Text editor

     From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A text editor is a piece of computer software for editing plain text. It is distinguished from a word processor in that it does not manage document formatting or other features commonly used in desktop publishing.

Text editors are often bundled with operating systems or software development packages, and are commonly used for editing operating system and application configuration files and programming language source code. Some text editors are small and simple, while others offer a broad and complex range of functionality. For example, Unix and Unix-like operating systems have the vi editor (or a variant), but many also include the Emacs editor to edit text as well. Microsoft Windows systems come with the very simple Notepad, though many people (especially programmers) use a more complete program like TextPad. For the Apple Macintosh's Mac OS there is the native SimpleText, which was replaced or supplemented by WorldText, and also the HTML editor BBEdit.

Some editors include special features and extra functions, for instance,

• IDEss
• Outliners

are packages with text editors included, usually with extra functionality.

Well-known text editors

• BBEdit
• ed
• joe
• edt
• edlin
• Emacs
• Metapad
• NEdit
• Notepad
• pico
• qed
• Red (a VAX/VMS editor, written in Forth variant STOIC)
• sam
• SimpleText
• TextEdit
• TextPad
• teco
• vi
• vim
• Writer

See also: Editor wars

External links and additional resources

The following text editors are freeware for Windows (various versions):

• Emacs for Windows
• Editpad Lite
• Extreme pad
• Metapad, exact duplication of Notepad's feature set with many additional features
• Multipad
• Notespad
  • Features: dictionary, text clips (like macros), makes .log file when updating your edited file, file size limited only by memory, definable file filters, font settings, configurable toolbars.
• PFE
• Quick Edit
  • Features: supports accented characters, auto indent, sorting, search/replace, undo.
• SciTE
  • Features: designed for editing source code. Supports syntax coloring, more.
• Editplus
• Netpadd
• Vim
• Win32Pad

The following text editors are platform independent:

• JEdit
• FreeDOS edlin, a clone of MS-DOS edlin for FreeDOS