Text Editor

A software application or program designed for creating, editing, and manipulating plain text files. It provides a user-friendly interface for users to input, modify, and format text-based content. Text editors are commonly used for various tasks, including writing code, composing documents, taking notes, and editing configuration files. Unlike word processors, which often include advanced formatting and layout features, text editors focus primarily on handling and displaying text, making them lightweight and efficient tools for working with textual data.

Regarding WordPress, there are two primary types of text editors: visual and code editors. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Visual Editor

The visual editor is the default text editor in WordPress. It provides a user-friendly interface that resembles a word processor, allowing you to create and format your content without any coding knowledge. With the visual editor, you can easily add headings, apply different font styles, create lists, insert media files, and more – all with a few clicks of a button. It offers a simplified editing experience perfect for beginners or those who prefer a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) approach to content creation.

Code Editor

WordPress offers a code editor for those comfortable working with code or needing to make more advanced customizations. This editor provides a plain text interface to directly write and edit HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It offers syntax highlighting, auto-indentation, and other features to enhance your coding experience. The code editor is handy when you want to fine-tune your website’s design or functionality or when working with themes, plugins, or custom code snippets.

It’s important to note that while the visual editor allows you to create and edit content visually, it also generates underlying code. Switch from the visual editor to the code editor. You will see the HTML tags, CSS styles, and JavaScript functions corresponding to the content you created using the visual editor. Similarly, if you switch from the code editor to the visual editor, you will see a visual representation of the code.

WordPress allows you to choose between these two text editors based on your needs and preferences. You can switch between them seamlessly, depending on the complexity of the task at hand.

To access the text editor in WordPress, navigate to the post or page editor screen and click the appropriate tab or button. The visual editor is usually the default option, but you can switch to the code editor by selecting the “Text” or “HTML” tab. Some advanced users may opt for third-party code editors integrating with WordPress, offering additional features and customization options.