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Word processors output to specific formats meant to be printed or read by other word processing programs. The files produced from a word processor are meant to be read, edited, and often printed, complete with often complex formatting and structural options. Word processors are intended as tools primarily for writing, not just text entry. Word Processors: All the Formatting That’s Fit to Print While the text created by text editors is by definition without complex formatting, some text editors nonetheless include some basic formatting tools (like text wrapping for easy reading, compatibility with cut, copy, and paste shortcuts, or a “Find” function) as creature comforts for users. Some writers and typists also prefer the simplicity of a text editor for the first stage of large projects, then switch to a word processor for finishing. Programmers appreciate simple text editors, because the lack of formatting is conducive to writing in multiple programming languages. A game’s video settings file saved as plain text. txt file that’s only half a megabyte large. txt and similar files tiny in comparison to document files: a 100,000-word novel can be saved as a. Operating logs, an ongoing recording of a program’s activities and results, are often saved as plain text. That way, the program itself can retrieve and alter its own settings as needed, but if something goes wrong and the program can’t boot, a user can open the file manually and edit the settings by manipulating the values.
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txt format can be imported, read, and edited by a huge variety of tools, many of which aren’t even intended to be read by users on a regular basis.įor example, Windows programs often save local configuration settings as a simple list in a. These programs eschew editing tags and visual formatting because they need to keep their formatting and contents as broad as possible, a concept known as “plain text.” The files saved by text editors in the.
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