Software used to create and edit files that contain only text; for example, batch files, address lists and source language programs. Text editors produce raw ASCII or EBCDIC text files, and unlike word processors, they may not support formatting (word wrap, fonts, bold, italic, etc.).
Editors that are part of a development environment are designed for writing source code and provide automatic indention and multiple windows into the same file. They also display reserved words of a particular programming language in bold or in a different typeface, and any of these layout codes that are embedded in the file are bypassed when the program is compiled. See
source code editor and
hex editor.