What is a text editor? Features of working with programs for text processing

While working at the computer, we are extremelyoften faced with the need to create, edit, design and print text information. Special programs are used for this. Let's try to figure out what a text editor is and why it's needed.

Definition

Text editors are specializedprograms that allow you to create, format, edit, save and print documents. In addition to the text itself, modern documents can contain other objects (tables, lists, diagrams, images, etc.).

The most popular programs for working with text

Now that you already know what a text editor is, you can talk about which applications of this category are most popular.

Microsoft Word

Probably the most common and user-friendly program. Many options, options, extensive functionality, support for teamwork and reviewing.

Open Office

Free alternative to the MS Office software package. The Open Office text editor is slightly inferior to Word in terms of functionality and does not have the same attractive modern interface, but in general for performing basic tasks is quite good.

AbiWord

Supports quite a few different textformats, including doc and rtf. Weigh this program very little, it works fast enough, does not "hang" and meets all the requirements of a modern user.

GNU Emacs

Multifunctional free editor,adapted to work on different operating systems. The basis of the Emacs ideology is the principles of extensibility, customization to the requirements of the user and the desire to combine "all in one".

However, anyway, the most popular, reliable and convenient is the good old Microsoft Word.

Main features of MS Word

What is a Word text editor, and whatfunction can it perform? A unique program, created by Microsoft specialists, has been improved for several decades. Modern MS Word allows you to:

• Enter and edit text using the keyboard with the ability to save it in the computer's memory;
• perform information formatting (change parameters and text formatting);
• Use the tools for previewing documents in the process of preparing them for printing;
• process multiple documents at the same time;
• check spelling, spelling and punctuation in different languages;
• insert graphic images and diagrams into the text;
• Create and add tables to the text, edit them;
• use macros in documents, and so on.

As for the shortcomings of MS Word, they are not so mucha lot of. However, when talking about what a text editor is, it is worth saying that not all of them are suitable for certain purposes. For example, in the case of Word, you may have problems entering chemical formulas and complex mathematical expressions. In addition, this text editor is not designed for complex polygraphic products (magazine covers, albums, atlases, etc.) and for editing high-quality images.

We study the menu of the word processor MS Word

Knowing what a text editor is, you, of courseAlso, you want to know more about its capabilities. Get a general idea of ​​the functionality of MS Word by reading the main command tabs of the program:

• Home. It contains a set of commands related to the clipboard, paragraph adjustment, styles and font selection.
• Insert. It allows you to embed pages, tables, links, illustrations, headers, footers, symbols and text objects into the document.
• Page layout. Here you can find commands for working with topics, paragraph spacing, background images. On the same tab there are tools that allow you to configure the page settings and the order of the elements on it.
• References. The commands on this tab will be useful to those who already know what a text editor is, and is working on creating serious voluminous works (content, bibliographies and citations, subject index, headlines, footnotes, etc.).
• Subscriptions. Here are all the functions that you may need for creating, previewing and sending mail.
• Reviewing. Tools for checking documents (thesaurus, spelling, etc.). On the same tab, you'll see the commands that allow you to share the document with other users for verification, add a comment, track and process changes, compare versions, and protect the document.
• View. This tab is responsible for viewing the document in different modes and the ability to view several documents.

In the upper left corner you can find the "File" button,which opens the main menu of MS Word, whose commands allow you to open, save, print documents, as well as learn more about the installed version of the program, what is the Microsoft Word text editor and go to the detailed help. In addition, in the "File" menu, you can change the settings of the program itself by default (spelling, auto-save, skin, etc.).

In fact, now you know what a text editor menu is, and without any problems you can find the commands you need for the job.