text file
Noun: A computer file that contains data consisting primarily of human-readable text characters. These characters are typically encoded using standards like ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) or Unicode, which represent letters, numbers, and symbols. A text file may also contain basic formatting instructions, but its core content is plain text, as opposed to binary files which contain data for programs or media.
A text file is a fundamental data type used for storing and exchanging information that can be read and edited with simple text editors. - Please save your notes as a plain text file so it can be opened on any computer. - The program's configuration settings are stored in a simple text file. - I received the data in a text file attached to the email.
- "Plain text file": Often used to emphasize that the file contains only unformatted text characters, without any special styling, fonts, or embedded objects.
- For maximum compatibility, submit your essay as a plain text file (.txt).
- In computing contexts, the structure is often discussed: A text file is a sequence of lines, each terminated by a newline character.
- .txt file: A common filename extension for a text file (e.g., ).
- Source code file: A specific type of text file containing programming instructions (e.g., a or file).
- CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file: A text file format where data fields are separated by commas.
- Log file: A text file that automatically records events or messages from a software application.
- ASCII file: (When the text is specifically encoded with the ASCII standard).
- Plaintext file: Emphasizes the lack of encryption or complex formatting.
- To read from a text file: The process of a program loading data from a text file.
- The script is designed to read from a text file and process each line.
- To write to a text file: The process of a program saving data into a text file.
- The results of the calculation are written to a text file for later review.
- (computer science) a computer file that contains text (and possibly formatting instructions) using seven-bit ASCII characters