A rich text editor is a plug-in application that allows users to enter and format text online. It offers advanced formatting options and is an alternative to HTML text areas. It is also known as an online HTML editor and is used for composing emails, user comment fields, and online office software suites. When selecting an editor, users should consider compliance with web standards, compatibility with different systems and browsers, and cost. Open source editors are available for free, and users can compare different editors through online reviews and tech blogs.
A rich text editor is a plug-in computer application that allows a user to enter and format text online, within a web browser. Rich text editors typically look like a word processor, with an area for text entry and buttons that the user can click to apply various advanced formatting options. With advanced formatting, the user can apply bold and italic styles; change the font, font color, or font size; create a bulleted list; or insert hyperlinks. Because the formatting you apply is immediately displayed in the editing window, a rich text editor is a “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) editor.
Instructions for how online content is displayed are determined by the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) tags for that content. These tags, contained in brackets, determine how the web browser will read and then display the content. A rich text editor is an alternative to creating text entry fields with an HTML text area tag. HTML text areas are text boxes where users can type text, so all users’ entries appear in the same font and style.
Rich text editors are also known as online HTML editors or inline editors. Their behind-the-scenes functionality turns a text entry field into an HTML editor without the user needing to know anything about HTML markup tags. The ability to customize how text is displayed can improve a user’s web experience by making a web page more interactive.
Online editors are often used for the “compose mail” feature of web-based email applications. A rich text editor can also be used for user comment fields or other applications where the user types online content. Online text editing and formatting is also a feature of most online office software suites.
When selecting a particular rich text editor as part of designing a web page or web application, it is important for users to consider whether the editor complies with current web standards, whether it works on different operating systems and browsers, and how much it costs. There are a number of open source editors available for free. Users can search online rich text editor reviews to compare different rich text editors in terms of features and current prices. Tech blogs and magazines often publish yearly “best of” features comparing different editors.
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