Types of Text Editors
Some text editors are small and simple, while others offer broad and complex functions. For example, Unix and Unix-like operating systems have the vi editor (or a variant), but many also include the Emacs editor. Microsoft Windows systems come with the simple Notepad, though many people—especially programmers—prefer another Windows text editor with more features. Under Apple Macintosh's classic Mac OS there was the native SimpleText, which was replaced under Mac OS X by TextEdit, which merges features of a text editor with those of a word processor such as rulers, margins and multiple font selection. Some editors, such as WordStar, have dual operating modes allowing them to be either a text editor or a word processor.
Text editors for professional users can edit files of arbitrary sizes, such as log files or unusually large texts, such as an entire dictionary placed in a single file. Simpler text editors may just read files into the computer's main memory. On larger files, this may be a slow process, and the entire file might not fit. Some text editors do not let the user start editing until this read-in is complete.
"Programmable editors" can be customized for specific uses. For example, Emacs can be customized by programming in Lisp. One motive for customizing is to make a text editor use the commands of another text editor with which the user is more familiar.
An important group of programmable editors uses REXX as the scripting language. These "orthodox editors" let the user open a "command line" into which commands and REXX statements can be typed. Most such editors are derivatives of XEDIT, IBM's editor for VM/CMS. Among them are THE, Kedit, SlickEdit, X2, Uni-edit, UltraEdit, and Sedit. Some vi derivatives such as Vim also support folding as well as macro languages, and also have a command line.
A text editor written or customized for a specific use can sense what the user is editing and assist the user, often by providing simple ways to retrieve related information. Many text editors for software developers include source code syntax highlighting and automatic completion to make programs easier to read and write. Programming editors often let the user select the name of a subprogram or variable, and then jump to its definition and back. Often an auxiliary utility like ctags is used to locate the definitions.
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