textediting

TextEditing is the act of creating and modifying plain text using software tools called text editors. It emphasizes raw text content and character encoding rather than WYSIWYG formatting, making it well suited for writing code, configuration files, notes, and other human-readable data. Text editing tools range from simple, feature-light editors to full-featured programming environments.

Common categories include simple editors (Notepad, Nano), powerful modal editors (Vim, Emacs), and modern code editors (Sublime Text, Visual Studio Code). Word processors and typesetting systems are distinct in that they manage rich formatting; text editors focus on the text itself and associated metadata such as line endings and encoding.

Key features often include basic editing commands (insert, delete, move), undo/redo, copy/paste, search and replace, line numbering, indentation, and support for multiple encodings (UTF-8) and line endings (LF, CRLF). Many editors offer syntax highlighting, code completion, and extensibility through plugins or scripting. Modal editors separate editing commands from text input, while IDEs blend editing with build and debugging tools.

Text editing supports workflows such as software development, data entry, note-taking, and configuration management. It is fundamental to version-controlled projects, where diffs and patches are based on plain text. Accessibility, cross-platform availability, and performance on large files are common considerations.