Today, any user is faced with text editors and processors almost every day. It is not surprising, because almost the entire workflow in the sense of creating texts and forms is made using just such programs. However, not all users are aware that the capabilities of a text editor of any type actually turn out to be much more impressive than it seems at first glance. And if you look at some undocumented features and tools that may be present in sets of such applications, a lot of users will be completely at a loss for the fact that they didn’t even know about it or even guessed about their existence. Therefore, let us dwell briefly on the main types of such programs, see what they are intended for and what they can do.
What is a text editor?
Unfortunately, among the majority of unprepared users there is an erroneous opinion about understanding the very essence of programs of this type. They believe that since the editor is text, it means that it is needed exclusively for working with texts, and only in terms of typing, and, in the best case, of the simplest design. In fact, the main features of a text editor, depending on its type, are much wider, since they involve the use of programming tools, web design, mathematical calculations, work with tabular data, and even with multimedia elements.
The main types of text editors and processors
But let's look at what kind of programs are of this type. In general, today it is customary to distinguish, so to speak, “clean” text editors, intended only for working with text data without any possibilities for decoration, office-type word processors, the most prominent representative of which is the well-known Word editor, and publishing systems like Quark X Press or Adobe In Design.
By the way, lately it has become extremely difficult to draw a clear line between the second and third type of programs, since Word-like applications are constantly being improved and are getting more and more new and non-standard tools that bring them closer to professional publishing packages in functionality.
A bit of history
Now for a more complete understanding of the emergence of text editors, you need a little distraction and turn to history. If anyone remembers the old DOS-systems, they also had a tool that allowed you to work with text. Such an editor was invoked by the edit command through Norton Commander. Despite the fact that for the most part it was focused on using the simplest programming tools, it was possible to create plain text in it and then save the file in the standard TXT format. It was this tool that in many respects served as a prototype for the subsequent creation of a group of programs, today called Notepads.
It goes without saying that earlier a special type of computing power was not required for the work of a text editor of this type, since the programs themselves written in now-obsolete programming languages were, to put it mildly, very primitive in comparison with current applets. And only with the advent of new languages and platforms, powerful computers were required, but not for entering program text code, but for testing compiled software products.
Clean Text Editors
As already understood, the DOS-system tool described above quickly transformed into a separate group of software running in the environment of operating systems created on the basis of object-oriented programming (in particular, Windows). Some users clearly underestimate and even belittle the capabilities of text editors and processors of this type, explaining this by the fact that they have absolutely no design tools like formatting, font selection, etc. In fact, Notepads are not intended to create a presentable appearance of a document.
But they work with programming languages beyond praise. What does it cost only to support the syntax of languages when, when you enter the wrong command, the application immediately selects it or offers to replace it with some suitable option.
In order not to delve into the jungle of programming, simply open the most common standard Notepad, which is available in the standard set of Windows systems of any generation, and then try to open or save the file using the object type selection menu. By and large, you can open a file of any format. Another thing is that sometimes a set of characters can be displayed instead of the usual text. This is due only to the fact that a compiled program object or file is opened that contains text encoding other than the default one. But when saving, the file extension can be set manually, and not select from the list of available formats. In the simplest case, this method is used to create BAT-format batch files, VBS-files of Visual Basic scripts, etc., which eliminates the need for original, narrowly targeted programming platforms.
Key features of the word processor Word and its analogues
Now let's move on to the largest and most widespread group of office-type programs, among which the most famous application, which is part of absolutely all Microsoft office suites, is Word.
Its counterparts can be found in the "Offices" of other developers, however, it is believed that they are all created exactly in the image and likeness of the brainchild of Microsoft.
If we consider the capabilities of the Word text editor and its analogues, among the entire toolkit, the following can be distinguished as the main directions of actions for working with texts:
- typing and editing (changing content);
- designing the appearance of the text and the entire whole document (working with fonts, formatting, indentation, alignment, distribution on pages, etc.);
- copy, cut and paste operations;
- automatic spell check;
- pagination;
- Insert headers and footers
- creating lists;
- work with tables;
- special insertions of multimedia objects and formulas;
- the use of templates to create documents of a certain type or their design;
- preview;
- sending to print the entire document or its part, etc.
