Teksteditors

Teksteditors are software programs designed for editing plain text files. They are distinguished from word processors by focusing on minimal formatting and direct manipulation of text, making them well suited for programming, scripting, configuration files, and log editing. While word processors emphasize layout and typography, teksteditors prioritize speed, control, and versatility.

Common features include basic editing operations such as insert, delete, cut, copy, and paste, along with search and replace, undo and redo, and file management. Many teksteditors support syntax highlighting and indentation rules to aid reading and writing source code. Other typical capabilities are line numbers, bracket matching, region selection, multiple cursors, split views, and robust keyboard-driven navigation. Advanced editors offer auto-completion, code folding, snippet insertion, and powerful search tools, often with support for various encodings and line endings.

Teksteditors fall along a spectrum from lightweight, simple programs to powerful code editors and IDE-like environments. Lightweight editors (for example, Nano, Notepad, or Gedit) focus on speed and minimalism, while modern code editors (such as Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, or Atom) provide extensive plugin ecosystems, theming, and language support. They are typically cross-platform and available under a range of licenses, from free and open source to commercial software.

Extensibility is a defining trait: many teksteditors can be enhanced with plugins or extensions that add language support, version control integration, debugging, and project management. This makes them adaptable to diverse workflows, from quick text edits to large software development projects.