A text editor is an application that edits plain text: characters with no fonts, colours or page layout stored in the file. Notepad, TextEdit in plain mode, Vim, Nano, Sublime Text and Visual Studio Code are examples.
Why it matters
Configuration files, scripts, logs, Markdown notes and source code are all plain text, so a reliable editor is a daily tool for anyone who works with computers. Unlike a word processor, a text editor will not add hidden formatting codes that break a program or a config file. Many add helpful features such as syntax highlighting, search and replace with regular expressions, and multiple cursors.
Example
To change a web server setting, you might open the file in Nano:
sudo nano /etc/hostsEdit the line, press Ctrl+O to save and Ctrl+X to exit. A word processor such as Word would add formatting data and corrupt a file like this.
Common mistakes
- Using a word processor for code or configs, which can insert curly quotes and hidden characters.
- Ignoring line endings (LF vs CRLF) and encoding (usually UTF-8) when files move between systems.
- Editing system files without a backup copy.
Related
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यह पेज सामान्य जानकारी है, जिसे हमारी संपादकीय टीम ने लिखा है और दस्तावेज़ीकरण बदलने पर अपडेट किया जाता है। सर्वर और प्रदाता अलग-अलग होते हैं, इसलिए बदलाव पहले सुरक्षित तरीके से जाँचें। देखें: संपादकीय नीति और अस्वीकरण.