<style type="text/css">

pre {
    background: #EEEEEE;
    border: 1px solid #CCCCCC;
    width: 100%;
    /* overflow: scroll; */
    /* IE only */
    word-wrap: break-word;
    /* non-standard */
    white-space: normal;
}

</style>

<pre>
this is a very very very very very very very very very very very very 
+very very very very very very very very very very very very very very
+ very very very very very very very very very very very very very ver
+y very very very very very very very very very very very very very ve
+ry very very very very very very very very very very very very very v
+ery very very very very very very very very very very very very very 
+very very very very very very very very very very very very very very
+ very very very very very very very very very very very very very ver
+y very very very very very very very very long string
</pre>

[download]

update: added IE only CSS

update 2: added non-standard CSS and commented out overflow: scroll as its no longer needed

Hrm. It seems that white-space is standard. IE doesn't support it however ... but who uses that these days anyway :) Above code works in all browsers I have at hand in any case

update 3: started from scratch

After more deliberation, it seems I've still not solved your problem - except inadvertantly in IE - so heres another attempt. Its not perfect, but its closer.

<style type="text/css">

pre {
    padding: 0.5em;
    background: #EEEEEE;
    border: 1px solid #CCCCCC;
    overflow: auto;
    /* non-standard */
    /* white-space : normal; */
}

* html pre {
    /* IE only */
    word-wrap:break-word;
}

</style>

<pre>
this is a very very very very very very very very very very very very 
+very very very very very very very very very very very very very very
+ very very very very very very very very very very very very very ver
+y very very very very very very very very very very very very very ve
+ry very very very very very very very very very very very very very v
+ery very very very very very very very very very very very very very 
+very very very very very very very very very very very very very very
+ very very very very very very very very very very very very very ver
+y very very very very very very very very long string

and 

  spacing of     things 
</pre>

[download]

In reply to Re: Formatting CGI script error messages by hostyle
in thread Formatting CGI script error messages by shay

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