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Unit 7: Multimedia Software Tools



               •  IDEs (integrated development environments) are designed to manage and streamline larger   notes
                 programming projects. They are usually only used for programming as they contain many
                 features unnecessary for simple text editing.
               •  World Wide Web programmers are offered a variety of text editors dedicated to the task of
                 Web development. These create the plain text files that deliver Web pages. HTML editors
                 include: Dreamweaver, E Text Editor, Microsoft FrontPage, HotDog, Homesite, Nvu, Tidy,
                 and GoLive. Many offer the option of viewing a work in progress on a built-in Web browser.
                 XML editors share many traits.
               •  Mathematicians, physicists, and computer scientists often produce articles and books using
                 TeX or LaTeX in plain text files. Such documents are often produced by a standard text
                 editor, but some people use specialized TeX editors.
               •  Outliners. Also called tree-based editors, because they combine a hierarchical outline tree
                 with a text editor. Folding can generally be considered a generalized form of outlining.
               •  Simultaneous editing is a technique in End-user development research to edit all items in
                 a multiple selection. It allows the user to manipulate all the selected items at once through
                 direct manipulation. The Lapis text editor and the multi edit plugin for gedit are examples
                 of this technique. The Lapis editor can also create an automatic multiple selection based on
                 an example item.
               •  Distraction-free editors provide a minimalistic interface with the purpose of isolating the
                 writer from the rest of the applications and operating system, thus being able to focus on
                 the writing alone.
            A word processor is usually the first software tool computer users rely upon for creating text.
            The word processor is often bundled with an office suite.
            Word processors such as Microsoft Word and WordPerfect are powerful applications that include
            spellcheckers, table formatters, thesauruses and prebuilt templates for letters, resumes, purchase
            orders and other common documents.
            Using a computer to create, edit, and print documents. Of all computer applications, word
            processing is the most common. To perform word processing, you need a computer, a special
            program called a word processor, and a printer. A word processor enables you to create a
            document, store it electronically on a disk, display it on a screen, modify it by entering commands
            and characters from the keyboard, and print it on a printer.
            The great advantage of word processing over using a typewriter is that you can make changes
            without retyping the entire document. If you make a typing mistake, you simply back up the
            cursor and correct your mistake. If you want to delete a paragraph, you simply remove it, without
            leaving a trace. It is equally easy to insert a word, sentence, or paragraph in the middle of a
            document. Word processors also make it easy to move sections of text from one place to another
            within a document, or between documents. When you have made all the changes you want, you
            can send the file to a printer to get a hardcopy.

            Word processors vary considerably, but all word processors support the following basic
            features:

               •  insert text: Allows you to insert text anywhere in the document.
               •  Delete text: Allows you to erase characters, words, lines, or pages as easily as you can cross
                 them out on paper.

               •  Cut and paste: Allows you to remove (cut) a section of text from one place in a document
                 and insert (paste) it somewhere else.




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