If you're interested in learning more about WebC and Font Awesome, here are some additional resources:

WebC Documentation: The official WebC documentation is a great resource for learning about WebC and its features.
Font Awesome Documentation: The official Font Awesome documentation is a great resource for learning about Font Awesome and its features.
11ty Documentation: The official 11ty documentation is a great resource for learning about 11ty and its features.

Code Examples

Here are some code examples that demonstrate the issue and the workaround:

Problem Code:

<output>
  <--- more stuff here -->
  <button id="email-quote" type="button" class="btn btn-primary w-fit self-center" @text="buttonText"><i class="fa-solid fa-paper-plane"></i>Email Quote</button>
</output>

Workaround Code:

<output>
  <--- more stuff here -->
  <button id="email-quote" type="button" class="btn btn-primary w-fit self-center"><i class="fa-solid fa-paper-plane"></i><p @text="buttonText">Email Quote</p></button>
</output>

In our previous article, we explored the issue with the @text attribute in WebC and its interaction with Font Awesome icons. We also discussed possible workarounds and potential solutions. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions about this issue.

Q: What is the `@text` attribute in WebC?

A: The @text attribute in WebC is a shorthand for the textContent property. It allows you to set the text content of an element in a concise way.

Q: What is the issue with the `@text` attribute and Font Awesome icons?

A: The issue is that the @text attribute replacement overwrites the included icon element. This means that the icon is not displayed, and only the text content is visible.

Q: Why is this issue happening?

A: This issue is happening because the @text attribute is doing innerHTML replacement instead of innerText replacement. This means that the icon element is being overwritten by the text content.

Q: Is this a WebC bug or a Font Awesome issue?

A: It's possible that this is a WebC bug, but it may also be related to Font Awesome's rendering mechanism. We need more information to determine the root cause of the issue.

Q: How can I fix this issue?

A: One possible workaround is to move the @text attribute to a sibling component of the icon element. This will prevent the icon element from being overwritten by the text content.

Q: What are some other possible solutions?

A: Some other possible solutions include:

Updating your WebC and Font Awesome versions to the latest versions.
Using a different icon library that does not have this issue.
Creating a custom solution using JavaScript and CSS to render the icons.

Q: Can I use the `@text` attribute with other types of elements?

A: Yes, you can use the @text attribute with other types of elements, such as span, div, and p. However, be aware that the @text attribute replacement may overwrite the content of these elements.

Q: Are there any known limitations of the `@text` attribute?

A: Yes, there are some known limitations of the @text attribute. For example, it does not work with elements that have a innerHTML property, such as img and input elements.

Q: Can I use the `@text` attribute with WebC's built-in components?

A: Yes, you can use the @text attribute with WebC's built-in components, such as button and input. However, be aware that the @text attribute replacement may overwrite the content of these components.

Q: Are there any other issues related to the `@text` attribute?

A: Yes, there are some other issues related to the @text attribute. For example, it may not work correctly with elements that have a textContent property, such as textarea elements.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the @text attribute replacement issue in WebC is a complex problem that requires a deep understanding of WebC and Font Awesome. We hope that this Q&A article has been helpful in answering some of the most frequently asked questions about this issue.

Additional Resources

If you're interested in learning more about WebC and Font Awesome, here are some additional resources:

WebC Documentation: The official WebC documentation is a great resource for learning about WebC and its features.
Font Awesome Documentation: The official Font Awesome documentation is a great resource for learning about Font Awesome and its features.
11ty Documentation: The official 11ty documentation is a great resource for learning about 11ty and its features.

Code Examples

Here are some code examples that demonstrate the issue and the workaround:

Problem Code:

<output>
  <--- more stuff here -->
  <button id="email-quote" type="button" class="btn btn-primary w-fit self-center" @text="buttonText"><i class="fa-solid fa-paper-plane"></i>Email Quote</button>
</output>

Workaround Code:

<output>
  <--- more stuff here -->
  <button id="email-quote" type="button" class="btn btn-primary w-fit self-center"><i class="fa-solid fa-paper-plane"></i><p @text="buttonText">Email Quote</p></button>
</output>

I hope that this Q&A article has been helpful in answering some of the most frequently asked questions about the @text attribute replacement issue in WebC. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to reach out.