a t e v a n s . c o m

#define elipses @"..."
- (NSString*)stringByTruncatingToWidth:(CGFloat)width withFont:(UIFont *)font{
  NSMutableString *truncatedString = [[self mutableCopy] autorelease];
  if ([self sizeWithFont:font].width > width)
  {
    width -= [ellipsis sizeWithFont:font].width;
    NSRange range = {truncatedString.length - 1, 1};
    while ([truncatedString sizeWithFont:font].width > width) 
    {
      [truncatedString deleteCharactersInRange:range];
      range.location--;
    }
    [truncatedString replaceCharactersInRange:range withString:ellipsis];
  }
 
  return truncatedString;
}

Pretty darn useful anywhere you're overriding drawRect and don't feel like wrecking your designer's font settings.