Plain text is unformatted and can be read by any text editor. Word processors use non-visible fonts to display formatted documents, while HTML uses plain text to create web pages. Text editors are useful for quick tasks and keeping text files organized.
Plain text consists of unformatted characters that are independent of the program and require little processing. Any text editor can read a text file, including a DOS text editor, Windows® text editor, Macintosh®, UNIX®, Linux®, generic open source, etc. The text file, which always ends in .txt, is cross-platform compatible. Word processors do not generate plain text unless you choose to save as a .txt file. In this case, a warning will indicate that all formatting will be lost.
Virtually all operating systems come with a built-in text editor or notepad. Programs that create logs do so in plain text. Operating system or event logs, antivirus logs, media logs, etc. they are all files of this type.
Word processors differ from text editors in that the former uses non-visible fonts to display text in unique ways, making documents easier to read and more attractive. A formatted file can contain headlines that stand out, images, bold letters, and unique paragraph spacing. Word processors are used in the vast majority of cases where a text editor is not required, and it is a must in cases where saved formatting is required. A text editor will not display formatted documents correctly, as it renders the formatting as extra characters.
One of the most familiar examples today of using plain text is in website coding. HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is a set of instructions written in plain text designed to create graphical web pages. Web browsers act as interpreters or translators of HTML, rendering text to create frames, load images, display information, run scripts, and perform interactive tasks.
While plain text may not include formatting or markup such as bold fonts or headings, HTML uses this text style to indicate which letters on a web page should be bold, which should appear as headings, what font should be used and so on. It does this through elements that include tags and attributes.
HTML text editors are plain text editors with special tools geared towards creating web pages. Using point-and-click menus, these programs make writing HTML code easier, especially for beginners. A WYSIWYG (pronounced wiziwig for What You See Is What You Get) editor allows the user to build the page in graphical form, generating HTML code on the fly in the background.
Text editors are quick little programs that are very useful for pasting links or snippets of material from the web for later use. A folder of how-to or solution text files kept on your desktop can be useful for compiling answers to infrequent but recurring hardware or software problems or tasks, avoiding the need to search for an answer more than once. Gedit, a popular open source text editor, also offers tabbed text files. To keep the text editor just a click away, place a shortcut on the taskbar, quick launch, or desktop.
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