In general, the above list contains only the basic, and then, by no means all, operations that can be performed using such editors. To study the tool kit in its entirety, you will have to spend more than one hour of time. And there is plenty to choose from.
Basic text operations
Now a brief look at a few key points related to using Word and similar programs. The main features of the Word text editor in terms of standard operations are no different from most applications designed for use in Windows-based systems. This includes tools for copying, pasting, cutting or moving text, a search system, spell checking and using a thesaurus.
Access to such functions can be obtained through the main toolbar, use the PCM context menu or standard keyboard shortcuts for this. Interestingly, moving the text can be done in several unusual ways, among which the fastest is the combination of the Ctrl key while dragging the selected fragment to the desired position.
Tables
As for what features of a text editor can be used in relation to working with tabular data, you need to clearly understand that they are fundamentally different from what we have, for example, in Excel.
From the point of view of calculating mathematical functions, you will not accelerate here. The applied tables can be used, rather, as a kind of additional element of the design of the main text or a tool for organizing data. But sorting alphabetically or as a list can be quite elementary.
Formatting and Design
Finally, consider the possibilities of a text editor in terms of paperwork. It is these tools that represent the largest group.
Only the most basic operations are presented on the main panel, but some of them can be found in the insert, design and layout menu, not to mention a few of the RMB menu items. A description of all the tools can take too long, so the easiest way to try each of them in action is better on your own.
Work with graphic objects
The graphics capabilities of a text editor (and there are some) look very interesting. Several types of actions can be noted here.
The easiest way is to insert an image from a file. Many users like the tools for working with Word Art or Smart Art objects, but the set of templates is extremely limited, and there is no way to create your own, although you can download additional modules from the Internet. Finally, you can use the simplest tools for drawing, however, and for the most part they allow you to depict only the simplest graphic forms or standard shapes. It is also possible to insert charts and graphs. But to create block diagrams and display data analysis in a certain form, such a toolkit is just fine.
Special inserts
If we consider the capabilities of a text editor in terms of additional inserts, then there are some nuances. If anyone does not know, it is absolutely elementary to insert audio, video or other files into the text, which will be displayed as the corresponding icon. In general, by and large, you can insert anything into the text. Another thing is that working with objects that require other applications will have to be done with them.
And very few people know that in editors of this type you can use the insertion of formulas, but not for calculations, but for displaying them in the form in which we are used to writing them on paper (of the simplest tools on the panel, only the superscript and subscript buttons are presented sign).
And when using the input of formulas, you can easily enter, say, integral or logarithmic equations, designate actions with fractions or matrices, etc.
Communication with other applications
Speaking about the possibilities of a text editor in terms of communication with other programs, as a simple example we can cite the import of data from an Excel spreadsheet processor. Such actions apply specifically to insertion tools. Naturally, you can edit data in Word, but all the same, Excel will be used for this, working in parallel in the background.
Web content
And if anyone doesn’t know, it is with the help of the Word editor or similar applications that you can create a web page for posting it on the Internet quite simply and quickly. In the designer, of course, there are not as many tools as we would like, but adding buttons, lists, check-boxes or hyperlinks does not cause problems. If you don’t have any specialized editor at hand, for the first time Word will provide the necessary features. The created file will just need to be saved in HTML format. Note that the input of the program code in this case is not provided at all, although after creating the page in graphical mode, you can view it.
Additional features of a text editor for working with specific formats
As for the additionally recognized formats, here, perhaps, of particular interest are the PDF files, which in the latest versions of the Word word processor can be edited directly in the application itself, and not in the form of processing a graphic object, but in the form of full text with all kinds of inserts.
Simply select the desired format when opening the document or use the import functions. By the way, through import you can open other formats, for example, XPS.
Finally, many actions for processing documents of a certain type can be greatly simplified if you initially create them using built-in templates (for example, business cards), which can be supplemented with ready-made developments posted on the Internet for free access.
Publishing programs
With the appointment of the capabilities of a text editor sorted out. In the end, it remains to mention publishing applications. They are quite difficult to master. Nevertheless, if we start from a general acquaintance with the editors, intended for processing text and graphics, they should also not be overlooked. As already probably understood, for the most part they are in demand in the printing industry for typesetting books, newspapers, magazines, booklets, etc.